PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader Shah Farman was sworn in as governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa here on Wednesday.

Chief Justice of Peshawar High Court Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth administered oath to Shah Farman. An official statement said that Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, Speaker Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani, ministers and lawmakers attended the oath-taking ceremony.

Hailing from Peshawar, the newly-appointed governor had served as minister for information and public health engineering in the previous PTI-led government. He is considered as a close lieutenant of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The office of the governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa lost its charm and attraction after the 25th constitutional amendment and has a ceremonial role in the province. Before the landmark amendment, the KP governor served as agent to the President and Chief Executive of erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) to look after all administrative affairs in the region.

After omission of Article 247 from the Constitution the tribal territories have been merged with the province and all powers and functions, including administrative and financial, had been transferred to chief minister.

Meanwhile, Shah Farman resigned as MPA from PK-71, Peshawar, and the KP Assembly Secretariat had notified his seat as vacant on Wednesday. Mr Farman had contested election on two PA seats and had lost polls to Khushdil Khan of Awami National Party on one seat.

Published in Dawn, September 6th, 2018