ISLAMABAD (Voice of Russia): Emergency and governor’s rule have been imposed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa following approval by the federal cabinet, with President Asif Ali Zardari signing the summary.
President Asif Ali Zardari signed under Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution of Pakistan on the advice of the prime minister, citing the security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The government issued a gazette notification imposing emergency under Article 232, and the presidential proclamation took effect immediately.
The presidential proclamation says that in view of rising terrorist incidents and a grave law-and-order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the lives and property of the public face serious threats. Terrorist attacks on government installations, infrastructure and law-enforcement agencies have increased, while the provincial government has failed to demonstrate the required resolve and measures to effectively counter terrorism and lawlessness.
The proclamation further says the provincial government cannot be run in accordance with the Constitution in the current circumstances, and the federal government may direct the Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to take charge of all or some affairs of the provincial government; the governor will perform the provincial government functions entrusted by the federal government.
According to the proclamation, all or some powers of the province’s institutions and authorities, other than the provincial assembly, may be exercised by the governor on the directions of the federal government, while the powers of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly will be exercised by Parliament or under its authority.
The proclamation states that the chief minister, provincial ministers, advisers, special assistants and the advocate general will immediately relinquish their offices; the presidential proclamation takes effect at once.
Earlier, a federal cabinet meeting chaired by the prime minister was held on the situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, attended by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Rana Sanaullah, Salik Hussain, Attaullah Tarar and other members.
The cabinet was briefed on the law-and-order situation and worsening terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and reviewed the situation in detail in view of the deteriorating law and order and the provincial government’s deliberate indifference toward the war against terrorism.
The cabinet advised the prime minister to counsel the president that, given the gravity of the situation, the president should exercise his constitutional authority to impose emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution; the advice was sent from the Prime Minister’s House to the Presidency, where the president signed it.
According to sources, before imposing emergency and governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the federal cabinet also gave the provincial government one last chance through Maulana Fazlur Rehman, but this final negotiation effort failed.
Earlier in the meeting it had been proposed that, before any final decision on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a last effort be made through Maulana Fazlur Rehman; during the meeting itself, Deputy Prime Minister Senator Ishaq Dar contacted Maulana Fazlur Rehman for consultation.
The federal cabinet expressed deep concern over the terrorism situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; cabinet members said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government’s deliberate indifference toward the war against terrorism, instead of working to end it, was alarming.
Meanwhile, strict security arrangements have been made outside the Prime Minister’s House, with additional police deployed on Shahrah-e-Dastoor. Armored vehicles have also been brought in for security arrangements.
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