A state of emergency declared in Imran Khan's main political stronghold is another setback for Pakistan's jailed former prime minister whose health is worsening according to his family.
President Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday declared the emergency in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan that has seen a sharp rise in militant attacks.
It suspended the local government led by Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, accusing it of failing to tackle militancy, and put an opponent from Zardari's party in charge.
Khan’s party says the move, which strips it of resources from the provincial budget, was a pretext for a political takeover of the region and to stop supporters marching on Islamabad.
It challenged the emergency rule at Peshawar High Court in the provincial capital on Wednesday. "It was ridiculous to equate Imran Khan's basic human rights with a complex issue such as terrorism,” said Zulfi Bukhari, a close aide.
Ahead of the emergency, thousands of Khan's supporters had rallied in the province intending to march to Islamabad to demand his release and medical treatment.
Khan's three sisters and hundreds of supporters, including party leaders, were arrested ahead of the march.
"You can see clearly that things will become harder for Imran Khan," said Najam Sethi, a political commentator.
"In the current situation, the PTI lost on both counts. It has not been able to extract any concessions for Khan while losing control of its government in KP and surrendering its political leaders to imprisonment."
The situation also worsens the long-running tug-of-war between Khan and the powerful Pakistani military chief Asim Munir, the analyst said.
Former cricketer
The 74-year-old former cricket star was in power from 2018 to 2022 but sent to jail in 2023 on corruption charges, with visits prohibited for months. He denies the charges.
His family and party have been demanding an urgent medical intervention for loss of vision in one eye, fluctuating blood pressure and the psychological fallout of solitary confinement.
The PTI's last major protest two years ago ended in deadly clashes, while Khan's arrest in 2023 sparked nationwide riots.
To avoid a repeat, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's government last week held talks with the PTI whose demands included private medical assistance for Khan, prison visits and phone calls with his London-based sons.
The government, in turn, was demanding that the PTI publicly condemn Islamist militancy in the province, attend the funeral for security personnel killed in militant attacks, and join hands with the government’s counter-terrorism fight, according to Junior Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry.
"We had given them almost everything they asked for" but the PTI rejected the government demands, he told Reuters.
There have been five such states of emergency in Pakistani provinces since 1975, three of them in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and one each in Punjab and Balochistan province.
All of them were reversed within months either through court or political intervention.
Rights groups and analysts have questioned the emergency rule, warning against any crackdown.
"We strongly urge the federal government and the PTI to resume a meaningful political dialogue," said the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, an independent body.