Islamabad, 11 October, 2026 (Nosheen): President Asif Ali Zardari has approved the imposition of an emergency and governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under Articles 232(1) and 234(1) of the Constitution, according to an announcement issued by the President’s House on Sunday. Pakistan’s political history shows that all four provinces have experienced governor’s rule or emergency measures at different times, sometimes amid tensions between provincial and federal governments and sometimes due to deteriorating law and order. Historically, governor’s rule has been imposed three times each in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh, and four times in Balochistan, while East Pakistan experienced it on two occasions. Emergency measures have also been invoked during various periods of the country’s political history. Under governor’s rule, the administrative powers of a provincial government may, for a limited period and subject to constitutional provisions, be exercised by the president or through the governor acting as the president’s representative. The powers of a provincial assembly may also be transferred to Parliament where the Constitution permits, allowing the federal legislature to make laws on matters concerning the province. However, the Constitution does not permit the powers of a provincial high court to be transferred to the president, the federal government or the governor. The implications of the latest decision for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will depend on the measures adopted by the federal government within the constitutional framework. One of Pakistan’s earliest major constitutional emergencies was declared on October 24, 1954, when Governor General Malik Ghulam Muhammad announced an emergency across the country. The measure was justified at the time on the grounds that Pakistan was facing a political crisis and that the constitutional machinery was not functioning effectively. Since then, emergency provisions have been invoked at different stages of the country’s political history, often amid disputes over governance, constitutional authority and security.