MAZAR-I-SHARIF (PAN): The

Balkh governor, known for his tirade against Hamid Karzai, quietly left for neighbouring Uzbekistan on Thursday, when the president and his running mates were sworn in for a new term.

During the presidential election campaign, Governor Atta Muhammad Noor publicly lent his weight to Dr. Abdullah Abdullah -- Karzai's principal challenger -- and had the cheek to fire broadsides at the president.

On one occasion, Noor went to the extent of saying that he would not recognise Karzai's new administration if he won the vote.

A resident of Balkh, Eishan Khalid, told Pajhwok Afghan News the governor went to Uzbekistan today, as hundreds of Afghan and foreign dignitaries participated in President Karzai's oath-taking ceremony in Kabul.

Khalid believed Noor might have gone to the neighbouring because of his defiant statement that he would not work under a new government headed by Karzai.

But Deputy Governor Muhammad Zaher Wahdat said Noor was on a visit to Uzbekistan with a political agenda. Without giving details of the trip, he added: "It doesn't mean he has left the province for good."

On the other hand, a gubernatorial spokesman denied Noor's departure from the province. Munir Farhad insisted the governor was in Balkh, amid reports that Noor had proceeded to Uzbekistan along with his family.

A source in the Independent Directorate of Local Governance (IDLG), who requested anonymity, confided to Pajhwok that Noor had shifted his family to Uzbekistan three months back. He said a governor had to seek formal permission from the authorities before going abroad or even visiting another province.

Approached for comments, the IDLG deputy head said they had received no formal information from the governor. Burna Karimi added Noor had spoken of travelling to Uzbekistan for medical treatment, and that he would return in a few days.

mud