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Pakistan imposes emergency rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and suspends provincial government

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 10 outlets across the spectrum.

16 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Uniformed police in body armour with batons and shield behind razor wire, bystanders in background.
Image via Al Jazeera EnglishHow images are chosenReport this image

Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari declared a state of emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a northwestern province governed by the party of former prime minister Imran Khan, and suspended its provincial government. Reports cite the federal government’s explanation of “the rising incidents of terrorism and a deteriorating law and order situation.” According to The New York Times, the federal government named a politically allied official to be in charge of the province. A spokesperson for Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party called the move “more of a coup disguised as emergency,” and the party says it will challenge the emergency laws and governor’s rule in court, according to Al Jazeera.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. President Asif Ali Zardari declared a state of emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and suspended its provincial government.

    Reported byLeft5Center3Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    Bloomberg, The New York Times, The Guardian, Al Jazeera English, NPR
    Center
    Deutsche Welle, Sky News, Financial Times
    Far Right
    Breitbart News

  2. The federal government said the move was driven by rising militant violence and a breakdown in law and order.

    One side only: the leftReported byLeft3See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    Bloomberg, The New York Times, Al Jazeera English

  3. According to The New York Times, the federal government named a politically allied official to be in charge of the province.

    One outletThe New York Times· Left

  4. A spokesperson for Khan’s party called the move a coup, and the party says it will challenge it in court.

    One side only: the leftReported byLeft2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Guardian, Al Jazeera English

  5. Breitbart reports that leaders of Khan’s party were arrested.

    One outletBreitbart News· Far Right

What is contested

Where accounts differ

Points the coverage does not agree on, and who says what.

  • The move is a coup against the elected provincial government.

    Khan’s party calls it a coup disguised as emergency, according to The Guardian and Al Jazeera. The federal government cites militant violence and a breakdown in law and order, according to Bloomberg and The New York Times. Analysts questioning the takeover are cited by Al Jazeera.

How each side tells it

Compare views

Every side reports that the president declared emergency rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and suspended the province’s Khan-linked government. Left headlines stress the move against Khan’s party, center headlines state the declaration plainly, and the one right-side article leads with arrests.

  • the left

    5 outlets

    Left headlines put the federal move against Khan’s party first, with one describing it as seizing control and another leading with the party’s charge of a coup.

    Pakistan Loaded verb“Seizes Control”The verb suggests taking control by force, while the other outlets describe the same step as a suspension or emergency declaration.More neutral: Takes ControlDisagree with this highlight? of an Opposition-Led Province
    The New York TimesLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    4 outlets

    Center headlines state the presidential declaration and suspension plainly, with one calling it a crackdown and two follow-ups asking what it means for stability and Afghan ties.

    Pakistan's president declares state of emergency in province run by Imran Khan's party
    Sky NewsCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    1 outlet

    Breitbart, the only right-side article, leads with the emergency and the arrests of party leaders, a detail no other supplied headline gives.

    Pakistan Declares State of Emergency, Arrests Leaders of Former PM Imran Khan’s Party
    Breitbart NewsFar RightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left2

    Seizes Controldecries

  • Center1

    cracks down

  • Right0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded verb

    cracks downMore neutral: imposes emergency rule in

    “Cracks down” implies forceful punitive action against the province’s government, while the other coverage describes a state of emergency imposed under a stated rationale.

    Pakistan cracks down on Imran Khan stronghold province

    Used byFinancial Times (Center)

  • Loaded verb

    Seizes ControlMore neutral: Takes Control

    The verb suggests taking control by force, while the other outlets describe the same step as a suspension or emergency declaration.

    Pakistan Seizes Control of an Opposition-Led Province

    Used byThe New York Times (Left)

  • Loaded verb

    decriesMore neutral: says

    The verb presents the party’s reaction as a strong denunciation rather than a plain statement.

    Imran Khan’s party decries ‘coup’ after Pakistan suspends provincial government

    Used byThe Guardian (Left)

Words quoted from someone else (3)Hide the quoted words

Loaded words that outlets reported someone else saying. They show what was said, not how the outlet chose to say it.

  • Loaded modifier

    Quoted

    deliberate disengagementMore neutral: disengagement

    Deliberate asserts intent that the article does not show; it is a stakeholder’s characterization presented as a quotation.

    PM office says cabinet move follows 'provincial government’s deliberate disengagement from the fight against terrorism'.

    Quoted byAl Jazeera English (Left)

    These are Prime Minister’s Office’s words. The outlets are reporting them.

  • Delegitimizing label

    Quoted

    coup disguised as emergencyMore neutral: a move the party opposes

    The phrase asserts that the emergency is a coup in disguise, a contested characterization by a party spokesperson.

    …its government, a move a party spokesperson described as “more of a coup disguised as emergency”.

    Quoted byThe Guardian (Left)

    These are Zulfikar Bukhari’s words. The outlets are reporting them.

  • Delegitimizing label

    Quoted

    ‘coup’More neutral: move the party opposes

    Calling the suspension a coup is a contested characterization that the headline repeats as a label.

    Imran Khan’s party decries ‘coup’ after Pakistan suspends provincial government

    Quoted byThe Guardian (Left)

    These are Zulfikar Bukhari’s words. The outlets are reporting them.

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

5 outlets

Leads with

  • federal seizure of the province
  • party’s coup claim
  • opposition to the move
See the 5 headlines from the leftHide the headlines

From the center

4 outlets

Leads with

  • presidential declaration
  • suspension of the provincial government
  • effects on stability and Afghan ties
See the 4 headlines from the centerHide the headlines

From the right

1 outlet

Leads with

  • arrests of party leaders
  • state of emergency

Leaves out

  • the government’s stated reason of rising militant violence
  • the party’s coup accusation

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the headline from the rightHide the headlines
  • Breitbart NewsFar Right

    Pakistan Declares State of Emergency, Arrests Leaders of Former PM Imran Khan’s Party

    Pakistan on Monday declared a state of emergency in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the stronghold of former prime minister Imran Khan’s PTI party, and suspended the PTI-dominated government.

    Read at Breitbart News (opens in a new tab)

Articles you open from here build My Mix, a private picture of how your reading spreads across the spectrum, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    First to report

    Al Jazeera English, Oct 11, 4:32 AM EDT

  • Center

    1 hr 5 min later

    Its first report, Oct 11, 5:37 AM EDT

  • Right

    1 day 13 hr later

    Its first report, Oct 12, 6:25 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. Al Jazeera EnglishLeftOct 11, 4:32 AM EDT
  2. BloombergLeftOct 11, 5:06 AM EDT
  3. Deutsche WelleCenterOct 11, 5:37 AM EDT
  4. Sky NewsCenterOct 11, 9:48 AM EDT
  5. Financial TimesCenterOct 11, 9:48 AM EDT
  6. The New York TimesLeftOct 11, 12:25 PM EDT
  7. The GuardianLeftOct 11, 8:22 PM EDT
  8. Breitbart NewsFar RightOct 12, 6:25 PM EDT
  9. NPRLeftOct 13, 6:51 AM EDT
  10. BBC NewsCenterOct 13, 6:07 PM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

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