Governor asked the electronic and print media to not publish information without confirming its accuracy as “one small mistake creates many issues.” PHOTO: FILE
Responding to criticism leveled against his eligibility as the new Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) governor, Shaukatullah Khan said he is a citizen of Pakistan, hailing neither from Afghanistan nor any other country.
He addressed the media at a certificate distribution ceremony at the Khyber Institute of Technical Education on Wednesday and responded to accusations regarding his eligibility as the governor of the province.
Khan is a registered voter in Bajaur Agency, part of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) and according to a petition filed in Peshawar High Court on Wednesday – the governor must be registered to vote in the province he is appointed to.
“This criticism started with my appointment,” said Khan, who took oath on February 10, 2012 and replaced Barrister Masood Kausar.
“What message is being sent to the hundreds of thousands of people from the tribal region of Pakistan – that they belong to a part of Pakistan where no governor or prime minister can be appointed from?” he remarked.
“My appointment is in accordance to the Constitution of the country and any criticism leveled should be soundly backed,” claimed Khan.
With Peshawar Corps Commander Lieutenant General Khalid Rabbani present in the audience, the governor said: “It’s true; I belong to the tribal belt but is Fata not part of Pakistan?”
“Which country does Fata belong to that I am subjected to such criticism?”
Governor Khan maintained his appointment followed due procedures. He asked the electronic and print media to not publish information without confirming its accuracy as “one small mistake creates many issues.”
“If a person from Fata is subjected to increasing disparagement for being appointed governor then it’s ample evidence no one from that region would be able to hold any high portfolio or become the prime minister,” claimed Khan.
He commented on law and order in Fata as it stands today and claimed things had improved since 2007-2008. Khan asserted conditions in the tribal areas will become “more congenial in the coming days”.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 14th, 2013.
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