- Cabinet meeting scheduled for Sunday morning: sources.
- NA and Senate sessions to be summoned on Oct 13.
- Section 144 imposed across Rawalpindi for one month.
The federal government has decided to impose an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa amid the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) long march towards Islamabad, said well-informed sources on Saturday.
The development came during a meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari at Aiwan-e-Sadr.
The premier was accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar and others.
PPP’s Senator Sherry Rehman, Syed Naveed Qamar, Senator Saleem Mandviwalla and Dr Asim Hussain were also present on the occasion.
“It was agreed in the meeting to convene separate sessions of the National Assembly and Senate on October 13,” read a statement issued by the President House.
The insiders said that the federal cabinet meeting sought for 9:30am on Sunday to approve emergency in KP.
Meanwhile, PM Shehbaz telephoned Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and congratulated him on performing Umrah.
The PM invited the JUI-F chief to a meeting at the Prime Minister’s House, which the latter accepted.
During the meeting, the JUI-F chief once again suggested to the premier to hold talks with PTI to end the ongoing political crisis in the country.
He suggested resolving the issue through negotiations rather than imposing governor’s rule or an emergency in KP, the insiders added.
He reiterated his support for meaningful talks between the government and the PTI to find a way forward.
The prime minister briefed the JUI-F chief in detail on the government’s efforts to engage in dialogue with the opposition.
PM Shehbaz said the government was making every possible effort to resolve the matter through mutual understanding, sources added.
The JUI-F chief urged the prime minister to take his party’s core committee into confidence over the matter.
He has sought more time from the PM to consult the opposition and PTI on resolving the ongoing political impasse, the sources added.
The JUI-F chief, later, contacted opposition leaders and the PTI leadership in Islamabad.
Federal cabinet to decide on KP emergency
Speaking on Geo News programme ‘Naya Pakistan’, KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi said that no official decision has been taken on imposing an emergency or governor’s rule in the province.
The governor said that said the federal cabinet would decide on Sunday whether to impose an emergency, governor’s rule or both.
The governor also criticised KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, saying he should resign if he could not protect the people of his province.
Responding to a question, Kundi ruled out the possibility of further talks with the province’s ruling party, the PTI.
The governor said several PTI members were either under arrest or surrendering themselves.
He alleged that the party did not want dialogue and questioned whether it could be considered a political party. Kundi further accused the PTI of engaging in talks only through confrontation and unrest.
No room left to avoid emergency: Naqvi
Severalty, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said that there appears to be little room left to avoid an emergency, responding to a journalist’s question during an informal conversation with reporters.
“Is there any room left for an emergency not to be imposed?” Naqvi remarked in response to a question.
The interior minister asked them to suggest how the situation could be averted. He urged them to ask the relevant parties how many efforts he had made to find a solution.
“They themselves will tell you how far I went in my efforts to resolve the matter,” Naqvi said.
The interior minister added that no room for further options remained, according to his informal remarks to journalists.
Section 144 imposed in Rawalpindi for one month
Section 144 has been imposed across Rawalpindi district for one month, from October 10 to November 8, according to an official notification.
Under the notification, public gatherings, rallies, processions, sit-ins and protests have been banned. The gathering of five or more people is also prohibited.
The restrictions further ban carrying weapons, sticks and petrol bombs. Double riding on motorcycles and the use of loudspeakers have also been prohibited.
According to the notification, Section 144 has been enforced in view of security concerns across the district.
Legal action will be taken against those found violating the restrictions, the notification stated.
PTI-led KP government and the federal government have been odds over various issues, particularly on the counter-terrorism policy. The federal government has repeatedly asked the PTI and the provincial government in KP to shun “extremist” politics and back the Centre’s anti-terrorism policy but has failed to receive a clear, positive response.
In addition to this, the Imran Khan founded-parity, on October 4, launched a protest march towards the federal capital aimed at seeking the release of its jailed founding chairman Khan and what it describes as the restoration of constitutional supremacy.
Khan, who has been in jail since August 2023, faces multiple cases ranging from corruption to terrorism since his ouster from power via the opposition’s no-trust motion in April 2022.
