ISLAMABAD: The governor of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province announced this week that he had empowered deputy commissioners across the province to order arrests and direct preventive detention of individuals for the maintenance of public order, saying the decision was intended to preserve law and order in the northwest amid emergency rule imposed there.
Pakistan’s president imposed an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and governor’s rule in the province on the advice of the prime minister in October, blaming the provincial administration led by the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for failing to address rising militant attacks. The PTI denies the allegation, saying it wants the center to formulate a counterterror policy through consensus.
The move came as thousands of PTI supporters, led by then-KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, marched on the capital from KP to demand the release of PTI founder Imran Khan. The former premier is in jail since 2023 on charges he says are politically motivated.
Following the imposition of emergency, the federal government placed Governor Faisal Karim Kundi in charge of the province with an 11-member advisory council to aid him. The KP governor chaired a meeting of all commissioners and deputy commissioners of the province on Wednesday on the prevailing law and order of the province.
“In view of the prevailing law and order situation, I have delegated powers under Section 3(1) of the West Pakistan Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance, 1960, to deputy commissioners across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to ensure timely and effective preventive action at the district level, reduce administrative delays and strengthen coordination with law enforcement agencies,” Kundi wrote on social media platform X.
In view of the prevailing law and order situation, I have delegated powers under Section 3(1) of the West Pakistan Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance, 1960, to Deputy Commissioners across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to ensure timely and effective preventive action at the district…
— Faisal Karim Kundi (@fkkundi) October 21, 2026
Section 3 of the West Pakistan MPO authorizes the government to direct the arrest or detention in custody of a person to prevent them from putting public safety in jeopardy and disturbing public order. The government may extend detention for periods of up to six months at a time.
Kundi clarified that the move to empower deputy commissioners aims to ensure timely and effective preventive action at the district level, reduce administrative delays and strengthen coordination with law enforcement agencies. He urged officials to exercise their powers strictly in accordance with the law and the constitution.
“The powers must never be misused,” the governor said. “The peace, security and protection of our people remain my foremost priority.”
The government has moved to introduce stringent security measures in KP, as Pakistan witnesses a surge in militant attacks in its northwest province. Islamabad says most of these attacks were carried out by Afghanistan-based militant groups, which Kabul denies.
The government and PTI engaged in talks to break the political deadlock days before the party launched its march to the capital. Security remains the main point of contention between the two sides.
Interior Minister Attaullah Tarar this month told foreign media that 3,774 militant attacks were recorded in KP in 2025, followed by 2,857 in the first nine months of 2026. He also confirmed 3,512 deaths in 2025 and 2,775 in the first nine months of this year in militancy-related incidents.
However, the PTI accuses the federal government of using security as an excuse to thwart the party’s peaceful protest march toward Islamabad. The PTI has also challenged the imposition of the governor’s rule in the Peshawar High Court, with its chairman Gohar Ali Khan moving the court against the decision on Oct. 14.