Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari imposed a state of emergency in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Sunday, effectively suspending the provincial government led by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s party.
According to the president’s office, the decision follows anti-government demonstrations and violence in the northwest.
The move, invoked under two articles of Pakistan’s constitution, gives the federal government sweeping administrative powers over the province, where thousands of Khan’s supporters have been marching to demand his release.