Emergency Plan for 12 KP Districts Under Consideration; Federal Government Conveys Message to Provincial Administration

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has reportedly completed preparations for a proposed emergency in 12 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and conveyed a message about the plan to the provincial government, according to sources.

Sources said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had called an important meeting for today, where key decisions regarding the province’s political and security situation could be considered. Members of the federal cabinet have reportedly been instructed to remain in Islamabad as the government weighs the possibility of imposing governor’s rule or an emergency.

A federal cabinet meeting is expected to be convened soon, with senior political and military officials likely to attend. Reports from national security institutions are also expected to be reviewed during the meeting.

A high-level meeting may also take place at Aiwan-e-Sadr, attended by President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, along with delegations from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). Sources said the meeting could discuss the political situation, prospects for dialogue, the political future of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the proposed long march.

According to sources, one proposal under consideration involves imposing an emergency in 12 districts, including eight merged tribal districts of the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and four settled districts.

The eight merged districts are Khyber, Kurram, Orakzai, Bajaur, Mohmand, North Waziristan, South Waziristan and Lower South Waziristan. The four settled districts included in the reported proposal are Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, Bannu and Lakki Marwat.

Sources said the government was also considering placing certain administrative powers under federal control and establishing a special administrative structure for the districts, separate from the existing provincial framework.

Under one proposal, the emergency would initially remain in force for two months, after which the situation would be reviewed and an extension considered if necessary.

The proposed structure would include a secretariat headed by a Grade-21 officer, with a Grade-21 police officer also assigned to the setup. Four to six additional administrative officers would reportedly oversee areas such as administration, finance, development and planning.

According to the proposal, these officers would be appointed directly by the federal government. Deputy commissioners, district police officials and the additional inspector general of police concerned would be accountable under the proposed administrative arrangement.

Sources said the government could also examine the relevant provisions of Articles 232 to 234 of the Constitution while considering the proposed measures.

These constitutional provisions address emergency powers and related arrangements under different circumstances. However, the legal procedures and implications of declaring an emergency differ from those involved in imposing governor’s rule.

Consultations are reportedly under way to determine the appropriate constitutional mechanism, and any final decision would have to comply with the relevant legal and constitutional requirements.

No formal announcement confirming the imposition of an emergency or governor’s rule had been made at the time of reporting. The reported measures remain proposals under consideration by the federal government.