KP CM Afridi Rejects Governor’s Rule Threats as Tarar Signals Emergency

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has said he will not back down in the face of threats to impose governor’s rule in the province, as senior federal government officials indicated that constitutional measures could be taken if the required conditions were met.

Addressing a meeting on peace and security in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Afridi said the people of the province, police and armed forces had made immense sacrifices for peace.

He claimed that peace could be restored in the province within 100 days if his government’s policies were implemented.

Afridi called for bringing all stakeholders together to formulate a policy and ensure its implementation, saying Khyber Pakhtunkhwa should not be made a victim of political disputes and that a change in policy was needed.

The chief minister said he would not retreat from his position over threats of governor’s rule, adding that no step contrary to the wishes of the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa or their electoral mandate would be acceptable.

Meanwhile, Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said that if the constitutional requirements for imposing an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were fulfilled, it should be imposed and “will be imposed.”

“If an emergency needs to be imposed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, then it absolutely should be and will be. If the requirements laid down in the Constitution are fulfilled, then all of this will certainly happen,” Tarar said.

Separately, Prime Minister’s Coordinator for Information Ikhtiar Wali said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had already provided all the conditions required for the imposition of governor’s rule.