RAWALPINDI – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan has said the party will strongly resist any move to impose governor’s rule or an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, arguing that terrorism cannot be used as a basis for imposing governor’s rule.
Speaking to the media at Daghail Naka, Gohar said the PTI’s call for a march on October 4 remains in place. He said he had met Pakistan Peoples Party leaders as part of efforts to form a joint opposition and invited them to attend an All-Parties Conference (APC).
According to Gohar, the PPP said it would inform the PTI about its participation after consultations. He said the APC would discuss the overall political and national situation, the security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and issues concerning the provinces.
Gohar described the arrests of parliamentarians as a serious matter and said all political parties should reach consensus on the future course of action. He stressed that provincial autonomy should not be compromised.
He alleged that members of the KP government were being arrested, describing the situation as a major challenge to the authority of the provincial government and provincial autonomy.
Gohar said that if KP’s provincial autonomy was undermined, the autonomy of Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan could also be affected in the future. He warned that weakening provincial autonomy could have consequences for the federation.
He urged all sides to refrain from unconstitutional measures, saying governments should end through the public mandate rather than through directives or pressure.
Gohar said the PTI’s political committee had unanimously decided to postpone the march, originally scheduled for September 27, until October 4. The party has previously confirmed that the march was deferred to October 4.
He said the party’s demands included meetings with PTI founder Imran Khan and ensuring that he receives medical treatment. He added that the party had assured authorities that it would neither attack nor storm any institution.
Regarding KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, Gohar said the mandate in the province belonged to Imran Khan and that Afridi would remain chief minister as long as he retained Khan’s support.
He also rejected reports attributed to Imran Khan’s sister, Nooreen Niazi, saying that he and Khan’s family had denied the reports.
On the possibility of governor’s rule, Gohar questioned the basis for such a move and asked whether the government intended to impose an emergency to override the mandate of the people of KP.
He said the political committee had decided that the chief minister would announce the postponement of the long march. He added that Mahmood Achakzai had received a letter from the prime minister and that a meeting should take place.
Gohar said Sohail Afridi had visited those injured in a terrorism incident and had also met former KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur. He said there was nothing unusual about their meeting.
The PTI chairman reiterated that the party would strongly resist any imposition of governor’s rule or emergency in KP. He said terrorism should be tackled under the National Action Plan and stressed that militants were enemies of all four provinces and the Pakistani people.
He said PTI had never opposed counterterrorism operations and had not objected to backchannel contacts aimed at addressing terrorism. He also said the party respected the sacrifices of security personnel and had never politicised the funerals of those killed in terrorism.
Gohar said there was no need to name alleged forces operating behind the scenes but maintained that there should be no conspiracy against the provincial government. He also criticised federal ministers’ statements, saying such political conduct could create space for undemocratic forces.
He further said meetings with Imran Khan had not taken place for nearly a year and described restrictions on meetings with his family and lawyers as unacceptable. He said resolving the issue of meetings with Khan could help improve the situation.
The remarks came amid heightened tensions between the federal and KP governments over security, governance and the PTI’s planned march. Federal officials have recently discussed governor’s rule as a constitutional option, while KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi has also warned that it could be considered if the situation deteriorates.
