ISLAMABAD – After the appointment of the governor of Punjab, the PPP government is all set to replace Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Owais Ahmed Ghani.
A source in the PPP told Pakistan Today that the names of Anwar Saifullah Khan, Rahim Dad Khan, Barrister Masood Kausar and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Karamatullah Khan were being considered by the party’s top brass to replace the incumbent governor upon President Asif Zardari’s return from his official US visit.
All four men belong to the PPP.
“Despite opposition from the ANP, Anwar Saifullah Khan is still the front runner in the race while the PPP is also seriously considering Rahim Dad Khan, senior provincial minister, if the ANP refuses to budge from its stance on Saifullah,” said the source. Rahim said the PPP wanted to replace the incumbent KP governor. “Governor Owais Ahmed Ghani is also feeling uncomfortable in the present setup,” he said, adding that he was not in the race for the gubernatorial slot.
“Anwar Saifullah Khan had been chosen by President Zardari for the slot a few months ago but then he was not appointed following resistance by the Awami National Party,” he said, adding that in case the ANP agreed on Saifullah, the PPP could appoint him.
ANP leader and senior KP minister Basheer Bilour said, “We have also come to know that the consultations on replacing the KP governor are going on in Islamabad but the ANP has not been consulted by the PPP yet.”
Asked whether it was true that the ANP was opposing Saifullah for the new governor, he said Saifullah, along with his brothers from the PML-Q, had not only opposed the renaming of the NWFP but had also demanded construction of Kalabagh Dam. “How can ANP accept such a man as the governor of KP?” he asked.
