Journalist Says PTI Government in KP May Face Major Political Change Amid Security Concerns

LAHORE:Journalist Muneeb Farooq has said he believes the situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa may have reached a “point of no return,” suggesting that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government in the province may not survive in its current form.

Speaking in his vlog, Farooq said he hoped his assessment would prove wrong, but maintained that developments in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa appeared to have moved beyond the point where the existing political arrangement could continue.

He said the situation was not primarily linked to the PTI’s proposed long march, but rather to national security, terrorism and what he described as shortcomings in improving institutional capacity.

Farooq said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government would have its own defence and would explain the measures it had taken. He added that he had previously believed governor’s rule or an emergency should not be imposed in the province.

However, he said that if a major change took place, the stated reason would be the law-and-order situation rather than the long march or political considerations. According to him, the central agenda would be national security and counterterrorism.

He said the situation regarding Khyber Pakhtunkhwa could become clearer within days and suggested that the existing PTI government might not remain in its current form.

Farooq said it was still unclear what a new system in the province would look like or how it would operate, but added that the Constitution provided mechanisms for dealing with such situations.

Meanwhile, anchorperson Kamran Shahid has also questioned whether Chief Minister Sohail Afridi would remain in office until October 4.

In a post on X, Shahid said the key question was no longer whether the PTI long march would take place on October 4, but whether Sohail Afridi would still be the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on that date.

Speaking on Geo News’ programme *Naya Pakistan*, anchorperson Shahzad Iqbal also questioned the reasons behind the postponement of the PTI long march. He asked whether the decision was linked to any alleged assurances from the government or whether it was due to a lack of preparations.

A PTI leader confirmed that the long march had been postponed but rejected the claim that the party lacked preparations. The leader said there was no problem with preparations and indicated that the party wanted to “play a Test match,” suggesting a prolonged political campaign.

The PTI has also attached symbolic importance to October 5 because it is Imran Khan’s birthday.

Shahzad Iqbal further said that, according to sources he had spoken to, the government was considering developments beyond the question of the long march.

The sources were quoted as saying that the long march was no longer the main issue and that the focus had shifted toward national security. They alleged that Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and his associates were cooperating with terrorist elements and weakening Pakistan, contributing to an increase in terrorism.

On the basis of these allegations, the sources claimed that a decision had been made that the Sohail Afridi-led provincial government would have to leave office.

These allegations against the KP government and Sohail Afridi were attributed to unnamed sources and have not been independently established in the report. The PTI government’s position is that it has been taking measures to address security and governance challenges in the province.