Imran Khan's party stronghold, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is under a state of emergency, his party's provincial government suspended. It's another dramatic escalation in the standoff between the former prime minister's supporters and Pakistan's state - and one that some fear could lead to more instability, not less. According to the federal government this step, allowed by the constitution, was needed to provide protection for the province's population from the threat of terror.
"The PTI KPK government was hand in glove with the terrorists," Attah Tarrar, federal information minister, told journalists on Sunday. He did not elaborate or provide evidence, but promised to do so soon. Two days later there had still been no update from him - but schools had reopened in Peshawar and most parts of the province, and internet services had been restored.
While police would not confirm any detentions, there is clearly a crackdown under way to prevent protests. Most PTI leaders in the province have gone into hiding. On Tuesday dozens of PTI supporters took to the streets in Bara, Khyber district, hometown of provincial Chief Minister Sohail Afridi.
There were reports of tear gas shelling in the area. To many observers, the timing of Sunday's announcement of emergency rule is not coincidental. For the last week, thousands of Imran Khan's supporters have marched through Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where the PTI have been in power for 13 years, demanding Khan's release.
"The charitable response would be to say that it sounded disingenuous," says Farzana Sheikh, associate fellow at Chatham House. "I do not see the link with terrorism," says Arifa Noor, journalist and commentator. "I'm not even sure if it was the long march itself [that led to this].
Perhaps it was the last straw or perhaps it's just a case of saying, we don't want to deal with the government being in the hands of an opposition party." The protests were led by Chief Minister Afridi, whose whereabouts are still a mystery. His party says he has been arrested; the government says that he is in protective custody. Before the march had begun, there had been a crackdown.
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