PESHAWAR, March 4: There was confusion in the provincial capital following reports that the NWFP Governor, Lt-Gen (retd) Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah may relinquish his post and proceed on an ambassadorial assignment in a week.

The reports said that Gen Iftikhar was likely to be succeeded by the Deputy Chairman of Senate, Commander Khalilur Rehman.

Sources cited in the reports said that Gen Iftikhar was informed by President Pervez Musharraf last week about the decision of his replacement, immediately after security agencies had cleared the name of Commander Khalilur for the post.

However, Governor Iftikhar told a group of tribal journalists in Bajaur on Friday that he had neither resigned nor had he been asked to do so. "Neither have I resigned nor have I been asked to resign. I am still the governor of NWFP," he told journalists when he was asked to comment on speculations regarding his possible replacement.

Some credible sources said that Gen Iftikhar during his meeting with the president had sought a diplomatic assignment and the president indicated that he might be considered for a foreign posting, may be initially in Turkey.

It might take at least a week, the sources added, before a formal notification about the replacement of Gen Iftikhar with Commander Khalil was made. "The decision is there and my understanding is that it would take about a week, latest by Saturday next week, before a notification is issued," the sources added.

Gen Iftikhar took over as the chief executive of the province on August 16, 2000, after a stint as a federal minister. Commander Khalil, as captain in Pakistan Navy, had been posted to Bahrain on deputation in the 1970s, and he subsequently rose to the rank of commodore and in later years 'commander' became a part of his name.

There have been speculations for quite some time and several powerful figures, including former corps commander, Peshawar, Lt- Gen (retd) Ali Jan Orakzai, had been reported to be lobbying for one of the most prestigious and powerful offices in the country.

However, lately the names of Chairman National Commission for Human Resources Development Dr Nasim Ashraf and Governor Balochistan Owais Ahmad Ghani were doing the rounds as contenders for the post

"Commander Khalil appears to have made it to the top of the list", said one source privy to the development. Commander Khalil, who had contested the Senate elections and won the seat despite having no political affiliation, surprised everyone when he was elected deputy chairman of the upper house of parliament.

It may be mentioned here that the ruling PML had officially backed Engineer Fazl for the Senate post, but he could garner only one vote, that of Dr Semeen Mehmood Jan, and the rest of the party voted for Commander Khalil who was contesting as an independent candidate.

It is learnt that the government is considering the name of a female senator, now a minister of state, to succeed Commander Khalil as Senate's deputy chairman.