Undecided allies: Govt struggles to reach consensus on governor
Awami National Party leaders deliberate on the issue of Pakistan Democratic Movement's show-cause notice, in Peshawar on April 6, 2021. PHOTO: EXPRESS
More than two weeks have passed since Shah Farman tendered his resignation as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) governor to the President Dr Arif Alvi and still the current coalition government is seemingly undecided on who will be the federation’s representative in the province.
Like the delay in the formation of the Federal Cabinet, the present coalition government is taking its time to reach a consensus on a name for the K-P governorship but sources indicate that the tussle for the position is within the Awami National Party (ANP), as the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) have already distanced themselves from the position.
As ANP’s internal rift lingers on, the Express Tribune learnt from sources privy to the matter that recently former president Asif Ali Zardari stepped in and recommended to the ANP leadership that they should choose their Secretary General Mian Iftikhar Hussain as the province’s governor.
However, ANP’s spokesman Samar Bilour, who is also a member of the provincial assembly, said that the ANP was not interested in any positions. “We do not want any ministry or the governorship. We respect Asif Ali Zardari’s recommendation but the election is our top priority. The party did not even want the federal ministry that was offered.” While the ANP is firm on its stance of going to the public as soon as possible, Shaukat Yousafzai, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and the Provincial Minister for Labor in K-P, told the Express Tribune that there was no urgency to appoint a new governor.
“After Shah Farman stepped down, our Speaker Mushtaq Ghani is acting governor and he is performing his duties diligently. The Prime Minister can recommend a new governor but the President has the authority to decide whether to accept it or not,” Yousafzai said. With the PTI hinting at a similar stand-off like the one happening in Punjab regarding the governor slot, Latif Afridi, a senior lawyer and former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, said that this was not acceptable.
Afridi was of the view that evading the constitution in such a way was quite hazardous and termed it as “blatant disrespect of the constitution.” According to sources within the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), problems were resolved when Bilawal Bhutto Zardari met former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in London.
The source assured the Express Tribune that names for all constitutional positions would be finalized by the next two weeks. PPP Central Deputy Secretary Information, Faisal Karim Kundi, when asked about the timeline, concurred that significant progress had been made since the meeting in London.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 2nd, 2022.