ISLAMABAD: President on Tuesday appointed a close political ally as governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, dismissing the incumbent at a key juncture in the fight against the Taliban.

Syed Masood Kausar, a provincial leader in the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and prominent lawyer, will take up his new post on Thursday, presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar told AFP.

Kausar replaces Owais Ahmad Ghani, Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for three years and a political independent, who was once close to former president Pervez Musharraf, whom President Asif Ali Zardari replaced after elections in 2008.

Farahnaz Ispahani, a spokeswoman for Zardari, told AFP that Kausar's appointment was an administrative decision designed to improve governance.-AFP