K-P governor faces the axe over Senate failures

PML-N leadership angry with Iqbal Zafar Jhagra for his inability to win loyalties of Fata lawmakers

PESHAWER: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra has been in hot waters since the election to the Senate top slots earlier this month in which senators from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) refused to support the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

As Fata’s chief executive, the governor is said to have an important role in running the affairs of tribal areas and has an influence over the elected public representatives – whether members of the National Assembly or the Senate.



Some 12 members of the National Assembly are elected from the tribal areas while eight lawmakers represent Fata in the Senate. Traditionally, the governor plays an important role in winning loyalties of these members.

However, this did not work this time as despite having the powers to change things upside down, the governor completely failed in making these lawmakers vote for the PML-N candidate. According to party insiders, this panicked the party leadership which now wants to replace Jhagra.

“When you have your man controlling Fata where every file moves after the governor’s approval, you need not worry about votes since they are all yours,” a senior PML-N politician said, requesting not to be named.

“Just like the lawmakers from the rest of the country, Fata MNAs and Senators also want to have their men placed on key positions in the local administration and it is only the governor who approves such appointments,” he said.

“Now, when you have all these powers you have the key to win loyalties. But if you fail, you don’t have any reason to stay as governor,” he said, adding, “There have been discussions in the federal capital to replace Jhagra but the name is yet to be finalised.”

Some party leaders, at provincial level, however, believe it would be an injustice to replace Jhagra for this reason. They say he could only be replaced over failure to organise the party in the K-P and Fata.



“The prevailing situation in Fata clearly suggested the Fata senators needed just a missed call, not even a call from certain quarters,” a PML-N provincial leader said, adding: “Things were already decided and we knew this would happen soon after the government in Balochistan was toppled.”

He said the party leadership’s concerns would be justified if it were a normal situation, but in the current situation, replacing Jhagra for failing to shift Fata senators’ loyalties would not be fair.