PM–President Meeting Expected to Review KP Constitutional Options

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is expected to hold an important meeting with President Asif Ali Zardari at Aiwan-e-Sadr to review the country’s overall economic, political and law-and-order situation, according to sources. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, members of the government’s negotiating committee and the Attorney General are also expected to participate. The consultations come amid heightened political tensions following the breakdown of government-PTI talks and the ongoing long march from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

According to sources, the meeting is expected to consider proposals for extraordinary constitutional measures in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including the possible imposition of Governor’s Rule or an emergency. Earlier, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi discussed the province’s security and political situation and agreed that the Governor House would perform its constitutional role if the president and prime minister deemed such measures necessary.

Sources say a decision on the constitutional options for KP could emerge after consultations among the relevant stakeholders. The prime minister is also expected to attend a ceremony at Aiwan-e-Sadr for the conferment of the Nishan-e-Pakistan on the United Nations Secretary-General. The government has previously considered Governor’s Rule and emergency provisions but has indicated that such steps would require further political, constitutional and legal consultations.