With the appointment of Shaukatullah as new governor for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, unrest has erupted in the top ranks of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) provincial chapter.
“Neither we nor PPP provincial president Anwar Saifullah Khan were invited to the oath taking ceremony of Shaukatullah,” said a PPP leader considered very close to Anwar Saifullah when contacted by Pakistan Today. “Almost all the top leaders of PPP-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have not been consulted over the posting of Shaukatullah as the new governor,” the PPP leader added.
Though a number of party leaders attended the oath taking ceremony of the new governor, PPP-KP President Anwar Saifullah along with PPP-KP General Secretary Humayoon Khan, Health Minister Zahir Ali Shah and several other senior leaders were absent. President Asif Ali Zardari’s spokesman Senator Farhatullah Babar, Senator Rubina Khalid, Provincial Excise and Taxation Minister Liaquat Shabab and Azam Afridi were prominent among the PPP leaders who attended the oath taking ceremony of the new governor.
It may be mentioned here that after winning a seat in the KP Assembly, Anwar Saifullah Khan had joined the PPP and made several attempts to get the top slot of chief minister. He was backed by a number of PPP stalwarts, including Pervez Khattak who had joined the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). However, President Asif Ali Zardari opposed the idea, giving a chance to the Awami National Party (ANP) which got the majority. Later, Anwar Saifullah Khan received another set back when the ANP leadership chose Barrister Masud Kausar for the governor’s office.
Since the 2008 general elections, Anwar Saifullah remained the most fierce critic of ANP’s policies at each and every forum. He even held the ANP leadership responsible for the ongoing trends of militancy, terrorism and deteriorating law and order situation. Since becoming the PPP’s provincial president, Anwar Saifullah ruled out the possibility of PPP’s electoral alliance with the ANP.
So far, Anwar Saifullah has remained silent over the posting of Shaukatullah as the KP governor, but his aides foresee critical and tough time for the PPP in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa when elections are ahead.
Besides, some PPP circles, Federally Administrative Tribal Areas (FATA) independent group headed by Hamidullah Jan and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders are also unhappy with the posting of Shaukatullah as KP governor.
When contacted, KP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain said that the ANP leadership had not been consulted over Shaukatullah’s appointment, but they support the move. “Shaukatullah belongs to FATA where people are facing several problems. We are sure that he will not go for addressing the tribesmen’s wishes but he will induct tribesmen into mainstream national politics,” he added.
Appointment of new KP governor is a part of pre-poll rigging conspiracy
Expressing resentment over the appointment of Engineer Shaukat Ullah as new governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senior Vice President Engineer Amir Muqam alleged that the decision was a part of pre-poll rigging by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). “Engineer Shaukat Ullah had occupied ministerial office in the PPP government. Even his close relatives are contesting in the upcoming general elections. Therefore, he cannot be considered a neutral or acceptable person for this post,” he said while talking to journalists at a press conference. Flanked by Farid Toofan, Malik Jehanzeb and other senior stalwarts of PML-N Engineer Amir Muqam urged President Asif Ali Zardari to revisit the decision. The PML-N leader said that preparations were in full swing for next general elections and impartial, non-political and honest people should be posted at important offices. Furthermore, he said that in the last five years, the opposition had extended maximum support to the government, armed forces and other stakeholders for return of peace in the region but the present government had failed to meet the objectives. In response to a question, Muqam said that after consulting party’s central leadership, the Supreme Court of Pakistan and Election Commission of Pakistan might be approached in this regard. He said that it was the constitutional right of the president to appoint a governor. However, he said that when the elections were so close, it was important to have a neutral person for the post of governor. Answering to another question, Muqam said that that PML-N presence was stable in Bajaur Agency and other tribal areas. However, PPP was trying to influence the election process all across FATA, he alleged.
