- Reuters
- October 10, 2026
‘No room left’ to avoid emergency in KP, says Mohsin Naqvi
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- WEB DESK
- October 10, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday said there is “no room left” to avoid imposing an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), as the federal government prepares to consider “constitutional options” at a cabinet meeting on Sunday.
“There is no room left now for not imposing an emergency. You tell me, what room is left now?” Naqvi said during an informal conversation with journalists in Islamabad.
The interior minister said he had made every possible effort to find a way forward, urging reporters to ask Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman how hard he had tried.
“I tried until the very end, but I have nothing left,” Naqvi said, adding that journalists should also ask PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan about his efforts.
Cabinet meeting summoned
Sources said a federal cabinet meeting had been summoned for 9:30am on Sunday to discuss various constitutional options concerning the situation in KP. Consultations were continuing, and a final decision would be taken at the cabinet meeting, according to the sources.
The developments came after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met Maulana Fazlur Rehman at the Prime Minister’s House.
Earlier, President Asif Ali Zardari and PM Shehbaz held a meeting at Aiwan-e-Sadr to discuss the country’s overall political and security situation.
According to a statement issued by the President’s Secretariat, the meeting agreed to convene separate sessions of the National Assembly and Senate on Tuesday, October 13.
The prime minister was accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, his adviser on political affairs Senator Rana Sanaullah, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan, Law and Justice Minister Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar and Federal Minister Senator Ahad Cheema.
صدرِ مملکت آصف علی زرداری سے وزیراعظم محمد شہباز شریف کی ایوانِ صدر میں ملاقات، ملک کی مجموعی سیاسی اور سیکیورٹی صورتِ حال پر تبادلہ خیال۔
ملاقات میں وزیر اعظم کی معاونت نائب وزیراعظم سینیٹر اسحاق ڈار، وزیراعظم کے مشیر برائے سیاسی امور سینیٹر رانا ثناء الّلہ، وفاقی وزیر داخلہ محسن نقوی، اٹارنی جنرل منصور عثمان اعوان، وزیر قانون و انصاف سینیٹر اعظم نذیر تارڑ، وفاقی وزیر سینیٹر احد چیمہ نے کی۔
سینیٹر شیری رحمان، سید نوید قمر سینیٹر سلیم مانڈوی والا اور ڈاکٹر عاصم نے صدر مملکت کی معاونت کی۔
اجلاس میں منگل اکتوبر 13 کو قومی اسمبلی اور سینیٹ کے الگ الگ اجلاس بلانے پر اتفاق کیا گیا۔
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— The President of Pakistan (@PresOfPakistan) October 10, 2026
Senator Sherry Rehman, Syed Naveed Qamar, Senator Saleem Mandviwalla and Dr Asim assisted the president during the meeting.
Emergency in 12 KP districts under consideration
Earlier reports said the federal government was considering imposing an emergency in 12 districts of KP, including all merged districts of the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).
The proposed measures are being considered amid concerns about security and the provincial government’s handling of counterterrorism. The cabinet is expected to consider different constitutional options, with a final decision to be taken at its meeting on Sunday.
What the Constitution provides
The debate centres on Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution.
Article 232 provides for the proclamation of an emergency in circumstances including war, external aggression or internal disturbance threatening the security of Pakistan or part of it. Article 234 concerns a situation in which a provincial government cannot be carried on in accordance with the Constitution.
The provisions involve different conditions and procedures, and any action would have to comply with the relevant constitutional requirements.
PTI long march adds to tensions
The consultations come amid a standoff between the federal government and the PTI-led KP administration over the party’s long march towards Islamabad, led by Chief Minister Sohail Afridi.
The march began on October 4 after negotiations failed to produce an agreement. PTI is demanding the release of party founder Imran Khan, while the federal government has raised concerns about security and counterterrorism cooperation.
On October 4, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi in Peshawar. A Governor House statement said concerns had been raised about the possibility of militants being facilitated in crossing security checkpoints during the march. It added that the governor’s office would perform its constitutional role if the president and prime minister considered emergency measures or governor’s rule necessary.
Kundi subsequently said such steps could be taken if the president and prime minister deemed them necessary to protect the province. Afridi, meanwhile, had described the governor’s meeting with the chief secretary and police chief as unconstitutional.
Bilawal urges Centre to treat measures as last resort
On Friday, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said the federal government had been prepared to consider governor’s rule or an emergency, but his party had urged it to treat both options as a last resort and continue pursuing negotiations.
Speaking at a sports complex inauguration in Karachi, Bilawal said the PPP did not want either measure. He accused the PTI-led provincial government of prioritising confrontation and warned that responsibility for any resulting decision would rest with Afridi if he obstructed talks.
Kundi also criticised the long march, describing it as a “circus” and challenging its participants to cross Swabi. He said security meetings would continue while the chief minister was occupied with the march.
