Political party head upset over not being appointed KP governor, claims Naqvi

LAHORE: Without taking any names, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Friday claimed that the “head of a party” was “extremely upset” about not being appointed the governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “The head of a party is extremely upset over being denied a role in the new setup in KP and not getting the governorship,” Naqvi alleged while speaking to journalists in Lahore. He was seemingly referring to Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who has been critical of the federal government over the imposition of governor’s rule in KP. This politician, Naqvi said, had remained “dependent on the establishment for decades to advance his political career”.

“These are the same politicians who remained in politics for decades with the support of the establishment, and this politician even relied on the establishment to arrange air tickets for the members of his party,” he further alleged. He said such politicians had little justification for criticising others now, particularly after having benefitted from the same system they currently denounced. “Political differences are part of politics. But instead of using inappropriate language and making allegations, political leaders should speak on the basis of arguments and facts,” the minister said. Naqvi’s remarks come days after the Centre imposed governor’s rule and emergency in KP, citing the provincial government’s “deliberate disengagement” from the fight against terrorism. The move has drawn criticism from the opposition, including Fazl, as well as Mehmood Khan Achakzai and Raja Nasir Abbas of the Tehreek-i-Tahafuz Ayin-i-Pakistan. In the days preceding the imposition of governor’s rule in KP, political tensions between the Centre and the opposition — including the PTI which was in power in KP — had…