PESHAWAR: Ameer Haider Khan Hoti will take oath as the 24th chief minister of the NWFP today as his unopposed election is assured in absence of any other candidate for the prestigious slot.
He will be the first nominee of the Pakhtun nationalist movement, now represented by the ANP, in the 61 years of Frontier’s parliamentary history to become the chief minister. The 23 men who held the chief minister’s job include four who occupied the position in the British colonial era. Among them was Dr Khan Sahib, great grandfather of Hoti and uncle of Khan Abdul Wali Khan, who served thrice as chief minister. In an interesting coincidence, Hoti will be sworn-in exactly the same day after 71 years when the first NWFP chief minister Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum Khan was appointed, on April 1, 1937.
Sahibzada Qayyum could stay in office for six months only as on September 3, 1937, a no-confidence motion was moved against him in the session held at Abbottabad. The motion was carried with 27 votes against 22. Later, Dr Khan Sahib served as chief minister from September 7, 1937 to November 10, 1939.
On November 10, 1937 the NWFP Assembly was suspended due to differences regarding a resolution on the World War and governor’s rule was enforced till May 24, 1943. A day later Sardar Aurangzeb was elected chief minister, serving till March 14, 1945. He was removed though a vote of no confidence on March 12, 1945 and Dr Khan Sahib became chief minister for the second time on March 16, 1945. He stayed in office till March 8, 1946 and his government then held general elections from 1st to 14 February 1946.
Khan’s third term began after polls and lasted till August 22, 1947 as the Congress nominee. Soon after independence in 1947, Khan Abdul Qayyum Khan was made chief minister. The Assembly was dissolved on 10th March 1951.
First general elections on the basis of adult franchise held on December 15, 1951 and the Khan Abdul Qayyum Khan retained the post of chief minister till April 23, 1953 when he was made federal minister for communication. Sardar Abdur Rashid was appointed chief minister on April 23, 1953. On the invitation of the governor, Sardar Bahadar Khan later took oath as chief minister on July 29, 1955 and remained in the saddle till October 13, 1955.
First martial law was imposed in 1958, General Muhammad Ayub Khan, who later became a field marshal, dismissed the legislative institutions and imposed a ban on political parties. Then there was the period of One Unit and through West Pakistan dissolution Order 1970 both the province and assembly were restored.
After general elections, JUI’s Mufti Mehmood was elected 9th chief minister on May 1, 1972 and remained in the position till February 12, 1973 when Sardar Inayatullah Khan Gandapur of the PPP replaced him on April 29, 1973 till February 16, 1975.
After withdrawal of governor’s rule, Nasrullah Khan Khattak of PPP became the 11th CM on May 3, 1975 till April 9, 1977. The 12th chief minister Muhammad Iqbal Khan Jadoon (April 9, 1977—July 5, 1977) also belonged to Pakistan People’s Party. Again there was martial law from July 5, 1977 to April 7, 1985 and Arbab Jehangir Khan (April 7, 1985 May 31, 1988) was elected 13th CM, but after the dissolution of the assembly Lt Gen (Retd) Fazal-e-Haq May 31, 1988-December 2, 1988) took over as caretaker chief minister.
After snap elections on September 19, 1988, PPP’s Aftab Sherpao (December 2, 1988-August 7, 1990) became the 15th NWFP CM. There was yet anther snap poll in the country and Islami Jamhoori Ittehad’s Mir Afzal Khan, first as acting and then regular, from August 7, 1990-July 20, 1993-was elected the 16th CM, while after the dissolution of the assemblies Mufti Muhammad Abbas (July 20-October 20, 1993) replaced him as caretaker chief minister.
PML-N’s Syed Muhammad Sabir Shah (October 20, 1993-February 25, 1994) was the 18th CM when after governor’s rule following a political turmoil he was replaced by Aftab Sherpao (April 24, 1994-November 12, 1996 who also could not stay for long and was replaced by anothter caretaker, Raja Sikander Zaman Khan (November 12, 1996 (February 21, 1997). Sardar Mahtab Ahmad Khan of the PML-N was elected as 21st CM on February 21, 1997 and remained in office till October 12, 1999 when governor’s rule was imposed on October 12, 1999.
After general election held on October 10, 2002, MMA’s Akram Khan Durrani was elected as 22nd chief minister. He served till October 11, 2007 when the governor dissolved the assembly on his advice and appointed Shamsul Mulk as caretaker CM on October 11, 2007.
