Governor’s Rule Option Raised as KP Government Faces Political Pressure

Islamabad:Prime Minister’s Coordinator for Information Iqtidar Wali has said that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has provided what he described as the circumstances required for imposing governor’s rule in the province.

Speaking on Geo News’ programme *Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath*, Wali said a time would come when the provincial assembly would be dissolved and the province would move toward midterm elections. He added that there were several other options as well.

Wali reiterated that, in his view, the KP government had created the conditions necessary for considering governor’s rule.

However, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa spokesperson Shaukat Yousafzai said governor’s rule could be imposed when the constitutional machinery had ceased to function.

Yousafzai maintained that the constitutional machinery was functioning in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and said his party wanted negotiations with the federal government. He urged the government to make use of the four to five days available to it for dialogue.

The contrasting statements come amid heightened political tensions between the federal government and the KP administration over PTI’s planned protest and the province’s political situation. Recent reports have also quoted KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi as saying that consultations had taken place over the possibility of governor’s rule.