Pakistan Peoples Party's (PPP) leader Faisal Karim Kundi on Saturday was sworn-in as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor after President Asif Ali Zardari approved his appointment earlier today.
Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim administered oath to the newly appointed governor. KP secretary and other officials along with PPP members attended the ceremony.
His appointment to the post was approved by President Asif Ali Zardari earlier in the day, alongside Sardar Saleem Haider and Jaffar Khan Mandokhail as governors of Punjab and Balochistan, respectively.
Talking to media after taking the oath, Kundi pledged to end terrorism and financial crisis in the province including former federally administered areas, which are now part of KP. He expressed hope that KP will prosper.
He said that he will approach the political leadership of the province to improve the situation and demand our rights from the Centre.
“I assured you that I will fight the case of KP’s people in the Centre,” he said, calling on KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur to work together.
He said that they had to priortise the province’s needs instead of political rivalry.
Kundi said that the provincial cabinet members and CM had been invited to attend his oath taking ceremony, but Gandapur might not be able to come due to his "busy schedule".
Kundi, a PPP loyalist, was picked amongst two other PPP politicians — Zahir Shah and Syed Muhammad Ali Shah Bacha — who were being considered for the post.
He currently holds the position of PPP’s central information secretary and is a member of the central executive committee as well as the foreign liaison committee.
He had gotten elected as a member of the National Assembly in the 2008 general elections and made history when he was appointed the country’s youngest deputy speaker.
Over the years, Kundi has gained the respect of his peers and also made a name for himself on the international stage through his participation in global dialogues, and interactions with diplomats. He is particularly vocal about infrastructure development, educational reforms, and philanthropy and strongly believes in dialogue, and policy reform.
He also served as the prime minister’s aide, PPP KP secretary general besides being a patron of the Young Parliamentarians Forum (YPF) and the Youth Parliament and also works with the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). He also served as the chairman of the Fata Caucus.