PESHAWAR: After reports about replacing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Shah Farman, there are roumours about major changes in the provincial government in KP, saying Interior Minister Brig (retired) Ijaz Shah had brought an important message of Prime Minister Imran Khan to Chief Minister Mahmood Khan and some key cabinet members during his recent yatra to the provincial capital.
Brig Ijaz Shah had recently come to Peshawar on a one-day visit and held separate meetings with the chief minister and some of the cabinet members. Some of the party circles took it as an unusual development and told the media that the interior minister had brought an important message from the prime minister to the chief minister and some cabinet members. They even predicted “major changes in the KP government” in the coming days.
“Things are not going in the right direction in KP and we have been told that the party leadership has decided to bring about some major changes in the provincial setup. And for this purpose, the prime minister had sent the interior minister to Peshawar to seek opinion of the chief minister and cabinet ministers,” said one party leader in Peshawar.
Two PTI leaders in Peshawar claimed that internal differences and grouping in the party had weakened their stance on certain important issues. However, both of them didn’t agree to the reports that there was any plan under consideration to replace the chief minister or change the portfolios of the ministers in the near future. “The chief minister is trusted by the prime minister among the existing PTI members and is loyal to the party and the party chairman,” said one of the PTI leaders, pleading anonymity. He said the chief minister had cordial relations with all his cabinet members as well as party legislators from KP.
“There is no major complaint against the chief minister from any of the party leaders. Also, there are no corruption allegations against him and he has earned the trust of the party chairman and other central leaders. Therefore, I don’t see any chances of his replacement,” said the PTI leader. The debate on social media on the alleged changes in the KP government started after sudden visit of the interior minister to Peshawar. Insiders in the PTI in Islamabad told The News that the visit of the interior minister had nothing to do with any changes in the KP government.
“The interior minister had visited Peshawar as per schedule and wanted to meet the chief minister and his cabinet ministers together. The chief minister had already a scheduled commitment somewhere outside Peshawar and, therefore, he could not meet the interior minister when he went there. However, when the chief minister returned to Peshawar, he had a detailed meeting with Brig Ijaz Shah,” said the PTI leader. Pleading anonymity, he said nothing was discussed in the meeting about any reshuffle in the KP. In Peshawar, the senior government officials and sources in the Chief Minister’s Secretariat told The News that the interior minister had visited the provincial capital to know about progress and achievements during the smart lockdown.
“The interior minister wanted to know about the overall situation of coronavirus in KP, its spread and fatalities and the outcome of smart lockdown.
He wanted to learn about the standard operating procedures which the KP government would apply during the upcoming Eidul Azha,” said a government official privy to the meetings at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat. He didn’t want to be named as he was not allowed to speak to the media. He said the chief minister had himself suggested a meeting of the interior minister with some cabinet ministers including Sultan Khan, Taimur Salim Jhagra, Kamran Bangash and Chief Secretary Kazim Niaz after returning from a scheduled visit to Jalozai area in Nowshera district. “The interior minister had discussed with the cabinet ministers and the chief secretary different issues related to coronavirus, smart lockdown and government’s plan for forthcoming Eidul Azha. The chief minister joined them when he returned and all of them had joint lunch hosted by the chief minister,” said the government official.
Some circles had recently launched campaign on social media and claimed PTI top leadership had decided to replace Governor Shah Farman. They quoted unnamed sources and even quoted some old media reports when former prime minister Nawaz Sharif had nominated Lt-General (retired) Alam Khattak for the coveted position of KP governor. Lt-General (retired) Alam Khattak could not made it to the gubernatorial slot at that time as there were reports that Maryam Nawaz had intervened and helped Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and an old and loyal friend of her father, Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, to become the KP governor. According to PTI sources, Shah Farman is one of the few party leaders stated to be close to Imran Khan.
“The prime minister trusts him a lot and there is no such plan to replace him though some party people have run an organised campaign against him on social media. Also, name of Lt-Gen (retired) Alam Khattak has never been discussed on any important forum,” said a PTI leader close to Imran Khan.