Shah Farman resigns as senior adviser to KP CM

PESHAWAR: Former Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and a leading member of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Shah Farman Khan, has resigned from his position as senior adviser to the chief minister on political affairs.

This correspondent has obtained a copy of his resignation in which he said that being a member of the government’s internal accountability committee, it was a conflict of interest for him to accept the additional responsibility of adviser to the chief minister on political affairs.

“Thank you for trust regarding my nomination as senior advisor but as a member of the internal accountability committee constituted by Imran Khan, with responsibility to keep an eye on the provincial government, I feel uncomfortable and uneasy to be a part of the government in any form. This portfolio may affect my primary responsibility. Therefore, I am resigning from the post of senior adviser position anyhow to ensure transparency and efficiency in your KP government. I will help by keeping you updated on inefficiency, violations of merit or misappropriation in the government, if it found,” he added.

When contacted, Shah Farman Khan confirmed his resignation, saying he had already informed his party leadership that it would be a conflict of interest to his earlier responsibility as a member of the accountability committee if he continued to his additional role as senior adviser to the chief minister. “Being a member of the accountability committee, I will always facilitate the government by pointing out wrongdoings or misuse of power anywhere in the government,” he argued.

Shah Farman has been always careful about his reputation, sources close to him told The News. They said his well-wishers had advised him to stay away from the government affairs if he wanted to save his image.

“He remained the governor of the province but nobody can raise questions about his reputation. He sincerely decided to facilitate the present government but there are serious governance issues and Shah Farman didn’t want to be blamed later for his role as senior adviser to the chief minister,” a senior PTI official close to Farman told The News on condition of anonymity.