KP under governor's rule: Army deployed, Afridi's whereabouts unclear, Gandapur under house arrest — what we know

Key takeaways

• The federal government has authorised the deployment of Pakistan Army troops and assets "in aid of civil power" in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, citing Article 245 of the Constitution.
• The order follows the emergency and governor's rule imposed on Sunday under Articles 232 and 234. Governor Faisal Karim Kundi now runs the province with an 11-member advisory council and a new chief secretary.
• PTI says ousted chief minister Sohail Afridi and provincial president Junaid Akbar have been taken into custody. This has not been officially confirmed. Dawn reports, citing sources, that both are under house arrest under the public order law.
• Former chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur says he has been placed under house arrest in Dera Ismail Khan. Police arrested 59 PTI workers in Swabi and six in Khyber district.
• Peshawar was sealed with containers, phone and internet services were suspended and educational institutions in the district are closed today, Monday 12 October.

What happened on Sunday

After President Asif Ali Zardari approved the federal cabinet's recommendation to impose an emergency and governor's rule in KP, the interior ministry issued a statutory regulatory order authorising Army deployment in the province, The Nation and Dawn report.

According to the order, seen by Dawn, the troops are meant for the "safety of life, security of persons and property of citizens" and the security of government buildings. The authorisation lasts as long as the emergency proclamation stays in force. Governor Kundi, in consultation with the Military Operations Directorate at GHQ, will decide how many troops are needed.

The federal government also appointed Dr Muhammad Fakhr Alam Irfan, a Grade-22 officer who was serving as secretary of the Power Division, as KP's new chief secretary with immediate effect, The Express Tribune reports.

Who is on the new KP Advisory Council

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar described the 11-member council as a team of "competent" people. Dawn lists these members and their portfolios:

Where is Sohail Afridi?

Hours after the emergency was announced, PTI said Afridi, who had been leading the party's march towards Islamabad, had been taken into custody along with other leaders. In a clip on PTI's official X account, secretary general Salman Akram Raja said the party did not know where Afridi was or in what condition. PTI also says KP Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati has been picked up.

Officials have not confirmed any of this. Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry told Geo News, as quoted by Dawn, that some people had been detained over law and order but did not say whether Afridi was among them. He said those not wanted in any case would be released.

The Express Tribune reports that videos on social media showed the container Afridi used during the march left by a road in Charsadda. The PTI rally expected in Swabi on Sunday night did not take place.

Arrests and a resignation

• Ali Amin Gandapur: The former chief minister said on social media that he had been placed under house arrest at his home in Dera Ismail Khan and that PTI's struggle would continue.
• Swabi and Khyber: Police arrested 59 PTI workers in Swabi and six who were protesting outside Bab-e-Khyber, according to The Express Tribune.
• Resignation: Additional Advocate General KP Shah Faisal Ilyas resigned in protest against what he called the unconstitutional imposition of an emergency.

Life in Peshawar

Dawn's correspondents report that containers blocked roads around the Red Zone, Governor House, GT Road at Firdous Chowk and University Road. All telecom services, including landlines and DSL internet, were reported suspended in the provincial capital, leaving ATMs out of service. BRT stations were shut. The Peshawar deputy commissioner ordered all public and private schools, colleges and universities in the district closed today.

What each side says

Federal government: Ministers say the step was needed because of the security situation in KP. Government statements accuse the PTI-led provincial government of failing to cooperate on counter-terrorism.

PTI: Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan called governor's rule unconstitutional and said the party would challenge it in the courts, in the assemblies and in public. "If the problem of terrorism exists in 12 districts, why has governor's rule been imposed across the province?" he asked at an Islamabad press conference. Party spokesperson Sheikh Waqas Akram demanded the release of Afridi and Akbar and asked the government to make public the legal grounds for any arrests.

What to watch

• Whether officials confirm where Afridi and Akbar are being held and on what legal basis.
• PTI's petitions in the Peshawar High Court or Supreme Court against the emergency.
• How long phone and internet services stay suspended and when schools reopen in Peshawar.
• Whether the PTI march restarts, and how police respond.

This is a developing story. We will update it as officials confirm details.