The Associated Press reported from Islamabad on Monday that Pakistan’s federal government accused the provincial administration led by imprisoned former prime minister Imran Khan’s party of working “hand in glove” with the Pakistani Taliban. AP said the government cited that alleged collusion to justify Sunday’s suspension.
What AP reported
AP said the suspension and the state of emergency are in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and that ministers argued this would let the security forces and the new administration coordinate the fight against terrorism. It quoted the information minister accusing Chief Minister Sohail Afridi of facilitating the Pakistani Taliban, and saying Afridi was in government custody after being removed. The Pakistani Taliban, or TTP, is a separate group and a close ally of the Afghan Taliban. AP noted that Islamabad accuses the Afghan Taliban of sheltering the TTP, and that Kabul denies it.
AP quoted the information minister at a news conference: “You cannot have a provincial government in the country which sympathizes with the terrorists, or which supports terrorists.” He alleged that Khan’s supporters travelled last week through areas along the Afghan border with help from militants, who he said provided safe passage. Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar told AP the federal government had exhausted other options, including talks, before imposing governor’s rule.
The six-month line
Tarar told AP the provincial government had been suspended for at least six months, and he gave no date for lifting the emergency. That is his statement. It is not the same as the limit in Article 234. The proclamation, as Dawn has reported and as Zaviya’s live story already says, lasts two months unless a joint sitting of parliament extends it, up to a maximum of six months.
