KP govt withdraws protocols from ex-CMs

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Tuesday formally issued a notification to withdraw protocol from former chief ministers.

Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur had earlier announced this in his maiden public speech after he was sworn in as chief minister. The provincial cabinet later approved the decision of the chief minister.

However, the establishment department in its notification has mentioned the names of only four former chief ministers, including Ameer Haider Khan Hoti, Pervez Khattak, Sardar Mehtab Ahmad Khan and Pir Sabir Shah.

It was not clear why some of the former chief ministers, including Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao, Akram Khan Durrani and Mahmood Khan, were not mentioned in the notification.

After the government notification, Mahmood Khan, who was once affiliated with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and later parted ways with PTI and formed his own party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Parliamentarians (PTI-P), on Tuesday challenged the chief minister’s decision about withdrawing security in the Peshawar High Court.

When contacted, Advisor to Chief Minister on Information and Public Relations Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif told The News that it was an unanimous decision of the cabinet to withdraw protocol from all the former chief ministers. He said he was out of Peshawar, therefore, he was not aware as to why some of the former chief ministers were not included in the notification.

He confirmed that PTIP chairman Mahmood Khan had moved the court against the decision of the provincial government but he was unable to confirm if the court had granted him a stay order.

Barrister Saif said that the government had given eight policemen to every chief minister for their security, a telephone operator and a secretary.

As per notification, Khadim Hussain, (BS-17), was serving as private secretary to former chief minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti. He was directed to report to the establishment department with immediate effect.

Ali Hasan Qureshi, (DPE BS-17), was serving as private secretary to ex-chief minister Pervez Khattak, also a former PTI provincial president. He has been directed to immediately report to his parent department i.e, Elementary and Secondary Education (E&SE).

Similarly, Ubaidullah Saleem, senior stenographer (BS-16), who was working as private secretary to former chief minister Sardar Mehtab Khan, was directed to report his parent department, E&AD R-I Section, against the vacant position.

Syed Haris Shah, stenographer BS-14), who was performing duty as private secretary to former chief minister Pir Sabir Shah, was directed to report to his parent department i.e Irrigation Department.

Among the former chief ministers, Ameer Haider Khan Hoti belongs to the Awami National Party and had survived multiple terrorist attacks, including suicide bombing.

Pervez Khattak belonged to the PTI but later quit the party and formed his own PTI-P.

He, however, resigned from PTI-P when they started negotiations with the PTI leadership following the February elections, inviting the PTI MPAs to join PTI-P if they wanted to get reserve seats in the provincial assembly.

It was one of the few conditions from the PTI leadership that they would like to join PTI-P in the KP assembly but only when Pervez Khattak was not part of the party in any capacity. He first stepped down as president of PTI-P and then resigned from basic membership of the party, leaving it to be headed by Mahmood Khan.

The two chief ministers, Sardar Mehtab Ahmad Khan and Pir Sabir Shah, who were deprived of their protocol, belonged to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.