Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has approached the Federal Constitutional Court against governor's rule and the emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with party chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan filing a petition on 12 November. It seeks a review of the court's order of 5 November 2026, issued on applications filed by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government.

The petition asks that Barrister Gohar and the other petitioners be made parties to the case and heard. It says the order affected proceedings on constitutional petitions pending before the Peshawar High Court, and the petitions also seek the release of the chief minister and the provincial assembly speaker.

Why PTI is challenging the order

Barrister Gohar had said on 9 November that the decision to halt proceedings on certain constitutional petitions in the Peshawar High Court had created complications for political figures and ordinary citizens alike. He said the high court had removed PTI cases listed for 10 November from its cause list, and should instead have heard them and determined how the order applied. On 5 November, the court restrained the Peshawar High Court from hearing cases on arrests under the Maintenance of Public Order law, and held that proceedings on constitutional petitions filed under Article 199 on or after 12 October should remain suspended under Clause 4 of Article 245.

Background to the emergency

The emergency and governor's rule were imposed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on 11 October under Articles 232 and 234, on the federal government's argument that the provincial government had disengaged from counter-terrorism. Executive powers passed to Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, assisted by an advisory council. Lawyers across the province struck on 10 November against the order, and the provincial bar council said it would also seek to become a party before the court.

Sources: Pakistan Point, Voice PK