KP CM faces daunting challenges in party, province

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (KP) new Chief Minister Mahmood Khan transferred to his personal bank account Rs1.8 million from the discretionary funds allocated for the Sports Ministry in 2014. During the course of an inquiry subsequently held by a committee formed by the provincial government itself, Mahmood claimed that funds were transferred mistakenly, and was, therefore, ‘exonerated’ of corruption charges. Daily Times approached KP government spokesman ShaukatYousafzai but he was not available for comments. Speaking to the media a couple of weeks ago after a meeting at Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Bani Gala residence, the new CM had maintained that he did not need to indulge in corrupt practices since he inherited enough assets of his own. Making light of the 2014 incident, analysts say there aren’t any major corruption charges against the new CM. However, they question some of his picks for the cabinet insisting that old faces would not enable him to meet daunting challenges in the province and to meet the expectations of the people who voted for Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) because of its slogan of change. They mention merger of the volatile FATA region with KP and the peace building process in tribal districts following military operations as well as the Rapid Bus Transit project in Peshawar, the Swat Motorway and provision of drinking water and education facilities to the deprived southern districts of the province as some of the major challenges for the new administration. Haq Nawaz, a Peshawar based analyst and a senior journalist, says that the new CM needs to pay particular attention to education and health sectors since they figure prominently in PTI’s manifesto. Additionally, he says the police need to be made more people-friendly. Manzoor Ahmed, another Peshawar based analyst, says that there aren’t any mega corruption scandals against Mahmood Khan or his cabinet members, but he has been accused of nepotism in recruitments made in his previous ministries. Ahmed adds that in the previous term of the KP Assembly, Mahmood Khan mostly remained a silent observer. However, the CM is known for carrying out practical work on the ground, instead of making tall claims on the floor of the House, he says, adding that it was due to Mahmood Khan’s efforts that sports stadiums were established in almost all districts in the previous government’s term. “Running the affairs of this province smoothly will be a challenging job for him because the problems are manifold and of serious nature,” Ahmed notes. Unlike the government of his predecessor, Pervez Khattak, which was in alliance with Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and Qaumi Watan Party (QWP), Mahmood Khan is fortunate to have two-thirds majority in the Assembly. Additionally, the new CM has the added benefit that his party is in power in the Centre too. “This is a positive point as he [Mahmood Khan] will face no problems from the federal government,” notes Nawaz. He says that the new administration will have to pay attention to implementation of progressive laws enacted in the last five years on accountability, right to information and whistleblower protection. “The new government will have to focus on lack of funds and revenue as the financial health of the province will remain a serious challenge.” On the accountability front, both analysts insist that the new CM will have to ensure across the board accountability. “He will need to hold his own ministers accountable too,” Nawaz says, adding that mega infrastructure projects left incomplete by the previous administration must be paid special attention. Nawaz adds, “the merger of erstwhile FATA with KP is yet another challenging job to be completed by the new KP government. The provincial government should prioritise building of infrastructure in tribal districts as well as extension of administrative offices to these districts. This will require round-the-clock work.” Despite old faces, the new CM has inducted two young ministers into his cabinet which the analysts maintain is a positive step. Taimoor Salim Jhagrha and Kamran Bangash have been given charge of finance and health, respectively. They claim that the induction of younger people into the cabinet has drawn criticism from the old guard in the party. They say Mahmood Khan is expected to face opposition from within the party on the issue. Therefore, he will have to chalk out a work plan in which he maintains a cordial relationship with opposition parties as well. Early life, family background: Born in Matta’s Kharirri village in 1972, Mahmood Khan is the son of Dr Muhammad Khan. One of Mahmood Khan’s brothers Abdullah Khan is the tehsil nazim of Matta, while his other brother Ahmad Khan is the opposition leader in the district assembly. The CM belongs to an influential family that owns property worth billions of rupees in Matta bazaar. Locals say the CM and his brothers own almost 87 kanals of agriculture land and 1,500 shops in Matta’s Muhammad Khan bazaar. Published in Daily Times, August 29th 2018.