The nomination of a new governor in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) must have come as a surprise for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan who might have been expecting from the federal government to consult the appointment of KP’s governor with him.
The relationship between PTI and Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PTI) had developed some ‘sweetness’ after premier’s recent visit to skipper’s house for consultation on Taliban talks.
However, the friendship between the two parties seems short-lived as the possible appointment of PML-N’s senior leader Sardar Mehtab Khan Abbasi is on cards.
The federal government has reportedly decided to appoint Abbasi in place of incumbent Engineer Shaukat Ullah who was the PPP government’s nominee.
Sources in PML-N told Pakistan Today that a notification of the new governor is yet to be issued, however they feel that lady luck is smiling on Abbasi and he will be taking oath by next week after the return of prime minister.
Abbasi has long been a contender for the gubernatorial office along with PML-N’s Zafar Iqbal Jhagra being most prominent of them.
A couple of months ago the party leadership had finalised the name of Abbasi and the stage was fully ready for his ascendancy as the KP governor, however the last-minute change of plan queered his pitch. But that was then. As for now, Abbasi is quite confident of making it through at last.
KHAN CALLING IT A FOUL:
However, this time a different player is crying foul against Abbasi’s appointment; PTI Chairman Imran Khan, reliable sources told this scribe.
Reportedly, Khan has already expressed his reservations over the choice of the new nomination by the federal government. He believed that federal government should have taken him into confidence before going ahead with the change.
The development turns out to have an element of surprise in it for Khan who would have expected everything to be ‘nice and friendly’ with the federal government after he ended up endorsing PML-N’s anti-terror approach after a chat with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif at Khan’s house.
Interestingly, Nawaz never indicated his plan to make changes in KP. Hence, the jolt was felt everywhere in KP especially after the news of a possible appointment of a powerful political figure on an important post in KP.
PTI OBJECTS:
Sources told Pakistan Today that PTI’s main objection to Abbasi’s appointment as governor was his political background as opposed to the outgoing governor Shaukat Ullah, who was a non-political figure from FATA appointed by former president Zardari.
According to sources, there is an impression in KP that Abbasi could create problems for the KP government “if need be”.
Some PML-N leaders say that PTI has expressed its reservations to PML-N top hierarchy through Shah Mahmood Qureshi. However, Qureshi denied having conveyed any such reservation.
Talking to Pakistan Today, he said it would been much better had the PML-N government consulted before making such changes for the sake of maintaining a good equation between the federal and KP governments. He said such consultation could serve the two parties better in their pursuit of achieving peace.
