Pakistan’s president declared a state of emergency and suspended the provincial government of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan on Sunday, the president’s office said, following allegations it has failed to tackle Islamist militancy.
The constitution allows the federal government to take over some or all provincial government functions during an emergency.
The provincial governor will take charge with an advisory council, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar told a news conference in Islamabad, adding that the arrangement will initially be in place for six months.
The interior ministry said it would be deploying troops in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan, which has suffered an increasing number of militant attacks in recent months.