PESHAWAR: The Federal Government today [Feb 17] ordered the Governor of North-West Frontier Province to assume all functions and powers of the Provincial Government for a period of 90 days. In consequence, it directed that the Chief Minister and other Ministers of the Province shall cease to hold offices forthwith, and the Governor shall act subject to such conditions as the Federal Government may direct or impose. A Press note issued by the Federal Government today said the action had been taken under Article 232 ... of the Constitution as a foreign neighbouring Power was actively involved in disrupting normal life in the Province and in view of the fact that this situation `is beyond the power of the Provincial Government to control`.

...[T]he Press note gave a categorical assurance that `it is a strictly temporary measure necessitated by an emergency`... .

... It pointed out that the suspension of representative Government in a province was not unusual in the political life of federations, particularly in the subcontinent, and numerous examples of it had been provided in India when at times more than half of the population of the Indian Union had come under direct Presidential Rule. News agencies