JUI-F chief’s relative likely to become K-P governor

The coalition government led by PML-N has decided to appoint former JUI-F senator Haji Ghulam Ali new governor of Khyber-Pakhtunkwa, sources said on Monday.

Ali is the father-in-law of JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman's daughter.

The post fell vacant since PTI leader Shah Farman stepped down soon after Shehbaz Sharif was sworn in as the prime minister in April this year.

The sources privy to the development said that the ruling Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) parties agreed on the name of JUI-F leader in a recent meeting.

Haji Ghulam Ali had served as Mayor of Peshawar while his son Zubair Ali was elected as the mayor of the provincial capital in local body elections held last December.

Haji Ghulam Ali told The Express Tribune that he was aware of the reports about his nomination for the slot of the governor but stopped short of confirming the development until the official announcement.

Official notification of his appointment is likely to be issued soon.

Also read: Undecided allies: Govt struggles to reach consensus on governor

The development came a day after President Dr Arif Alvi appointed Muttahida Quami Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader Kamran Tessori as Sindh governor after a delay of nearly seven months.

In a press release, a spokesperson of the President House said that the appointment was made under Article 101.

Kamran Tessori, a gold trader who had parted ways with the MQM-P in 2017, rejoined the party a while back as deputy convenor and has now been named the governor of Sindh.

"The MQM-P led by Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui had recommended his name despite the severe differences in the party over his nomination," a senior leader of the party, requesting not to be named, told The Express Tribune.

Many MQM-P leaders had also protested when Tessori was given re-entry into the party, he added.