Peshawar, October 12,2026: A petition challenging the imposition of emergency measures and governor’s rule in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) was filed in the Peshawar High Court on Monday, a day after President Asif Ali Zardari approved the federal government’s decision on the advice of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The petition, filed by Advocate Salman, named President Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi as respondents. It argued that the measures were unconstitutional, illegal and mala fide, and violated fundamental rights, provincial autonomy and the democratic mandate.
The petitioner asked the court to declare the emergency measures and governor’s rule null and void. He also sought suspension of the notification imposing governor’s rule pending a final decision on the case.
The legal challenge follows the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) long march, led by former KP chief minister Sohail Afridi, which entered its second week amid rising tensions with the federal government. The federal government cited the deteriorating security situation and the need to address terrorism in the province to justify the measures.
The move was followed by reports of a crackdown on PTI workers and leaders, with Afridi and several prominent party figures reportedly taken into custody.
The federal intervention transferred executive authority from the provincial government to Governor Kundi, while emergency measures were declared in 12 districts. The PTI rejected the decision, describing it as an attack on provincial autonomy and the party’s electoral mandate.
This is the fourth reported spell of governor’s rule in the province. The first was imposed in 1975 under then-prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, followed by two further periods in 1994 and 1999 amid separate political and constitutional crises.
Article 234 of the Constitution provides for the president to assume, or direct a governor to assume, some or all functions of a provincial government when the province cannot be governed in accordance with the Constitution. Subject to constitutional requirements and time limits, the provision can also enable Parliament to exercise the powers of a provincial assembly.
The emergency was separately proclaimed under Article 232, which deals with emergencies arising from war or internal disturbance. The federal government has defended the measures on security grounds, while the petition has brought their constitutional and legal validity before the high court.
