K-P governor warns emergency may be imposed if needed to 'save province'

Kundi says PTI members hiding, getting themselves arrested to avoid participation in long march

PESHAWAR:

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Governor Faisal Karim Kundi said on Sunday that an emergency could be imposed if necessary to “save the province”, as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) began its planned long march after talks with the federal government ended in deadlock.

The PTI had earlier postponed its planned long march to Islamabad from September 27 to October 4, with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi announcing the revised date on September 25. CM Afridi had said the decision to defer the march was part of the party’s “political strategy” and that negotiations with the federal government would continue even after the mobilisation.

“If imposing emergency becomes necessary to save the province, then we will certainly impose it,” Kundi said while speaking to the media today.

He said the president, prime minister and other institutions could consider imposing an emergency if they believed the situation in the province had deteriorated.

Kundi also issued a warning to those taking part in the march, saying, “If emergency is imposed, I alone will be enough for them.” He claimed PTI workers were currently “hiding and getting themselves arrested”.

“I do not make threats like them. When the field is set, I will deal with them,” Kundi said.

Read: CM Afridi lays out K-P long march schedule amid govt-PTI deadlock in talks

Questioning the scale of the PTI protest, he asked, “What long march? Is anything happening in Peshawar? Have you seen any banners?”

The governor said he had so far seen only “self-staged arrests and people going into hiding” during the long march.

“Let them cross Swabi first. It may take a month, but it will not happen,” Kundi said.

His remarks came after two rounds of government-opposition talks failed to resolve differences over PTI’s planned march to Islamabad. The talks, chaired by National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, ended in the early hours of Sunday without an agreement.

The opposition had insisted on meeting PTI founder Imran Khan before calling off the march, while disagreements also remained over his access to personal doctors and the federal government’s proposed approach to counter-terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

PTI leaders subsequently said the march would proceed as planned. CM Afridi announced that its first phase would begin from Gandi Chowk in Lakki Marwat on Sunday, with caravans from several southern districts joining the procession.