Hours after Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was placed under emergency rule, Pakistan's federal ministers went on camera Sunday evening to defend the move — and Islamabad backed the words with an administrative overhaul. Dr Fakhr Alam Irfan, a Grade 22 officer of the Pakistan Administrative Service, was named the province's new chief secretary, while the outgoing chief secretary was told to report to the Establishment Division. In all, 25 notifications covering senior bureaucrats and police officers were issued in a single day.
What Naqvi and Tarar said at the K-P emergency presser
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar and Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry addressed the media in Islamabad shortly after the proclamation. Their message: the Centre had spent more than a month trying to get the PTI-led provincial administration to cooperate against terrorism, and the emergency was the last resort.
Naqvi opened by saying the day had not been an easy one for the government. He said he had personally stayed in touch with PTI leaders behind the scenes — including calls until 11:45pm on Saturday — to fight terrorism together. He said he had messaged them through the day about paragraph four of the draft agreement, "but they did not respond all day," and that he had told them the situation could still be avoided or at least delayed.
The interior minister said he had held repeated meetings with Chief Minister Sohail Afridi where the only topic was terrorism and politics never came up. A plan to strengthen the KP Police district by district was on the table, he claimed; the provincial side pleaded lack of funds and the Centre promised whatever money was needed. That conversation, he added, was four months old — and nothing had happened since.
His picture was grim: the situation was really bad in 12 districts, he said, with people in some of them unable to step out of their houses in the evening. He claimed the PTI's own team had agreed on an emergency for those districts but was "scared of being seen meeting with us" — and told journalists afterward: "What scope remains for not imposing an emergency? ... We have no room left now."
Attaullah Tarar's allegations were the sharpest of the night. He alleged the PTI-led K-P government had a "nexus" with terrorist groups, citing Intelligence Bureau and law-enforcement reports, and said the cabinet believed the provincial government was "hand in glove with terrorists." He claimed terrorists had "a clear say in how each district will be run," asked why police stations in some districts had been "sublet to the Taliban," and alleged a power-sharing formula was taking shape from the southern districts inward. These are the minister's allegations; no official intelligence report has been made public.
Dr Fakhr Alam Irfan: who is the new chief secretary?
The headline administrative move came through an official notification: Dr Muhammad Fakhr Alam Irfan will serve as K-P's chief secretary with immediate effect, until further orders. He is a Grade 22 PAS officer who was serving as secretary of the Power Division in the federal Ministry of Energy, and he is from Mardan.
His predecessor, Shahab Ali Shah, was removed the same day and directed to report to the Establishment Division immediately, with a formal notification confirming the removal. A second key move placed Muhammad Yahya Akhunzada — a Grade 20 PAS officer and former additional secretary at the Prime Minister's Office, from Charsadda — at the disposal of the K-P government. His past postings include additional political agent in South and North Waziristan, K-P's health, information and education secretary, and commissioner of Dera Ismail Khan.
The wider reshuffle: 25 notifications in one day
The two appointments were only the start. Fourteen PAS officers serving in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were directed to report to the Establishment Division with immediate effect. They include two BS-21 officers, Ikramullah and Ambar Ali Khan; two BS-20 officers, Shahidullah and Sohail Khan; five BS-19 officers — Shah Fahad, Captain (retired) Mian Adil Iqbal, Muhammad Usman, Captain (retired) Sarmad Saleem Akram and Shafiullah Khan; and five BS-18 officers — Captain (retired) Muhammad Zubair Khan, Waqar Ali, Captain (retired) Sanaullah Khan, Muhammad Ehtisham-ul-Haq and Muhammad Faheem.
The police side moved too. Four officers serving in K-P — Humayun Masood Sandhu, Irfan Tariq and Fasihuddin (all BS-20) and Imran Khan (BS-18) — were transferred to the Establishment Division, while four BS-18 officers were posted into the province from other jurisdictions: Lieutenant Commander (retired) Kashif Aftab Ahmad Abbasi from Sindh, Paree Gul Tareen from the Islamabad Capital Territory Police, Ihtizaz Arif from Balochistan and Saad Afridi from Punjab.
The notifications establish the transfers and postings; they do not spell out the operational reasons behind each move. The officer lists above are reported from the notifications as published by Minute Mirror, the only outlet to carry the full lists.
An 11-member advisory council and a 12-district secretariat
The presser also unveiled the technocratic layer of the emergency administration. The Centre has formed an 11-member K-P Advisory Council under Article 232 of the Constitution to assist Governor Faisal Karim Kundi in running the province on behalf of the federal government, according to an order seen by Dawn.
The portfolios are filled: Advocate Sanaullah becomes advocate general; former prisons chief Kifayatullah Khan takes home affairs; ex-FBR chief Tariq Mahmood Pasha handles finance; MNA Samar Haroon Bilour takes information; retired Lieutenant General Nigar Johar handles health; former advocate general Amir Javed takes law; Osman Saifullah Khan advises on energy and power; Asif Rafiq Afridi takes communication and works; Maulana Tayyab Qureshi oversees religious affairs; Dr Muhammad Irshad takes industries and commerce; Dr Sarfraz Ali Shah takes mines and minerals; and Dr Syed Amir Abdullah takes education.
A separate Cabinet Division order created an Area Development Secretariat, supervised by an Area Representative and Development Council, for 12 districts: Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, Lakki Marwat, Bannu, Bajaur, Mohmand, Khyber, Kurram, Orakzai, North Waziristan and South Waziristan (Upper and Lower). Its administrator will exercise the provincial government's executive and law-enforcement powers in those districts, with the stated aim of restoring order and services.
