Kaira top contender for Punjab governor

Makhdoom Ahmed, Nadeem Chan also vying for the post

LAHORE/PESHAWAR:

The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) kicked off deliberations on Wednesday to select candidates for the crucial governorships of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).

Insider sources disclosed that prominent political figures in contention for the coveted role in Punjab include Makhdoom Ahmed Mehmood, Qamar Zaman Kaira, and Nadeem Afzal Chan.

This comes as power-sharing agreements between the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the PPP are gradually taking shape under a carefully crafted formula.

The two parties on Tuesday agreed to jointly wield power in the upcoming government, securing a comfortable majority in the lower house of parliament.

Following the crystallisation of the power-sharing formula, PPP leadership is actively engaged in consultations to finalise the nominee for the position of Punjab governor.

Sources suggest that the party leadership will soon make a definitive decision on the Punjab governor after concluding the ongoing consultations.

Simultaneously, within the party ranks, deliberations are underway to select the PPP governor for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Multiple names are under consideration, including current and former party presidents. In addition to the current provincial president, Syed Muhammad Ali Shah Bacha, other notable figures like Syed Zahir Ali Shah, Engineer Humayun Khan, and the provincial information secretary, Amjad Afridi, are part of the deliberations.

The ultimate approval of the selected names for the governorships, or any alternative candidates, rests with the central leadership of the PPP. This decision is expected to be finalized after the establishment of the new government.

It is worth noting that the incumbent governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Haji Ghulam Ali, assumed office in November 2022. Before him, Shah Farman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) held the position, resigning after the conclusion of the Imran Khan-led government at the centre.

During the interim period, the duties of the governor were temporarily assumed by the speaker of the provincial assembly, Mushtaq Ghani, for a duration of seven months.