ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Friday agreed to appoint new governors for Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan following a high-level meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.
Under an agreement reached between the ruling PML-N and PPP, Sardar Salim Haider has been selected as the governor of Punjab, Faisal Karim Kundi for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Jaffar Khan Mandokhel for Balochistan.
According to sources, these appointments were finalised subsequent to a meeting between Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, where discussions primarily revolved around the gubernatorial positions in Punjab, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
During the meeting, PM Shehbaz hosted a luncheon for Bilawal, fostering an environment conducive to deliberations on the current political landscape of Pakistan and the crucial task of appointing governors. Bilawal proposed various names for the governorships, which were ultimately endorsed by the prime minister.
Sardar Salim Haider, with prior experience as Special Assistant to the PM on Overseas Pakistanis and as Minister of State for Defence and Defence Production, was nominated for the role of Punjab’s governor.
Faisal Karim Kundi, former Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly under the federal government of PPP, currently assumes the position of Secretary of Information within the party and has been designated as the governor of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. So both top leaders of KP, Chief Minister and Governor, are now from same district, Dera Ismail Khan.
Jaffar Khan Mandokhel, known for his longstanding affiliation with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and his multiple tenures as an elected MPA, has been appointed as the governor of Balochistan.
Furthermore, it was agreed that the governorship of Sindh would remain with MQM-Pakistan, with the incumbent Kamran Khan Tessori retaining his position.
