KP yet to get a new governor

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) is yet to get a new governor after the resignation of Shah Farman who left the sprawling British-era Governor’s House on April 16.

Like the other two provinces, i.e Sindh and Balochistan, KP is also without a constitutional head and speakers of the concerned provincial assemblies are serving as acting governors.

Punjab Governor Umer Sarfaraz Cheema has refused to quit the position after President Arif Alvi’s advice to continue with his job despite the fact Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has sent a summary for the removal of the governor.

Except for Punjab, where former governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar was removed by his own party boss, then prime minister Imran Khan, the other three governors resigned themselves after Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz’s President Shehbaz Sharif’s election as prime minister.

The governorship is a constitutional office with limited responsibilities but a governor is appointed by the president on the directives of the prime minister.

However, the president under powers conferred on him may return the summary for the appointment of a governor to the prime minister within 15 days.

He may also keep pending another summary, if sent by the premier, for another 10 days, but after this time (10 days) he is bound to follow the prime minister’s advice.

Although in the current situation, President Arif Alvi has been unable twice to fulfil his constitutional obligation of administering the oath to the newly elected prime minister and then to his cabinet colleagues, citing illness as the reason.

The Senate chairman had to take the oath as acting president. But the president exercised his powers in case of approval of the summary for the removal of the Punjab governor.

On the other hand, the newly installed government is facing problems in decisions on naming new governors.

The major allied parties in the coalition are trying to clinch a big chunk in the cabinet berth as well as in the constitutional positions.

In Sindh, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Pakistan are the main stakeholders and they have to decide the name of the new governor.

While in Punjab, both the PMLN and PPP are eyeing the governor slot and the name for the lucrative position is yet to be decided beside the hurdle from the president’s side who has asked the incumbent governor to continue his job.

In Balochistan province, the Balochistan National Party (BNP-Mengal, Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUIF) are the major stakeholders and expect a maximum share in the power as per their strength.

The provincial set-ups in Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan might face difficulties in the absence of governors.

However, the situation is a little bit different in KP where the acting governor and provincial government are from the same party.

The president would also not want to create hurdles to the provincial set-ups of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

But the governor’s name could not be finalized among the coalition partners — PMLN, PPP and JUIF.

There are reports that the PMLN does not want to have the position, but JUIF is the major contender besides PPP, which had earlier hinted at giving the governorship to the Awami National Party (ANP).

However, the name of the new KP governor could not be finalized after the PTI’s Shah Farman left the premises unceremoniously, leaving the space for acting governor and KP Assembly Speaker Mushtaq Ahmed Ghani to walk into the sprawling building away from the noise and air pollution.