UPPER DIR: Residents of Upper Dir have welcomed a proposal to turn Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Malakand Division into a separate province, while several political figures have emerged as potential candidates for chief minister if the new province is created.
During a public survey conducted in Upper Dir, Residents expressed support for the proposed province, saying that creating smaller provinces could help improve governance, strengthen administration and transfer greater powers to the grassroots level amid the country’s growing population.
One resident said that if Malakand is granted provincial status, Federal Minister Engineer Amir Muqam, president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, would be the strongest and most suitable candidate for chief minister because of his political experience and services at the national and international levels.
Another resident supported the proposal, describing Malakand Division as an underdeveloped region. Referring to former prime minister Imran Khan’s views on the creation of additional provinces, the resident said former provincial minister Shakil Khan of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) would be a strong choice for the chief minister’s position if Malakand became a province.
A third resident also backed the creation of a separate province and named Jamaat-e-Islami leader and former provincial minister Inayatullah Khan as the strongest candidate for chief minister, praising his political and public services.
The comments were made as part of a local public survey exploring residents’ views on the proposal to establish a separate Malakand province and potential leadership choices if the proposal moves forward.
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