Pakistan’s KP Emergency Raises Fears of Boundary Changes Under Army Chief Asim Munir

Pakistan’s emergency rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has triggered fears of possible provincial boundary changes, greater military control over natural resources and a rollback of provincial autonomy. Shehzad Akbar, a former accountability minister in Imran Khan’s government, has accused Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir of seeking greater control over the province’s resources and financial allocations.

“We cannot have another Sir Radcliffe in the form and shape of Field Marshal Asim Munir to say, I’m going to draw new boundaries with my pen,” Akbar told The Print.

His reference was to Sir Cyril Radcliffe, the British lawyer who chaired the boundary commissions that partitioned British India in 1947. The division triggered mass displacement and sectarian violence.

The crisis has intensified tensions between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s federal government and Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which governed KP. Islamabad has justified its intervention by citing worsening security conditions and the provincial administration’s alleged failure to cooperate against Islamist militancy. The PTI has called the move an attack on the province’s constitutional rights.

An October 11 order issued by Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior and Narcotics Control authorised Army deployment under Article 245 of the Constitution to protect citizens, property and government installations. The KP governor will determine troop requirements in consultation with Army headquarters.

Mineral wealth is another flashpoint. Akbar alleged that the provincial government had resisted federal proposals involving mines, minerals and rare earth elements discussed with the United States. Security sources cited by News18 separately claimed the military establishment wanted greater control over these resources.

PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan vowed to challenge the intervention through legal, constitutional and democratic channels. Former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser rejected emergency rule, while PTI provincial president Junaid Akbar said the party’s long march would continue. Students at Peshawar University also reportedly protested against the move.

Akbar warned that boundary changes could provoke resistance in Sindh, where provincial identity remains sensitive. The dispute raises questions about the 18th Constitutional Amendment, which expanded provincial autonomy in 2010, and the National Finance Commission Award, which governs federal-provincial resource distribution.

Meanwhile, Sharif formed an 11-member committee led by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar to monitor KP’s governance and security. An 11-member advisory council was also established to assist the governor. Minister of State for Law Barrister Aqeel said emergency rule could extend beyond six months, depending on security conditions.