Governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa marks escalation in Pak’s struggle between civilian authority, military: Report

Islamabad, Oct 29 (SocialNews.XYZ) The federal government's decision to impose governor's rule and emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has sparked concerns about human rights, civilian authority, and democracy in Pakistan. Aqil Shah, a political scientist at Georgetown University, stated that the emergency and governor's rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa marks a significant escalation in Pakistan’s struggle between civilian authority and the military, a report has detailed.

Shah said, "It’s an important setback because the PTI has been disempowered and dismantled, pretty much at all levels." The government's decision has deprived the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of political representation, leaving them being ruled by a governor and technocrats who act as military proxies, according to a report in Drop Site News.

Shah said that Pakistan military’s political ambitions extend beyond Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir’s personal grievances, including former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s ouster of Munir as Inter-Services Intelligence chief. Pakistan military wants to stop civilian leaders from challenging its dominance over national security, internal security, and electoral politics.

At least one person was killed, and more than a dozen others were injured after police opened fire during protests in Bara in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province held against the imposition of emergency rule and the removal of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s elected government led by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). The deceased has been identified as a 13-year-old boy. Following the imposition of governor's rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, protests were held, PTI leaders and workers were arrested, and communications were disrupted in the province, Drop Site News reported.

"It was a peaceful protest," Drop Site quoted Irfanullah, whose younger brother, Munir (19) was shot in the left foot. Irfanullah said that his brother and many others were injured after Khyber police fired at the protesters. Irfanullah said that they did not cause any unrest or chaos.

"We are not planning to abandon PTI…We are just demanding and raising our voice for our rights and for peace here, nothing else," Drop Site News quoted Irfanullah as saying.

Habeel Khan (13), who was killed in the gunfire, worked at an eatery in the market. His uncle said that Habeel Khan died in the hospital four days after the protest. The hospital death summary revealed that the causes of death included gunshot injury, cardiac arrest, and septic shock.

Many local residents revealed that injured protesters were not able to receive treatment at local healthcare facilities in Bara for fear of arrest, and healthcare providers did not provide them treatment as they feared police raids. Irfanullah said Munir tried to receive treatment at a local hospital on two occasions. However, the employees refused to provide treatment as they feared police would come to arrest him.

Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) spokesperson Maheen Pracha said that it has received reports regarding police raids in Khyber, Swat and Peshawar, curfew and military deployments, according to Drop Site News report.

Pracha said, "Whether it's the PTI in power now or somebody else, the same laws being made now will come back to haunt the next government in power."

The violence in Bara erupted after Pakistan's federal government imposed a state of emergency and governor's rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, removing PTI-led elected government. Pakistan government's decision came after thousands of PTI supporters began marching from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa towards Islamabad to demand Khan’s access to medical care and his release from prison.

PTI spokesperson Zulfikar Bukhari condemned the Pakistan government's decision to impose governor's rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, terming it as a "coup disguised as emergency."

"Strongly condemn the arrest of the only mandated Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and of Junaid Akbar. This coup disguised as emergency or governor rule has squashed the only little bit of democracy left in Pakistan. Further instability and collateral damage to follow. The regime must be feeling very proud," Bukhari wrote on X.

Source: IANS