• Claims fatalities in KP fell by 16pc, while nationwide toll rose by 9pc in first nine months of this year
• Party submits list of lawyers to Adiala jail administration for meeting with Imran
ISLAMABAD: The PTI has described Oct 11 as a “dark day” for democracy, saying the Centre’s move to impose governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would add another “black mark” to the democratic credentials of the PPP and the PML-N, as both parties had repeatedly “supported undemocratic and unconstitutional measures while invoking democracy”.
PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram claimed that fatalities involving security personnel and civilians in KP had declined by 16 per cent during the first nine months of 2026, while nationwide fatalities had increased by 9pc, citing figures attributed to the Centre for Research and Security Studies.
He called for a transparent assessment of the figures and the effectiveness of security policies.
He said neither the PTI nor the people of KP would accept the “unconstitutional, undemocratic and unlawful imposition of governor’s rule and emergency in the province, or the removal of its elected government”.
He announced that the party would continue its peaceful democratic struggle through the courts, parliament, provincial assemblies and public mobilisation until justice was achieved.
Mr Akram said the PPP and the PML-N should be judged by their political record rather than their repeated claims of championing democracy.
He recalled that PPP founder and former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto dismissed the Balochistan government led by Sardar Attaullah Mengal in 1973, followed by the imposition of governor’s rule and a prolonged confrontation with the provincial leadership.
He also referred to governor’s rule in the then NWFP (now KP) during the government of PPP chairperson and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in 1994, its imposition in Punjab under President Asif Ali Zardari in 2009, and the removal of the Balochistan government led by Nawab Aslam Raisani in 2013.
Criticising the PML-N’s record, Mr Akram cited the 1997 attack on the Supreme Court by the party’s supporters, the nationwide emergency imposed during the government of party president and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in 1998, and the “theft” of the PTI’s electoral mandate in the February 2024 general elections.
He also criticised the subsequent “usurpation” of the party’s reserved seats and the passage of constitutional amendments, saying these actions had further undermined democratic principles and the public’s electoral mandate.
He urged the Centre to implement the KP government’s proposed peace jirga recommendations, strengthen federal-provincial coordination and engage affected communities in developing a sustainable counterterrorism strategy.
He said the PTI would continue to demand justice for Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, and seek the release of political prisoners in accordance with the law and judicial process.
Mr Akram demanded the immediate reversal of governor’s rule and emergency in KP, the restoration of the elected provincial government and meaningful dialogue to resolve the country’s political crisis.
Meeting with Imran
Meanwhile, the PTI on Monday submitted a list of lawyers to the Adiala jail administration seeking permission to meet Imran Khan in accordance with Islamabad High Court directions.
The list, submitted by Advocate Awais Younas Chaudhry, includes Barr–ister Gohar Ali Khan, Niazullah Khan Niazi, Khalid Yousaf Chaudhry, Muhammad Faisal Malik, Ch Awais Younas and Ghulam Mustafa Khan Baloch.
Published in Dawn, October 13th, 2026
