ISLAMABAD: The chief minister of Pakistan’s opposition-run Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province rejected warnings of governor’s rule on Monday, as a dispute with the federal government over militant violence intensified ahead of his party’s planned march on the capital.

Sohail Afridi, a senior figure in jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, spoke after two federal ministers accused his administration of failing to confront militants. Another minister said the legal conditions for governor’s rule had been met. The measure could allow the president to place provincial government functions under federal control if the province could no longer be governed in accordance with the constitution. No such order has been issued.

The confrontation comes as PTI prepares to march from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where it is the ruling party, to Islamabad on Oct. 4 to demand Khan’s release. The party postponed a march planned for last Sunday after authorities blocked highways leading to the capital with shipping containers and deployed security forces. Some routes reopened on Monday, though transporters said freight movement remained disrupted.

“If someone tries to frighten me by saying that they will impose Governor’s Rule here or impose an emergency, then I curse such a story that seeks to move me away from my ideology,” Afridi said at a meeting on the province’s security situation, according to a transcript of his remarks. He said his commitment to Khan’s political position would not change.

Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs Amir Muqam said on Monday the requirements for imposing governor’s rule had been fulfilled, citing what he called Afridi’s unlawful actions. Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar separately said an emergency should be imposed if constitutional conditions were met. Neither announced a decision to take control of the province.

Under Article 234 of Pakistan’s constitution, the president can issue a proclamation after receiving a provincial governor’s report and concluding that the province cannot be governed in accordance with the constitution. Such a proclamation must be presented to parliament and would lapse after two months without its approval.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar accused the PTI-led administration of facilitating militants for political and financial gain, an allegation Afridi’s government rejects. He was flanked by Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry who said the province had failed to give police sufficient resources or authority to fight militancy. Afridi said federal security policies had been imposed without meaningful input from provincial officials, despite repeated warnings about a resurgence of violence.

The dispute follows a string of deadly attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including a September 26 bombing at a checkpoint in Dera Ismail Khan that killed at least 12 people. Afridi said police needed equipment and a change in security policy developed with the provincial government. He claimed that his proposed approach could restore peace within 100 days but gave no operational details in Monday’s remarks.

PTI governs Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but opposes Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s coalition nationally. The party says the February 2024 general election was rigged against its candidates, who won the most directly elected seats but did not form the federal government.

Khan had been jailed since August 2023. He denies wrongdoing and says the cases against him are politically motivated. His party has repeatedly protested for his release, with some previous demonstrations ending in deadly clashes with security forces.

The federal government has also challenged proposed changes to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s police law, arguing that they would weaken the force’s command structure during a militant campaign. Provincial officials say they are strengthening the police. The dispute adds another point of friction before next Sunday’s planned march.