Faisal Karim Kundi, new Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Liaquat Ali
Islamabad: Senior Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Faisal Karim Kundi this week took oath as the 36th Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) replacing his predecessor Haji Ghulam Ali who was appointed on the said post back in 2022.
The Bilawal Bhutto-led party had earlier nominated Kundi for the key constitutional post along with party loyalist Saleem Haider for Punjab Governor slot.
Kundi’s appointment follows the power sharing agreement reached between the PPP and the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) to form a coalition government after neither these two parties, nor their rival Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), managed to secure a simple majority in the February 8 polls.
As per the PPP-PML-N agreement, the former managed to secure key constitutional and executive posts including presidency, senate chairmanship, KP and Punjab governorships, Balochistan chief ministership and National Assembly’s deputy speakership.
In return, the PPP ensured the PML-N of its support for the latter’s government in the Centre and Punjab along with the positions of PM, Punjab chief minister, NA speaker along with Sindh and Balochistan governors.
Kundi’s appointment as KP Governor is rather unsurprising as he comes from a long line of distinguished politicians and has an established record of loyalty to PPP.
His great-grandfather, Barrister Abdul Rahim Kundi, was the deputy speaker of the Legislative Assembly of 1932-1937. His legacy continued through his grandfather, Fazal Qadeem Kundi, a member of the West Pakistan Assembly in the 1960s, and his maternal grandfather, Justice (retd) Faizullah Khan Kundi, who served as the federal minister for establishment in the first cabinet of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
His father, Fazal Karim Kundi, served as the chairman of the district council of D I Khan and later as an NA member.
Kundi has studied law and graduated from Thames Valley College, London, in 2002. After completing his education, he returned to Pakistan and launched his political career.
He was elected to the 13th National Assembly of Pakistan in the 2008 general elections and made history when he was appointed the country’s youngest deputy speaker.
Over the years, Kundi has gained the respect of his peers and also made a name for himself on the international stage through his participation in global dialogues, and interactions with diplomats.
He is particularly vocal about infrastructure development, educational reforms, and philanthropy and strongly believes in dialogue, and policy reform.
He currently holds the position of PPP’s Central Information Secretary and is a member of the central executive committee as well as the foreign liaison committee.
He has previously served as the prime minister’s special assistant on poverty alleviation and social safety, central secretary information of the PPP Parliamentarians (PPPP), and secretary general of the PPP in KP.
Kundi is also a patron of the Young Parliamentarians Forum (YPF) and the Youth Parliament and also works with the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). He also served as the chairman of the FATA Caucus.
His brother, Ahmed Karim Kundi, was an MPA in the KP assembly from 2018-2023 and has been re-elected in the general elections of 2024.
