Governor Approves Removal on Chief Minister’s Advice
The Balochistan government has removed Sardar Abdul Rehman Khetran from the provincial cabinet with immediate effect. Khetran was serving as Provincial Minister for Public Health Engineering.
According to an official notification issued by the Services and General Administration Department, Governor Sheikh Jaffar Khan Mandokhail approved the decision on the advice of Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti. The order was issued under Article 132(3) of the Constitution of Pakistan.
The notification was signed by Chief Secretary Shakeel Qadir Khan. It confirmed that Khetran had been relieved of his ministerial responsibilities immediately. The provincial government has not yet announced his replacement.
Reported Differences Over New Districts and Divisions
The official order did not mention the reason for Khetran’s removal. However, government sources said the chief minister had sent the summary to the governor two days earlier.
Sources claimed that differences between the chief minister and Khetran had intensified over political and administrative matters. One major point of disagreement was the provincial government’s decision to create new districts and divisions.
Khetran had reportedly objected to the formation and naming of the new Koh Suleman Division. The division includes West Dera Bugti, Kohlu, and Barkhan districts. He also reportedly opposed the inclusion of parts of his native Barkhan district into the newly created West Dera Bugti district.
Khetran’s Political Career and Legal Controversies
Abdul Rehman Khetran is considered one of Balochistan’s most influential political figures. A tribal chief from Barkhan, he was first elected to the Balochistan Assembly in 1997. He has held several key portfolios, including education, communications, and public health engineering.
Over the years, Khetran has been associated with different political parties. He served with the Pakistan Muslim League-Q, later won a seat on a Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F ticket in 2013, and joined the Balochistan Awami Party before winning in 2018. In the 2024 general elections, he was elected on a Pakistan Muslim League-N ticket.
Khetran has also faced legal controversies in the past. In 2023, he was arrested after allegations linked him to a private jail case in Barkhan and the murder of three people. He was later acquitted by the courts. He had also faced similar allegations in 2014 and spent nearly five years in custody before being acquitted in 2018.
