Not a fond farewell: PML-N workers happy to see Mehtab go

Hope replacement will sort out issues faced by party workers; FATA

PESHAWAR: Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan may have received great praise from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for his tenure as K-P governor, but Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz workers seemed almost happy with his resignation.

A majority of them were hopeful a new governor will reorganise the party’s provincial chapter; if the federal government appoints a PML-N leader in his place. This is one of their demands.

On February 9, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif accepted the resignation of Mehtab. The governor’s seat has been lying vacant since. Various names have surfaced since as a potential replacement, including former military men. However, there is no final candidate as of yet.



With different names being floated, the provincial leadership panicked and demanded the new governor be a senior PML-N member.

PML-N K-P Senior Vice President Waqif Khan, leading the Party Bachao or Save the Party movement for six months, said workers were amazed with the resignation of the former governor. He said Mehtab had closed the doors of the Governor House for party workers, adding a senior and deserving party worker should be his replacement.

He said since Iqbal Zafar Jaghra was part of the Senate and Amir Muqam was an adviser to the prime minister, the only viable candidate for the slot was PML-N K-P President Pir Sabir Shah.

“Keeping in view his experience as provincial president, contact with party workers and experience as a provincial chief minister, all the workers demand Pir Sabir Shah be appointed governor,” Waqif said. He added the appointment would also unite party workers.

Another party senior VP, Amanullah Khan, said Mehtab’s replacement must be familiar with Pukhtun customs. “Either Muqam or Pir Sabir could be the ideal candidate,” said Amanullah.

“The former governor completely paralysed the party in the province as he did not give attention to workers in the tribal areas and this led to the formation of different groups in the province and Fata,” Amanullah said. He echoed the views of his peers and said the new governor must resolve differences and work towards reorganising PML-N workers.

Ignoring FATA

PML-N Fata President Faqir Muhammad Afridi told The Express Tribune the former governor had completely ignored the tribal belt during his tenure of roughly 22 months. Afridi complained Mehtab failed to address issues despite the fact that three members of the National Assembly were elected from Fata.

“I will request—if there was any room in the Constitution—the [next] governor be from the tribal areas. If not, it should at least be an individual who understands the problems of party workers and tribespeople,” Afridi stressed.

He said tribespeople were confronted with numerous problems and those displaced by the war on terror desperately needed a person who could resolve their problems. “We need someone who understands our pain.”

Peshawar PML-N District President Haji Sifatullah stated, “The new governor must focus on workers and development of both the tribal areas and K-P,” he said.

Best interest

Adviser to Prime Minister Amir Muqam said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was the chief executive of the country and head of PML-N and any decision taken by him would be in the larger interest of the party and the country.

“We will have to follow his directions.” He said only opposition members could express dissatisfaction over his decisions, but not party workers.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 20^th,  2016.