"Pakistan belongs to its people, not its military": Imran Khans son Kasim slams emergency rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Accusing Army Chief Asim Munir of invoking "terrorism to justify another military operation in Pashtun lands," Kasim asserted that "Pakistan belongs to its people, not its military."

Weighing in on the crisis via a post on X, Kasim Khan described the federal actions as desperate yet characteristic of Army Chief Asim Munir, linking them to a wider pattern of governance failures.

"Now, as Pakistanis have taken to the streets to protest my fathers release, Asim Munirs regime imposes emergency rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (my fathers political stronghold). Having failed to secure Balochistan or Azad Kashmir, Munir once again invokes terrorism to justify another military operation in Pashtun lands. Yet again sacrificing lives in an attempt to cling on to power," Kasim wrote.

Demanding an immediate reversal of the measures, Kasim called for the restoration of the democratic mandate in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa while pressing for the freedom of detained figures.

"Khyber Pakhtunkhwas democratic mandate must be restored. My father, our detained family members, PTI representatives and all political prisoners must be released immediately," he emphasised, adding that the people's right to protest "must be respected."

The emergency rule was authorised under Articles 232 and 234 of the Pakistani Constitution following presidential approval of recommendations submitted by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharifs federal cabinet, effectively stripping the opposition-ruled provincial government of its powers and centralising control under federal authority.

Islamabad justified the crackdown by accusing the PTI-led provincial administration of "deliberate indifference in the war against terrorism," pointing to a rapidly deteriorating security climate and the absolute "failure of negotiations with government delegations" that collapsed on October 3.

The administrative takeover was immediately accompanied by a stringent security crackdown.KP Information Minister Shafi Jan claimed that KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, who was leading PTI's long march demanding the release of Imran Khan, was taken into custody by security personnel shortly after the emergency decree.

The federal setup installed Dr Muhammad Fakhr Alam Irfan as the new KP chief secretary and transferred senior officer Muhammad Yahya Akhunzada to oversee operations.

Telecom sources reported that mobile network and data services were throttled or shut down in selected urban pockets, alongside heavy police presence and shipping container barricades thrown up along key access routes, particularly around Peshawar.

The imposition of governors rule marks a historic boiling point in the friction between the PML-N-led central government and KP's PTI administration. The structural breakdown intensified over deep-seated disagreements regarding counterterrorism operations and dialogue with the Afghan Taliban.

While Islamabad accused the provincial administration of failing to counter militant threats, the PTI maintained that it was being unilaterally excluded from key security policies and fiercely opposed military offensives within its territory. (ANI)