PTI rejects the moves
PTI's leadership rejected the emergency in the strongest terms. Party chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said the party "strongly condemns" and "completely rejects" it, calling it an extremely alarming and grave political mistake that would weaken provincial autonomy rather than bring peace. The party says it will challenge the decision on every constitutional, legal and democratic forum. Its separate claim about Chief Minister Sohail Afridi's arrest is covered in our earlier report: PTI Says Sohail Afridi Arrested After K-P Emergency Imposed.
What the K-P emergency means with a new chief secretary in charge
The constitutional picture was settled earlier on Sunday: President Asif Ali Zardari signed the proclamation imposing emergency and governor's rule under Articles 232 and 234, on the advice of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's cabinet, which cited the provincial government's "deliberate disengagement from the fight against terrorism." The chief minister, ministers and advocate general ceased to hold office, the K-P Assembly's powers passed to Parliament, and Governor Kundi assumed the administration — as detailed here: Zardari Signs KP Emergency Order, Governor Takes Charge.
Tonight's moves show how the Centre plans to use that power: replace the top bureaucrat, move the old cadre to the Establishment Division, install a technocratic council, and put the 12 most troubled districts under a dedicated secretariat. It is the difference between announcing control and exercising it.
Why it matters
K-P is Pakistan's frontline province in the fight against terrorism, and it has been governed by the PTI for over a decade. Removing its elected government and replacing its administrative spine in a single day is the most forceful federal intervention in a province in years. Whether the emergency restores order or deepens the confrontation between Islamabad and the country's largest opposition party will depend on how the new team takes charge.
What happens next
The National Assembly and Senate meet on Tuesday, October 13, where the emergency goes before Parliament — Article 232 requires approval within ten days, and governor's rule must be approved by a joint sitting within two months or it lapses. PTI has promised legal and political challenges while its long march stays on the move. The next test comes on the streets and in the courts, not in the notification files.
Key Takeaways
- Four federal ministers defended the K-P emergency at a Sunday press conference, saying month-long engagement efforts with the provincial government failed.
- Dr Fakhr Alam Irfan, a Grade 22 PAS officer and ex-Power Division secretary from Mardan, was appointed chief secretary; Shahab Ali Shah was removed and sent to the Establishment Division.
- Muhammad Yahya Akhunzada (Grade 20 PAS, ex-PMO additional secretary from Charsadda) was placed at the K-P government's disposal.
- 25 notifications moved 14 PAS officers to the Establishment Division and reshuffled 8 police officers, with four BS-18 officers posted into K-P from other provinces.
- An 11-member advisory council will assist Governor Kundi, and a new Area Development Secretariat will run 12 districts, from Bannu and Tank to the former tribal districts.
- PTI rejected the emergency as undemocratic and vowed to fight it on every forum; Parliament takes up the proclamation on October 13.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the new chief secretary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa?
Dr Muhammad Fakhr Alam Irfan, a Grade 22 officer of the Pakistan Administrative Service. He was serving as secretary of the Power Division in the federal Ministry of Energy and is from Mardan. A federal notification on Sunday appointed him with immediate effect until further orders.
Why was Shahab Ali Shah removed as K-P chief secretary?
The federal government removed Shahab Ali Shah the same day the emergency was imposed and directed him to report to the Establishment Division immediately, with a formal notification confirming the removal. No individual public reason has been given for his removal beyond the wider administrative reset underway in the province.
What did Mohsin Naqvi say about talks with the PTI?
Naqvi said the Centre spent over a month trying to bring the K-P government on board against terrorism, that he was personally in touch with PTI leaders until 11:45pm on Saturday, and that repeated meetings with Chief Minister Sohail Afridi — where only terrorism was discussed — produced a police-strengthening plan that was never implemented.
What is the 11-member K-P Advisory Council?
A technocratic body formed by the Centre under Article 232 to assist Governor Faisal Karim Kundi in running the province during the emergency. Its advisers cover home affairs, finance, health, law, information, education, energy, communication, mines, industries and religious affairs, and were chosen for doctorates or long public-service records.
Which 12 districts fall under the new Area Development Secretariat?
Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, Lakki Marwat, Bannu, Bajaur, Mohmand, Khyber, Kurram, Orakzai, North Waziristan and South Waziristan (Upper and Lower). The secretariat's administrator will exercise the provincial government's executive and law-enforcement powers there to restore order, security and essential services.
How long can the K-P emergency and governor's rule last?
The emergency proclamation must be approved by both houses of Parliament within ten days. A governor's-rule proclamation under Article 234 must be approved by a joint sitting within two months and can be extended in two-month stretches, but cannot remain in force for more than six months in total.
Sources
- Dawn — "Info minister alleges 'nexus' between PTI-led KP govt, terrorists" (Oct 11, 2026): full report
- Dawn — "Emergency, governor's rule imposed in KP as president approves cabinet decision" (Oct 11, 2026): full report
- The Express Tribune — "PM Shehbaz chairs cabinet meeting to discuss terrorism and governance in K-P" (Oct 11, 2026): full report
- ARY News — "KP gets new chief secretary after governor rule" (Oct 11, 2026): full report
- Minute Mirror — "Federal government reshuffles KP bureaucracy as 25 notifications issued" (Oct 11, 2026): full report
Earlier GlobalDeskNews coverage on the K-P emergency: Zardari Signs KP Emergency Order, Governor Takes Charge, Pakistan Cabinet Approves Emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Cabinet Meets Today to Decide Emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.