Trouble ahead? Gandapur wants Centre to appoint chief secretary of choice

• CM replacement of Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry as chief secretary.
• Chief minister seeks appointment of Shahab Ali Shah on said post.
• Shah previously served as additional chief secretary during PTI govt.

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has written to the federal government seeking the replacement of the current chief secretary with the one of his choice, The News reported on Tuesday.

Gandapur, known for his rather seemingly aggressive brand of politics that some might term conflict-prone, has asked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif-led government to remove Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry and appoint Shahab Ali Shah as the province's chief secretary

However, the letter dispatched by the KP chief minister's secretariat includes only one name for the appointment to the said post, instead of a panel of three names as it is the discretion of the prime minister to appoint the chief secretary from the "list" of names sent to him.

Chaudhry was posted as KP chief secretary during the caretaker government whereas Sahab Ali Shah has held various offices including being posted as the province's additional chief secretary during the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.

Gandapur's letter comes as the relationship between the KP government and the Centre has gotten off to a rather shaky start after the chief minister abstained from attending Prime Minister Shehabz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari's oath-taking ceremonies.

It is a traditional practice that the prime minister, while visiting a province is welcomed by the chief minister concerned. However, last week, Gandapur neither received PM Shehbaz — on his maiden visit to Peshawar for distribution of relief cheques to rain-affected people — nor attended the meeting at the Governor House.

Last week, The News citing sources reported that the chief minister had then instead travelled to Islamabad to meet incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan, only to return to Peshawar late evening to attend the oath-taking ceremony of the provincial cabinet.

Gandapur has time again raised questions on the legitimacy of the federal government while referring to the alleged rigging and result manipulation in the February 8 polls.

Speaking at a protest rally in Peshawar on Sunday, the chief minister said that the mandate of the people given to them as per Form-45 should be recognised and those who had a right to victory should be granted the very right.

Meanwhile, firing a broadside at President Zardari and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, Gandapur accused the duo of illegally benefitting from Toshakhana.