ISLAMABAD – President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday okayed the appointment of of Sardar Saleem Haider, Faisal Karim Kundi, and Jaffar Khan Mandokhail as governors of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), and Balochistan.
The development comes after Sardar Saleem Haider and Faisal Kareem Kundi were picked for the Punjab and KP governorships. The appointments were made based on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s advice under Article 101(1) of the Constitution.
After President’s nod, Faisal Kareem will take oath as Khyber Pakhtunkhuwa governor.
Sardar Saleem Haider
Saleem Haider is a PPP stalwart from Punjab’s Attock district. He previously served as former federal minister and aide to the Prime Minister for overseas Pakistanis.
Haider, the president of PPP’s Rawalpindi division, will succeed current Governor Baligh Ur Rehman, who took charge in mid 2022, after the ouster of the PTI government.
He is PPP’s central information secretary, and a member of various committees within the party. The seasoned politician was elected as the country’s youngest deputy speaker in 2008 and has been active in global dialogues and interactions with diplomats, advocating for infrastructure development, educational reforms, and philanthropy.
Faisal Kareem
Faisal Karim Kundi is Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader. He contested the 2002 general elections for the National Assembly seat from DI Khan but did not win. He then won 2008 elections and became a Member of the National Assembly (MNA) from the same constituency.
In 2008, Kareem was appointed as the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly. He ran as an independent candidate for the NA-24 seat in the 2013 elections but was unsuccessful. He also contested the 2018 and 2024 elections from D.I. Khan but did not win.
In 2022, he was appointed Prime Minister’s aide on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety. Additionally, he serves as the Information Secretary of the PPP.
Jaffar Khan Mandokhail
Jaffar Khan Mandokhail, who hailed from Quetta, has a long political career. The PML-N leader entered politics in 1974 through student politics and has held various ministerial positions, including education minister, finance minister, and home minister.
Mandokhail contested elections on different party tickets over the years, most recently on PML-N’s ticket in 2018 and 2024, but was defeated.
The appointments are part of a power-sharing deal between the ruling parties, PML-N and PPP, who agreed to form a coalition government at the Centre.
