Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari has suspended the provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after declaring a state of emergency in the northwestern province, which is ruled by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Firstpost reported on Sunday.
The emergency was declared after the federal cabinet approved the move, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's office citing the provincial government's alleged failure to tackle Islamist militancy. The constitution allows the federal government to take over some or all provincial functions during an emergency, but the president's office has not said which powers will be assumed or how the province will now be run.
PTI spokesperson Zulfikar Bukhari called the decision "ridiculous", saying Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had the country's only legitimately elected government and warning that the move could fuel further violence and instability.
The step deepens the standoff between the government and the PTI, whose supporters, led by provincial Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, have been marching towards Islamabad to demand Khan's release after talks between the two sides broke down.
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