Zardari appoints close aide Khosa as Punjab Governor

Islamabad, Jan 11 (PTI) Pakistan President Asif AliZardrai today appointed his close aide Muhammad Latif Khosa asthe new Governor of Punjab province to succeed the slain PPPleader Salman Taseer.

"On the advice of Prime Minister (Yousuf Raza Gilani),President Asif Ali Zardari has appointed Sardar Latif Khosa asGovernor of Punjab. The President singed the summary ofKhosa''s appointment Tuesday night," Presidential spokesmanFarhatullah Babar said.

Gilani earlier held back his advice forwarding theappointment of Khosa to President Zardari after the latter hadcleared his name late last week.

An official of the Prime Minister''s House said Khosa''sname had been cleared by Zardari but Gilani conveyed to himthat the matter needed to be reconsidered because PML-N chiefNawaz Sharif had serious reservations over the appointment.

Khosa, a close friend of President Zardrai and centralleader of the ruling Pakistan People''s Party, is the 27thGovernor of Punjab.

Khosa, a legal expert, has also served as AttorneyGeneral of Pakistan and Advisor to the Prime Minister.

He was removed form the office of Attorney General ofPakistan on October 10th 2009 and on 10 February 2010 asAdvisor of Information Technology of Prime Minister Gilani.

On 20 July 2010, advisor to the Prime Minister onInformation Technology, Khosa sent his resignation to thePresident after developing disagreements with the PrimeMinister.

"The PML-N has attached another string to its 10-pointreforms agenda � appointment of the new Punjab Governor shouldbe made in consultation with it," the official in the PrimeMinister''s House said.

After Taseer''s assassination by a police guard forcriticising the blasphemy law, Khosa had appeared as a front-runner for the slot. The PML-N, which rules Punjab, had anuneasy relationship with Taseer, who was a confidant ofZardari.

The President often used the late Governor to targetthe PML-N chief and his brother, Punjab Chief Minister ShahbazSharif.