Islamabad, 11 October (H.S.):

Pakistan’s federal government may declare an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) at any time as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) continues its long march towards Islamabad. The decision was reportedly reached after an extended meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari at Aiwan-e-Sadr, the presidential palace in the capital, on Saturday.

According to a report by The News, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar and other political leaders were consulted during the meeting at Aiwan-e-Sadr.

Those consulted included Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Sherry Rehman, Syed Naveed Qamar, Senator Saleem Mandviwalla and Dr Asim Hussain.

Following the developments, a statement issued by the President’s House said that it had been agreed during the meeting at Aiwan-e-Sadr to convene separate sessions of the National Assembly and the Senate on October 13.

Sources said a meeting of the federal cabinet had been scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on Sunday to approve the imposition of emergency rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. According to the sources, the proposal to impose an emergency had received the cabinet’s approval.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif telephoned Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and congratulated him on performing Umrah.

The prime minister also invited Rehman to a meeting at the Prime Minister’s House, an invitation the JUI-F chief accepted. During their conversation, Rehman once again urged the prime minister to engage in dialogue with the PTI to resolve the ongoing political crisis in the country.

According to sources, he advised the government to resolve the issue through negotiations rather than impose governor’s rule or declare an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif briefed Rehman in detail on the government’s efforts to initiate talks with the opposition. The JUI-F chief urged the prime minister to take his party’s core committee into confidence on the matter.

Meanwhile, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi said that the federal cabinet would take the final official decision on Sunday regarding the possible imposition of emergency rule or governor’s rule in the province.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, meanwhile, said that the possibility of avoiding an emergency had become increasingly slim. Speaking informally to journalists, Naqvi said there was little room left for any further alternatives.

According to an official notification, Section 144 has been imposed in Rawalpindi district from October 10 to November 8.

It may be recalled that the party of ousted prime minister Imran Khan launched its long march on October 4. The PTI is the ruling party in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, making the potential imposition of emergency rule in the province a significant development amid the escalating political confrontation.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar