PESHAWAR: No sooner had Owais Ahmad Ghani completed his three years as Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on January 8, reports started circulating that he was on his way out.
Reports in some newspapers began mentioning names of aspirants for the gubernatorial position. One of them, Munir Orakzai, the MNA from Orakzai Agency and leader of one of the parliamentary groups of tribal parliamentarians, was even quoted by one newspaper as saying that he was a candidate for the job.
Some other names also appeared in the news reports. Anwar Saifullah Khan's name had to be in the list because the MPA from Lakki Marwat and the former federal minister has been a perennial candidate for the job. He had joined the PPP after winning his provincial assembly seat even though his brothers Humayun Saifullah and Salim Saifullah are with the PML-Q and PML-Q Likeminded groups, respectively. This was, however, not enough to boost his chances for getting the governor's job primarily due to the military's decision to stick with Owais Ghani. The ANP also wasn't ready to back Anwar Saifullah's candidature.
The emergence of Barrister Masood Kausar's name as a strong candidate for the job could harm Anwar Saifullah's chances of making it to the Governor's House, Peshawar. Masood Kausar, the brother of noted Urdu poet Ahmad Faraz, is a long-time PPP member and has served on important positions in the party and the government. He certainly has his detractors in the PPP and despite past speculations, Masood Kausar hasn't been assigned any official position in his party's government since the 2008 general elections.
Certain remarks by Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti at the Fateha for the veteran PPP leader Maj Gen (retd) Naseerullah Babar in Pirpiai village of Nowshera district became the basis for newspaper stories about Masood Kausar's sudden rise as a frontrunner candidate for the governor's job. The stories quoted Hoti as telling Masood Kausar that both ANP and PPP would support his candidature even though he was one of the three men whose names were being forwarded to President Asif Ali Zardari for appointment as the governor.
If it is true that the ANP and PPP have finally agreed on a consensus candidate for the governor's position, one major hurdle in putting their man in the Governor's House would have been crossed. Until now both parties wished to have their nominee to become the governor. This would make the president's job easier to consult with the military high-ups and seek their consent for appointing a new governor.
One newspaper also mentioned the name of Air Vice Marshal (R) A Rahim Yousafzai as a contender for the governor's job. After retirement from the Pakistan Air Force, he had joined the PPP. An earlier attempt by him to seek election as senator didn't succeed, as he didn't have the kind of money needed to buy the required number of votes of MPAs in the Senate election.
All the speculation about the aspirants for the governor's office would, however, be meaningless unless a decision is made to replace Owais Ghani. In fact, it is not the first time that reports have appeared in the media regarding replacement of Governor Owais Ghani. This has become a periodic ritual and one doesn't know if the latest speculations about change of guard at the sprawling gubernatorial mansion in Peshawar would herald the arrival of a new governor.
Owais Ghani, the nephew of freedom fighter Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar and cousin of a couple of former army generals, had dabbled in politics and served as provincial head of Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf before he became a minister in the then NWFP in General Pervez Musharraf's military regime. Later he was elevated to the federal cabinet and then made the governor of Balochistan. He served there for four-and-a-half years and was then made the governor of his native province on January 8, 2008. It must be a record of sorts to serve for such a long period as governor in two provinces.
Having been the governor for three years at a turbulent time in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the tribal areas, Owais Ghani has had a long innings and he won't have a reason to complain in case he is replaced. But before he is asked to resign, the government would have to find someone of stature capable of winning the trust of the military establishment. The governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has much greater responsibilities than other governors as the job entails administering the volatile Fata, described rather unfairly by the US as one of the most dangerous places in the world and the centre of global tourism.
As the military is operating in all seven tribal agencies, it would expect to be consulted in the appointment of the new governor. And its 'veto power' could make or mar the chances of any aspirant for the coveted job of the governor.
