Pakistan accuses suspended provincial government of colluding with militants

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s federal government on Monday accused the provincial administration led by imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party of working “hand in glove” with the Pakistani Taliban , citing the alleged collusion to justify its suspension a day earlier.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the government had “solid evidence” to support its allegations.

He said the suspension and imposition of a state of emergency in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province will allow security forces and the new administration to better coordinate efforts to combat terrorism.

Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said the provincial government had been suspended for at least six months but gave no timetable for lifting the emergency. Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, the province's top elected official, was in government custody after being removed from his position.

The information minister accused Afridi of facilitating the Pakistani Taliban, who are suspected of being behind a surge in violence in recent years. Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP , is a separate group but a close ally of the Afghan Taliban, who returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021.

Islamabad often accuses Afghanistan’s Taliban government of sheltering TTP militants, an allegation Kabul denies. The law minister said the federal government had exhausted efforts, including negotiations, to avoid imposing direct rule via the governor in the province.

Khan’s party spokesman, Zulfiqar Bukhari, rejected the allegations, saying their legal team was preparing legal challenges against the emergency decree.

“You cannot have a provincial government in the country which sympathizes with the terrorists, or which supports terrorists," the information minister told a news conference. He alleged that Khan’s supporters last week traveled through areas along the Afghan border with assistance from militants, who he said provided safe passage.

Daily life continued largely as normal in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Monday, with busy roads and open markets. Authorities closed schools in the province for a day as a precaution against possible unrest, but demonstrations were limited to scattered groups of Khan’s supporters. No protests by the party were reported in Islamabad.

Talks last week between Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, or PTI, and the federal government ended without agreement. The law minister said that federal officials had not asked PTI to cancel its planned march on Islamabad to demand Khan's release from prison, but had sought assurances that Afridi would prioritize the deteriorating security situation in his province. Tarar said that PTI representatives focused instead on securing Khan’s release.

Afridi and other PTI leaders have said Khan’s release and the fight against terrorism are separate issues and that the federal government’s counterterrorism policy is flawed. PTI also wants better medical facilities for Khan at a private hospital. However, Sharif's government says Khan is medically fit and does not need hospitalization.

Khan, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's main political rival, has been imprisoned since 2023 on corruption and other charges that he and his party say are politically motivated. Most supporters who had gathered in the province for this week’s planned march dispersed after Sunday’s announcement.

Afridi had claimed that 2 million people would take to the streets if his government were suspended.