Pakistan minister hints at imposing governor’s rule in opposition-ruled province
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s State Minister for Law and Justice Aqeel Malik on Sunday hinted at the imposition of the governor’s rule in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province ruled by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s opposition party, amid deepening political tensions in the country.
Malik’s comments came hours after reports circulating on social media suggested the federal government was considering names for the new governor in KP, where it intends to impose the governor’s rule. The central government has repeatedly criticized the provincial administration for “bad governance” and “failure” to maintain law and order in the northwestern province that borders Afghanistan.
In Pakistan, the federal government can impose the governor’s rule in a province and hand over all administrative powers to the governor, a representative of the federation, in case the provincial administration fails to tackle a “grave emergency.”
Under the governor’s rule, the provincial chief minister and his cabinet lose all administrative powers and virtually stand suspended.
Tensions between the KP government, led by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) opposition party, have long existed in the country, but heightened this month after the PTI’s repeated protests against what it calls the government’s denial of a meeting with Khan, who has been in jail since Aug. 2023. Khan’s family and party have alleged he has been kept in solitary confinement and is being denied basic human rights. The government and jail authorities deny this.
“The chief minister and his team have badly failed in having any sort of, you know, workable situation. Neither they want to keep coordination or cohesion with the federation in any regard, nor any kind of coordination or consultation takes place with regard to wherever we identify they should take action,” Malik told a private broadcaster, adding that the governor’s rule is imposed in times of “absolute necessity.”
“Right now, I think, the situation itself, the situation of KPK, the circumstances over there, they call for a measure to be taken in this regard so that there is such an administrative structure there that could be somewhat beneficial.”
Besides governance and politics, tensions have also prevailed between the center and KP over the issue of militancy. The PTI-led provincial administration has previously stressed that the issue of cross-border attacks from Afghanistan should be resolved through negotiations. Pakistan’s attempts to convince Kabul to act against militant groups on its soil have failed to yield results in recent months.
Malik criticized KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi for failing to ensure law and order, improve governance and facilitate citizens in the province. He said the federal government is pondering over the imposition of the governor’s rule, given the circumstances in the region.
“This can initially be [imposed] for two months as per the constitutional timeline and after that, it can also be extended,” he added.