SUNDAY brought what was being whispered about in Islamabad for days: the dismissal of the PTI government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The whispers had turned into news by Saturday. All day long, the mainstream media kept reporting on the possibility of an emergency, adding that the prime minister would hold a cabinet meeting on Sunday morning to make the ‘final’ decision. But by Saturday evening, there were many other meetings as politicians from the government and opposition sides met or held consultations publicly and behind the scenes. These were last-ditch efforts to avoid taking a ‘painful decision’.

There was little clarity on what the outcome of these comings and goings would be. Apart from the government and PTI, the JUI-F, too, had jumped into the fray and offered to mediate between the two sides. In fact, on Sunday morning, channels reported that the prime minister called Maulana Fazlur Rahman during the meeting, creating the impression that some last-minute deal was being thrashed out. But clearly, these were red herrings, for soon it was announced that both an emergency and governors’ rule had been imposed. It later transpired that the call was simply to inform the maulana about the decision. The cabinet meeting was followed by a bunch of ministers, including of law and interior, holding a press conference to justify their decision. They all looked a bit glum; perhaps they hadn’t slept much.

The PTI’s reaction was muted as it was limited to social media. It seemed as if the television channels were not covering what........

© Dawn