PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has written to the federal government requesting that the incumbent chief secretary be replaced with a candidate of his choosing, The News reported Tuesday.
Gandapur, known for his very appearing aggressive brand of politics that some may call conflict-prone, has asked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s cabinet to dismiss 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 aforementioned office, rather than a panel of three candidates, as it is the prime minister’s discretion to pick the chief secretary from the “list” of names submitted to him.
Chaudhry served as KP chief secretary under the caretaker administration, whereas Sahab Ali Shah held a number of positions, including assistant chief secretary during the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.
Gandapur’s letter comes as the KP government’s relationship with the Center has gotten off to a rocky start after the chief minister declined to attend Prime Minister Shehabz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari’s oath-taking ceremonies.
