Pakistan Jails PTI Leaders as Trump Embraces Military Chief — SkimNews
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- Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari declared a state of emergency on Sunday in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, suspending the elected government and transferring authority to a federally appointed governor.
- Imran Khan's PTI party saw hundreds of members arrested — including provincial Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and Khan's three sisters — stripping the last opposition-controlled province of its elected leadership.
- The Pakistani government cited escalating attacks by Islamist terrorist groups as the trigger, while PTI leaders and rights groups described the emergency as a pretext to crush protests demanding Khan's release, including a planned march on Islamabad.
- Amnesty International's Babu Ram Pant said reports of arbitrary detentions and service shutdowns raised proportionality concerns; NetBlocks confirmed major internet and mobile-network outages alongside road closures and transit suspensions across the province.
- President Trump hosted Munir for an unprecedented two-hour Oval Office meeting without other Pakistani officials, called him "my favorite field marshal," approved a $686 million F-16 upgrade sale in December, and tapped him as a Washington-Tehran intermediary.
- Pakistani analyst Hussain Nadim argued Munir positions himself around US political needs to "confer international legitimacy" on a military regime that "faces deep questions at home," while US advocacy groups urged Congress to cut military training and support.
Why it matters: The emergency crystallizes a contradiction for Washington: Trump has personally elevated Munir with a $686 million F-16 deal and a rare Oval Office meeting while Pakistani civil society groups demand Congress cut military ties — meaning continued US partnership now runs alongside the arrest of an elected chief minister, detentions of Khan's family members, and province-wide internet blackouts.
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