PESHAWAR: The federal government has appointed Grade 22 Pakistan Administrative Service officer Dr Muhammad Fakhr Alam Irfan as the new chief secretary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, following the imposition of a state of emergency and governor’s rule in the province.
According to the notification, Dr Irfan’s appointment will remain in effect until further orders. He was previously serving as secretary of the Power Division in the federal Ministry of Energy.
Dr Irfan belongs to Mardan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The appointment comes as the federal government moves to assume greater control over provincial affairs following President Asif Ali Zardari’s approval of the imposition of emergency and governor’s rule on the advice of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The move follows escalating tensions between the federal government and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led provincial government over security and counterterrorism policy, as well as political differences linked to the party’s protest march. Federal ministers and KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi had repeatedly raised the possibility of imposing emergency or governor’s rule in the province in the days leading up to the decision.
The federal government has criticised the provincial administration’s approach to counterterrorism, while Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and his government have defended their authority, opposed the federal government’s security policy and maintained that the elected provincial government and assembly remain functional.
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President imposes emergency, governor’s rule in KP
Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution provide for the proclamation of an emergency and the imposition of governor’s rule, respectively. Article 232 deals with emergency measures, while Article 234 allows the president to assume or direct the governor to exercise certain provincial government functions if satisfied that the province’s administration cannot be carried on in accordance with the Constitution.
The appointment of a new chief secretary marks a significant administrative development amid the constitutional and political changes in the province.
