PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief and country’s likely new prime minster Imran Khan on Wednesday nominated MPA-elect Mehmood Khan as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s next chief minister.
Imran announced his decision during his meeting with senior PTI leaders in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
According to sources, former chief minister Pervez Khattak suggested Mehmood Khan’s name for the slot.
Mehmood Khan was elected to the provincial assembly from PK-9 constituency in Swat and served as sports minister from 2013-2018 in the province.
Mehmood Khan, hails from Swat’s Tehsil Matta. Born in 1972, he got his early education from a government school, acquired Matric and F.Sc certificates from Peshawar Public School and obtained degree in MSC Agriculture from Peshawar University.
He entered politics in 2008 and got elected as UC Chairman under independent capacity in the same year. He switched loyalties from Pakistan People s Party to Imran Khan-led PTI in 2012.
There had been reports of a row between Khattak and Atif Khan, who was also in the race for the slot of chief minister. Khattak had overtly rejected the news attributed to him that he would quit politics if office of KP CM was not awarded to him.
Dispelling statements attributed to him, the former Pakhtunkhwa chief minister added that rumors of factions within PTI were nothing but fake. “Khan saab [Imran Khan] has not made any decision yet. I will accept whatever decision is announced in this regard. News channels are airing propaganda against me”, added Khattak.
It is to be mentioned here that in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, the ECP received results of 96 out of total 97 seats out of which PTI took 66 seats while MMA, ANP, PML-N, and PPP won on 10, six, five, and four seats respectively.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief and PM-in-waiting Imran Khan on Wednesday vowed to nominate best and corruption-free candidate for slot of Punjab’s Chief Minister (CM).
He was addressing meeting of PTI’s parliamentary committee in Islamabad while adding that appointment will be made purely on merit.
Khan – who is expected to take oath as Pakistan’s next premier on August 14 – further added that the nominee would have a clean image while calling on all members to support the nominee. Khan vowed to depoliticize Punjab police and making it autonomous.
Khan stated that PTI had secured two-third majority in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). “We have to fight real war in Punjab and we will fight it together. In Punjab [during General Elections 2018], the political battle was between Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) and PTI”, claimed Khan.
Khan called on making process of awarding tickets more transparent and better by introducing reforms. He said, “We have to make PTI an institution”.
“Several deserving candidates were deprived of tickets but they managed to secure victory under independent capacity”, stated Khan.
Khan urged party leaders to start preparations for next general elections immediately. – NNI