PESHAWAR: Awami National Party (ANP) central president Senator Aimal Wali Khan has opposed any move to impose governor’s rule or emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, terming such measures undemocratic.
Speaking to the media in Islamabad, Mr Khan said the ANP would not support any such step, adding that fundamental human, constitutional and democratic rights of the people could not be curtailed in the name of emergency, according to a statement issued here on Wednesday.
He said the imposition of governor’s rule or emergency would aggravate rather than improve the situation in the province. “Those responsible for bringing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to this point and the policies that led to the present situation should first be held accountable,” he said.
Mr Khan alleged that the PTI had remained in power in the province for the past 13 years with the state’s support. “If the state withdraws its patronage, the air would have gone out of PTI’s balloon long ago,” he remarked. He said the provincial and federal governments, as well as those who had brought the PTI to power, were on the same page regarding the prevailing insecurity in the province.
“None of them can be absolved of responsibility for failing to protect people,” he added.
The ANP leader also alleged that electoral rigging had taken place not only in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but across the country in the last general elections. He said the country’s problems could not be resolved by undermining the public mandate and running the system through “proxies”.
Mr Khan said political, economic and law-and-order crises could not be overcome unless power was transferred to genuine representatives of the people and parliament was made the real centre of decision-making.
He said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan were passing through a critical period, with their people facing insecurity, economic difficulties and political disempowerment.
“If we want to move forward, the state will have to learn from the past mistakes,” he said, adding that attempts to resolve problems through force, undemocratic intervention and artificial political arrangements had failed in the past.
Our Bannu Correspondent adds: Member of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan and Supreme Court lawyer Ahmad Farooq Khattak has urged the federal government to refrain from further political experiments in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, saying calls and slogans for governor’s rule could further escalate tensions in the province.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, he said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was already facing terrorism, law and order challenges and serious economic and social problems, and that steps likely to create further instability should therefore be avoided.
He said heightened political tensions could directly benefit militant elements. The federal government, he added, should take into account the sensitivity of the situation and make decisions with restraint, prudence and in accordance with constitutional requirements.
Mr Khattak also urged the provincial government to focus on the province’s pressing problems, including terrorism, unemployment, lawlessness, inflation, corruption and growing public difficulties, instead of engaging in political confrontation and rhetoric. He also called on the federal and provincial governments to avoid confrontation and play a serious role in safeguarding public interests, maintaining law and order and ensuring stability in the province.
Published in Dawn, October 1st, 2026
