, Oct. 11 -- Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday imposed emergency rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a northwestern province bordering Afghanistan, and suspended its provincial government, led by jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan's party, ahead of a planned march to Islamabad demanding his release.

According to a statement from the president's office, Zardari took the decision on the recommendation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's Cabinet. Under the measure, the province will come under the authority of the governor, who represents the federal government.

The announcement followed a statement from Sharif's office that the federal Cabinet had recommended emergency rule, accusing the provincial administration of deliberately...