PM Shehbaz to discuss K-P crisis with president, ministers

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is set to hold consultations with President Asif Ali Zardari and senior federal ministers on Thursday over the worsening political and security situation in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).

Sources said the discussions would focus on the growing tensions between the federal and provincial governments and the constitutional and legal options available to Islamabad.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Kashmir Affairs Minister Amir Muqam have also been summoned to the Prime Minister’s House for a detailed briefing on developments in the province. A meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz and President Zardari is expected at the Presidency later in the day.

The federal government is reportedly examining several constitutional measures, including the possibility of imposing governor’s rule or declaring an emergency in K-P.

The consultations come as tensions remain high following PTI’s decision to hold an Islamabad march on October 4 after postponing its earlier plan for September 27.

Other political options under discussion reportedly include a no-confidence motion against the K-P chief minister, an in-house change, his possible disqualification or replacement, and dissolution of the provincial assembly.

Under Article 136 of the Constitution, a no-confidence motion can be submitted with the signatures of at least 20% of the assembly’s total membership. If the motion is passed, the Speaker is required to initiate the process for electing a new chief minister.

The Constitution also allows the governor to ask the chief minister to seek a vote of confidence if there are grounds to believe he no longer commands a majority in the provincial assembly.

The political tensions have coincided with a rise in militant violence in K-P. At least 21 people, including 15 police personnel, were killed in the September 18 attack on Kohat Police Lines. Six soldiers were later killed in an IED attack on a security convoy.