The federal cabinet initially favoured giving the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government another chance before moving towards emergency measures in the province, Federal Minister for Board of Investment Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh has said, offering a fresh account of the deliberations that preceded the imposition of emergency and governor’s rule on 11 October.

According to details shared by Sheikh in a recent media interview, several ministers, including Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, opposed rushing into the decision and argued that political engagement should be explored before taking the extraordinary constitutional step. Sheikh reportedly supported this approach, maintaining that the provincial government should be given another opportunity to resolve the crisis through dialogue.

According to Sheikh's account, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, chief of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), was not mentioned during the initial phase of the cabinet discussion. Nor, he reportedly said, was the removal of KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi raised as a condition during that part of the........

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