Parliament approves KP emergency; joint sitting on governor's rule set for today

Key takeaways

• Both houses of Parliament on Wednesday, 14 October, approved the President's proclamation of emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), issued on 11 October under Article 232 of the Constitution.
• The National Assembly passed its resolution by voice vote; in the Senate, PTI-backed senators walked out in protest.
• Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said 3,787 terrorism incidents were recorded in KP between 15 October 2025 and 9 October 2026, and called the emergency a "last resort".
• PTI rejected the move, saying counter-terrorism should be handled under the National Action Plan, and called the step political.
• President Asif Ali Zardari has summoned a joint sitting of Parliament for Thursday, 15 October, where governor's rule under Article 234 is due to be taken up.

What happened

The federal government imposed emergency and governor's rule in KP on Sunday, 11 October. It said the provincial government had failed to take ownership of the fight against militancy. The PTI-led provincial government was suspended and its executive powers passed to the governor, who is assisted by an 11-member advisory council, according to Arab News.

Under the Constitution, an emergency proclamation must be placed before the National Assembly and the Senate separately within 10 days. Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry moved the resolutions in both houses on Wednesday.

In the National Assembly, Speaker Ayaz Sadiq put the resolution to a voice vote and declared that "the ayes have it". The Senate adopted a similar resolution later in the day, after PTI senators staged a walkout.

What the government says

Law Minister Tarar told the National Assembly that the security situation in KP had become a threat to national security. He said 2,911 terrorism incidents took place in the province between 2021 and 2024, but the figure rose to 3,787 in the past year alone. He said a special mechanism has been set up for 12 districts of KP.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal accused the PTI's provincial leadership of putting politics ahead of security. Ahsan Iqbal said the step was taken under the Constitution, unlike the 1999 military takeover.

What the opposition says

PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said his party rejects the emergency. He said the party had always opposed terrorism and wanted action under the National Action Plan. He also questioned the arrests of party members and relatives of PTI founder Imran Khan, and said PTI was ready to bring the KP Police Act in line with Punjab and Sindh.

Opposition leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai urged the government to reverse the decision and warned that governor's rule could be imposed in Sindh next. In the Senate, PTI-backed senator Hamid Khan alleged that the talks held before the emergency were not genuine and that the decision had been taken earlier. These are opposition allegations and have not been independently confirmed.

PPP's position

PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari backed the emergency but called it "a stopgap measure". He urged both sides to return to talks. Barrister Gohar welcomed that offer.

The constitutional steps

What happens next

• The joint sitting on Thursday is expected to take up approval of governor's rule in KP.
• The National Assembly has been adjourned until Friday, 16 October, at 11am.
• Watch whether talks between the government and PTI resume, as Bilawal and Speaker Sadiq have suggested.

This is a developing story and will be updated after the joint sitting.