Pakistan placed a northern province under emergency rule on Sunday, the president’s office said, following anti-government demonstrations by supporters of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan and armed group violence in the northwest.

Thousands of Khan’s supporters have been marching in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to demand his release and airing anti-government criticism fuelled by harsh economic conditions.

The emergency move, invoked under two articles of Pakistan’s constitution dealing with security, grants the federal government sweeping administrative powers over the province.

President Asif Ali Zardari signed the order after recommendations “regarding the law and order situation, and the failure of negotiations with government delegations”, his office said.

An image issued by Zardari’s office showed his signature affirming the measures.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s office said earlier the decision had been taken over the “deteriorating law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and… from the provincial government’s deliberate indifference in the war against terrorism”.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is a stronghold of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, and the PTI-led government there will be sidelined under Sunday’s extraordinary constitutional measures.

PTI chairman Gohar Ali Khan called the move “an extremely alarming and grave political mistake and an undemocratic measure”.

“The people will never accept such actions against their rights,” he posted on X.

An increased security presence could be seen in Peshawar, the provincial capital, on Sunday, according to an AFP reporter, and roads in other cities in the province also remained closed.

PTI supporters began “long march” demonstrations between towns and cities throughout Khyber Pakhtunkhwa a week ago, after talks with the government broke down.

Talks Deadlock

Khan, a hugely popular former cricket star, has been behind bars since August 2023 and faces scores of charges ranging from corruption to treason and inciting violence, following widespread anti-establishment riots in May that year.

He and his legal team reject the allegations, branding them as politically motivated cases aimed at neutralising his popularity.

The government had sought to avoid the opposition show of force, but had also tied negotiations on PTI demands to agreement on security measures in PTI-ruled Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The protesters’ demands included access to Khan by his doctors. Talks broke down on 4 October, prompting the start of the demonstrations.

In a separate security challenge, Pakistan has blamed an increase in attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the southern border province of Balochistan on violence emanating from Afghanistan.

The Taliban government in Kabul denies such claims and criticises Pakistan for violating Afghanistan’s sovereignty and killing civilians.

The accusations have sparked a bitter rift and armed conflict between the neighbouring countries.

Afghanistan and Pakistan went to war in February and there have been sporadic attacks since a truce was reached in March, after no permanent security resolution was reached.