PTI objects on Shaukatullah as new KPK governor

Lahore: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary Information Shafqat Mahmood has expressed serious concerns on behalf of his party against the appointment of Engineer Shaukat ullah Khan as the new Governor of Khyber-Pakhtun khwa (KPK), terming the appointment as a violation of the provisions of the 18th constitutional amendment.

In a statement issued here on Tuesday, the PTI leader said that after the 18th constitutional amendment, the governor of any province must be a citizen of the same province, whereas Engr. Shaukat ullah was not a resident of KPK and rather he hailed from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), hence, his appointment as governor of the KPK was in violation of the constitution.

Moreover, the PTI leader said that the appointment of Engr. Shaukatullah was also controversial as the Governor KPK is the only governor who also acts as chief executive of FATA and thus would be overseeing the elections.

“Since Shaukatullah has been a federal minister of the PPP government, his appointment is politically motivated aiming at supporting the ruling party’s candidates in the upcoming polls,” he said and added that instead a neutral and non-partisan person should have been appointed to oversee the electioneering in FATA where the people are going to exercise their right to vote for mainstream political parties of the country.

Shafqat Mahmood also asked the Chief Election Commissioner Justice (retd) Fakharuddin G. Ebrahim to take notice of the appointment of the governor KPK and take necessary action in this regard.