Few days back on October 13, 2026, at least 12 persons were injured and more than 50 were arrested, as violent clashes were reported across many places in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) after the Federal Government suspended the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led Provincial Government and imposed governor’s rule. Supporters of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan took to the streets across multiple districts, leading to a severe Police crackdown and widespread rioting.
The worst violence was in the Bara area of Khyber District, where protestors manhandled Security Force personnel, briefly detaining 15 inside a municipal office and taking their weapons. Protestors set fire to a National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) centre and portions of a Rescue 1122 building, and destroyed traffic signals and local infrastructure. At least 12 persons were injured as local police and paramilitary forces deployed tear gas, baton charges, and live ammunition to disperse crowds.
In Tirah (Khyber District), Hayatabad (Peshawar District), Swat and Swabi Districts, the protesters blockaded roads and clashed with security forces. Law enforcement agencies detained over 50 persons in these worst-hit areas and formally charged them with terrorism, sabotage, and destroying state property.
Following the approval of President Asif Ali Zardari, Governor’s rule and emergency were enforced in KP on October 11 on the grounds that they were necessary to maintain law and order. The President approved the imposition of an emergency and Governor’s Rule in KP under Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution, on the advice of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The Federal Government justified the decision by pointing to a sharp surge in terrorist attacks across KP, alleging that the provincial administration was obstructing counterterrorism efforts.
KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi has assumed executive authority, supported by an 11-member Advisory Council. The Federal Government has issued a notification for the deployment of the Army in KP to assist the civil administration.
Following the imposition of the emergency and governor’s rule, the Federal Government launched a sweeping security crackdown, arresting several top PTI leaders and hundreds of party workers. The incumbent KP Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Khan Afridi, PTI provincial KP president Junaid Akbar and speaker of the KP Assembly Babar Saleem Swati, were arrested. Former KP CM Ali Amin Gandapur stated that he was placed under house arrest in Dera Ismail Khan. Senior PTI leader Asad Qaiser claimed that up to 2,000 party workers and supporters had been detained during the multi-day crackdown across the province.
PTI strongly rejected the imposition of governor’s rule and emergency measures in KP, labelling the move an “unconstitutional assault on the public mandate”. On October 14, 2026, PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan moved the Peshawar High Court to challenge the emergency and governor’s rule. Barrister Khan asserted that the measures effectively stripped KP of its democratically elected Government.
After the Federal meeting on KP’s emergency and Governor’s rule on October 11, while addressing the media in Islamabad, Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar alleged that the PTI-led Government in KP had a “nexus” with terrorist groups. Tarar added that all cabinet members were of the view that the “PTI government in KP is hand in glove with terrorists and has an unholy alliance with terrorists”. “Terrorists have a clear say in how each district will be run,” he alleged, citing reports from the Intelligence Bureau and law enforcement agencies (LEAs).
On October 13, defending the imposition of the emergency and governor’s rule on the floor of National Assembly, Federal Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar disclosed that 2,911 terrorist incidents were recorded in KP between 2021 and 2024, while the number rose to 3,787 incidents between October 15, 2025 and October 9, 2026.
According to a new policy review based on annual data from the Islamabad based think tank Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS) released on October 2, 2026, terrorist attacks in KP nearly quadrupled between 2021 and 2025. Terrorist attacks recorded in the province increased from 111 in 2021 to 413 in 2025, a rise of 272.1 percent. There were 169 attacks in 2022, 174 in 2023, and 295 in 2024.
According to partial data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), KP has recorded a total of 1,853 terrorism-related fatalities, including 1,264 terrorists, 329 SF personnel and 260 civilians in the current year, so far (data till October 13, 2026). During the corresponding period of 2025, the province recorded 1,704 such fatalities, including 1,139 terrorists, 365 SF personnel and 200 civilians.
While terrorism in KP has been growing, the political rift between the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML–N)-led Federal Government and the PTI-led Provincial Government has complicated the fight against terrorism as each holds the other responsible for the deteriorating security situation. On September 28, 2026, Federal Information Minister Tarar alleged that the PTI leadership in KP was the ‘B team’ of TTP, and that the provincial government facilitated the terrorists for its political and financial interests. The PTI leadership has rejected these assertions, contending that security concerns are being exploited as a pretext for political manoeuvres aimed at eroding the party’s influence in the province.
