Pakistan faces one of its most serious political crises in recent years as the federal government reportedly weighs imposing emergency rule or governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, even as it extends olive branches for dialogue with the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.
The extraordinary developments come as PTI’s long march demanding the release of imprisoned party founder Imran Khan continues toward Islamabad, now in its fourth day, raising tensions between the Centre and the PTI-led provincial government in KP to unprecedented levels.
Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari issued a stark warning to PTI during a speech in Karachi, urging the party to abandon what he called extremist politics. Drawing on Pakistan’s turbulent political history, Bilawal noted that those in prison today could be in power tomorrow, but cautioned that Khan risked surpassing even President Asif Ali Zardari’s record of fourteen years behind bars if PTI maintained its confrontational approach.
Bilawal specifically criticized KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi for pursuing negative politics and called on PTI to return to parliamentary committees and engage in meaningful dialogue with the federal government.
Meanwhile, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif delivered a blistering attack on PTI, accusing the party of acting in concert with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan. Asif warned that the government would not yield to pressure tactics and alleged that terrorists roam freely in several KP districts where the provincial government has lost its writ.
The defence minister questioned PTI’s silence on the TTP and its Afghan patrons, claiming the party had never issued statements against those sponsoring terrorism. He insisted the government would not be blackmailed into releasing Khan through street pressure.
Despite the harsh rhetoric, Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah again offered talks to PTI, saying the government’s doors remained open for negotiations. However, he stressed that no demands could be met by holding the state hostage and urged PTI to set aside personal interests.
Sanaullah revealed that intelligence-based operations would continue in KP, though he insisted no new large-scale operation was being launched and no internally displaced persons would be created. He criticized the KP government for holding only one provincial apex committee meeting in eleven months and alleged that five districts in the province had no functioning police stations.
Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar accused the PTI government in KP of neglecting governance entirely, claiming the hours meant for administration were instead spent plotting Khan’s release. He alleged the provincial government had failed to invest in security infrastructure, education, and healthcare despite more than thirteen years in power.
In a sign of the crisis’s severity, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari held urgent consultations at the Presidency, discussing the country’s overall political and security situation. The meeting included senior government and PPP leaders, and it was agreed to convene separate sessions of the National Assembly and Senate.
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has emerged as a potential mediator, holding telephone discussions with the prime minister about reducing tensions between the federal and KP governments. PTI has reportedly authorized Fazl to mediate between the government and opposition.
The political deadlock follows two rounds of negotiations that ended without agreement. PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja claimed talks failed because the federal government insisted KP own all anti-terrorism actions unilaterally initiated by the Centre.
As the long march continues and constitutional measures loom, Pakistan finds itself at a critical juncture where the choices made in coming days could reshape the country’s political landscape for years to come.
