Emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: My Province Just Lost Its Government

I live in Bannu, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. So when I tell you that this week my province lost its government, I am not reading the news — I am living it. On Sunday, President Asif Ali Zardari declared a state of emergency in KP, the province where I was born and where I live. The reason given was the sharp rise in militant attacks. The provincial government, run by Imran Khan's party PTI, was suspended — accused of failing to fight militancy — and a man from Zardari's own party was put in charge. Overnight, the government my province elected was replaced by governor's rule. Let me be honest about something first. Militancy in KP is real. It is not an excuse invented in Islamabad — people here die in attacks. Bannu itself has seen security operations. So when the federal government says the province is not doing enough about terrorism, it does not sound completely crazy to those of us who live under the shadow of it. But here is the other side, and I cannot ignore it. Just before the emergency was declared, thousands of PTI supporters had rallied in the province, planning to march on Islamabad to demand Imran Khan's release and medical treatment. Khan's three sisters and hundreds of supporters were arrested before the march even started. And then — suddenly — an emergency, and PTI's last remaining provincial government is gone, along with its access to the provincial budget. PTI calls it a pretext for a political takeover, and on Wednesday they challenged the emergency rule at the Peshawar High Court. You have to admit the timing looks convenient. Then came Tuesday's clashes in Bara, about 15 kilometers from Peshawar. Police fired tear gas and live rounds at Khan's supporters. Five people were injured, 50 were detained on terrorism and sabotage charges, and the local NADRA center was set on fire. Whatever your politics, that is not a picture of a province under control — it is a picture of a province being broken. Political commentator Najam Sethi put it bluntly: "You can see clearly that things will become harder for Imran Khan." He is right. Khan is 74, has been in jail since 2023 on corruption charges he denies, and now he has lost his party's only provincial government while his family members sit in detention. I keep asking myself one question: will emergency rule actually bring security to KP, or will it just bring more anger? You cannot defeat militancy by defeating politics. The people of this province already feel they are not heard. Taking away their government will not make them feel safer — it will make them feel smaller. The courts will decide whether this emergency is legal. But legality and wisdom are not the same thing. I live here. I want the attacks to stop. I also want my province's vote to mean something. Right now, we are being asked to choose between the two — and that is the real emergency.