Protesters and police clashed in Bara, a town in Pakistan's Khyber district, on Tuesday, days after the federal government imposed governor's rule and an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the north-western province that is the stronghold of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). Police fired tear gas and, according to reports, live rounds, and at least five protesters were confirmed injured. A doctor at Hayatabad Medical Complex in Peshawar said more than a dozen injured people, including four police officers, had been brought to the hospital.
According to Dawn, scores of PTI workers gathered at Khyber Chowk in Bara Bazaar. Police first used baton charges and tear gas, but eyewitnesses said protesters forced officers to retreat after a local lawmaker arrived with more supporters. Reports say a National Database and Registration Authority office and part of a Rescue 1122 emergency service building were set on fire. Police later cleared the square and closed roads to the bazaar. Police said 50 people had been arrested, while a provincial information adviser gave a figure of 42 and claimed 25 were illegal Afghans. Dawn could not independently verify the arrests, the damage or the detainees' nationality. Local leaders urged both sides to avoid further confrontation.
The federal government says the constitution allows the step, which it justifies as protection against terrorism. Information Minister Attah Tarrar accused the PTI provincial government of being "hand in glove with the terrorists", though he offered no evidence and has promised to do so later. The measure has sidelined Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, a Bara native whose whereabouts are unclear: his party says he was arrested, while the government says he is in protective custody. Schools and internet services, disrupted at first, have largely been restored, but most local PTI leaders have gone into hiding.
Many analysts doubt the official explanation. The move followed a week of marches by thousands of Khan's supporters demanding his release. Khan has been imprisoned since August 2023 on corruption convictions he calls politically motivated, and concern about his health has grown. Commentators such as Arifa Noor and Farzana Sheikh question the link to terrorism, while Michael Kugelman of the Atlantic Council suggests the aim may be to blunt pressure from a restless party. Tarar says there was no political agenda.
Why this matters: Pakistan faces rising militancy, ranking first on the Global Terrorism Index 2026, and tense relations with Afghanistan and India. Critics warn that direct federal rule removes a provincial government that Islamabad could otherwise blame, and that anger in the province could deepen instability. Pakistan's history of military coups, they note, shows that removing elected governments can backfire.