Rana Sanaullah hints at Governor Rule in Punjab if his entry is banned

By Muhammad JuniadPublished On 06 Jan 2023

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said that the work on the summary regarding the imposition of Governor Rule in Punjab has been initiated by the interior ministry as he expressed concerns about the political crisis which he believes has deepened after the order of the Supreme Court in the Punjab deputy speaker ruling’s case.

The recommendation has come after PTI-PML-Q has formed a government in Punjab in light of the orders of the Supreme Court.

Addressing the media in Islamabad, he said that the anticipated ban on his entry into Punjab will have enough reasoning to impose Governor Rule in the province.

Sanaullah said it would be unwise to consider that the federal government’s jurisdiction was restricted to the federal capital only.

He warned Imran Khan that he would be stopped from storming the federal capital despite having governments in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and other federal units.

He expressed grave concerns on the verdict of the Supreme Court resulting in ouster of Hamza Shahbaz from the office and said that amending the laws in the discretion of the Parliament and nobody could infringe that power.

He said that trimming the powers of the judiciary was not on cards, but its powers must be regulated while adding that the honor of judiciary is obligatory in every society.

To a question, the minister said that PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif would surely return to the country and run the election campaign for his party.

What is Governor’s Rule?

Article 232 of the Constitution of Pakistan allows the president to impose an emergency “on account of war and internal disturbance”.

Subsection 1 of the law says that the president can issue a “Proclamation of Emergency” if he believes that “a grave emergency” exists, and it threatens the security of the country or a part of it. The threat could be external aggression/war or internal disturbance that is beyond the power of the provincial government.

In case of internal disturbance, a resolution from the assembly of the province, where the president wishes to impose emergency, is required.

However, if the president is acting on his own, the Proclamation of Emergency will have to be presented before the Senate and National Assembly for approval within 10 days.