Owais Ahmed Ghani

Owais Ahmed Ghani (Urdu: اویس غنی احمد), a mechanical engineer by profession,[1] is the former governor of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, who previously governed southwestern province of Balochistan for four and a half years.

Owais Ahmed Ghani
27th Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
In office
7 January 2008 – 9 February 2011
PresidentPervez Musharraf
Muhammad Mian Soomro
Asif Ali Zardari
Preceded byAli Jan Aurakzai
Succeeded bySyed Masood Kausar
Governor of Balochistan
In office
11 August 2003 – 5 January 2008
PresidentPervez Musharraf
Preceded byAbdul Qadir Baloch
Succeeded byAmanullah Yaseenzai
Personal details
OccupationPolitician

He became active in politics in 1996 being one of the founding members of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf led by cricketing hero Imran Khan. Following the party's rout in the 1997 general elections he subsequently left the party in protest against the joining of several controversial figures into the party. In 1999, he joined the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provincial cabinet serving as provincial minister for Industry from 1999-2002,[2] He was in 2002 appointed as Federal Minister for environment following the resignation of Omer Asghar Khan. Following the 2002 general elections he was appointed Governor of Balochistan. His period as Balochistan governor was controversial, especially following the murder of Nawab Akbar Bugti and Baloch protests against Federal rule. Ghani admitted there were problems with the law and order situation and drugs in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan, due to instability in neighboring Afghanistan.[3]

He became governor of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in January 2008 after the former governor, Ali Jan Aurakzai, stepped down. Ghani gained a reputation for being tough with militants during his tenure as governor of Balochistan,[4]

He is the third man (the first being Rahimuddin Khan and the second being Miangul Aurangzeb) in the history of Pakistan to have held the governorship of two provinces.7

Family

Belonging to the Kakar Pashtun tribe of Zhob, Baluchistan, Owais Ahmed Ghani is the nephew of Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar, one of the renowned founding fathers of Pakistan, son of his brother Sardar Abdul Ghani who was a career Police Officer. He is cousin of General Abdul Waheed Kakar Ex-Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan. The martyred and highly celebrated Commandant of the Frontier Constabulary, Safwat Ghayur, was his first cousin.

Achievements

As Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (January 2008 - February 2011)
  • Design, implementation and execution of a comprehensive Counter-Insurgency Campaign against Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants in Province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa & FATA involving close coordination between Political, Military & Administrative organs of government which achieved outstanding success within 30 months.
  • Development & implementation of a Reformed Government Administration set-up in the northern districts of KPK based on Magistracy, Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) systems.
  • Conceiving & developing a social uplift development project TARUCCI (Tribal Areas Rural to Urban Centres Conversion Initiative) for bringing social change via Urbanisation by developing Urban Centres in core areas of FATA and successfully obtaining World Bank Funding for the project.

As Governor Baluchistan(August 2003 - January 2008)
  • Negotiated with Baluch Militancy Leadership & successfully launched special Parliamentary Committee in 2005 involving all political parties of Pakistan for dialogue & reconciliation. (dialogue process was derailed in the last stages due to violent attacks by diehard Baluch militant elements)
  • Designed & conducted an Amnesty Program for Baluch Insurgents in 2005-07 which succeeded in cessation of violence.
  • Conceived & successfully completed the following Education Sector projects:
  • Women University in Quetta-Baluchistan
  • Baluchistan University for IT, Management & Emerging Sciences in Quetta
  • Lasbela University of Agriculture, Water & Marine Sciences in Baluchistan
  • University of Science & Technology in Khuzdar-Balochistan
  • 3 Cadet Colleges at Killa Saifullah, Pishin & Jafarabad
  • Al-Hijra School & College at Ziarat; a public-private partnership for a Multi-Lingual System of Education
  • English, Urdu, Arabic) for students from low income groups only with free tuition, boarding & lodging from 7th to 12th)
  • 22 million World Bank funded project for 600 Community Schools in remote rural areas implement in partnership with selected NGOs.
  • Chamalang Coal Mines & Social Uplift Project: a first ever type of self-contained & self-sustaining project involving:
  • Reconciliation & Resolution of a 35-year-old tribal conflict over the coal deposits in which over 500 lives were lost in tribal infighting
  • Settlement of appropriate shares in mining between the warring tribes to promote joint ownership of the project
  • Creation of a Reconciliation Fund raised by charge on the mined coal for payment of compensation to the families of those killed in the 35 years of tribal conflict
  • Creation of a Perpetual Social Development Fund raised by a cess on the mined coal for socio-economic development of the area of the two tribes whereby the following have been achieved to date and more development work continues:
  • 100+ KM metalled road from the main highway to Chamalang valley
  • 100+ KM Electricity Transmission Line to Chamalang Valley
  • Drinking Water Supply System for the area
  • Construction of 3 nos: Housing Towns for Miners & their Families
  • Elementary Schools for Boys & Girls
  • Dispensaries & Hospital for Miners & Families
  • Raising a 1500 tribal Police Force for ensuring security, law & order
  • Commercial/Shopping centres & Truck Parking Areas
  • Populating the remote Chamalang Valley with almost 150,000 souls involved in mining, trucking & related activities.

Books
  • Constitutional Framework For An Islamic Welfare State In Pakistan: BrassTacks Publishing, 2015, 173 p.

References
  1. Profile by the university of Heidelberg
  2. Ordinance on sick units soon.
  3. Pakistani city feels like Taliban enclave - CNN
  4. Key Pakistan governor steps down - BBC News
  5. Prof Dr Mansoor Akbar Kundi (16 January 2016), "The wisdom and vision of Iqbal in English", The News on Sunday. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
Political offices
Preceded by
Abdul Qadir Baloch		 Governor of Balochistan
2003 – 2008		 Succeeded by
Amanullah Khan Yasinzai
Acting
Preceded by
Ali Jan Aurakzai		 Governor of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
2008 – 2011		 Succeeded by
Syed Masood Kausar
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