ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Sunday authorised the deployment of Pakistan Army troops and assets in aid of civil power in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, after imposing an emergency and governor’s rule in the province.

The authorisation of the army deployment was made through Statutory Regulatory Order, issued by the interior ministry on Sunday.

According to the order, a copy of which is available with Dawn, the federal government authorised the deployment of army troops and assets in aid of civil power for the “safety of life, security of persons and property of citizens as well as security of government installations” in the province.

The authorisation lasts for the duration of the proclamation issued regarding the imposition of an emergency and governor’s rule. The notification cited powers conferred to the government under Article 245 of the Constitution.

KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, in consultation with the Military Operations Directorate at General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, would determine the number of troops and assets necessary, the notification added.

Copies of the order were forwarded to the president’s secretary, prime minister’s adviser, the KP governor’s secretary, the Military Operations Directorate GHQ Rawalpindi, the KP home secretary, the inspector general of police (IGP) in the province, the Peshawar High Court registrar and other officials.

The order, issued by Section Officer CAF(C) Dr G.M. Mahmoodi, will be published in the next issue of Gazette of Pakistan Part-II.

The emergency imposition comes a day after PM Shehbaz met President Zardari and discussed the country’s overall security situation.

That meeting came amid heightened tensions between the PML-N-led federal government and the KP government led by the PTI — which is in opposition in the Centre. They have been at odds over various issues, particularly on the counterterrorism policy, which was one of the main reasons behind the breakdown of their Oct 3 talks.

The PTI has said it was being left out of security decisions concerning KP, which the Centre has denied. It also calls for reviewing the counterterrorism policy and opposes military operations.

On the other hand, the Centre has been criticising the KP government’s efforts to combat terrorism in the province and objects to its stance on dialogue with the Afghan Taliban.

Published in Dawn, October 12th, 2026