Is Asim Munir more afraid of jailed Imran Khan than of the Houthis?

Pakistan has imposed a state of emergency and governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, suspending the provincial government led by Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, according to Dawn. The decision was taken under Articles 232 and 234 of Pakistan’s Constitution following a federal cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The prime minister’s office accused the PTI-led provincial government of “deliberate disengagement” from counterterrorism efforts, intensifying the political confrontation between Islamabad and the opposition party. The move came days after Chief Minister Sohail Afridi escalated protests demanding the release of Imran Khan and other jailed PTI leaders. Khan has been imprisoned since 2023 on charges that he and his party describe as politically motivated. The emergency measures could deepen Pakistan’s political standoff and raise further questions about provincial autonomy and the country’s security strategy.