Interim government: Nine caretaker ministers take oath

More to be inducted in the coming days, portfolios yet to be decided.

PESHAWAR: As the interim setup in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) finalises, nine caretaker ministers were inducted in the provincial cabinet on Sunday.

Four days after caretaker Chief Minister (CM) Justice (Retd) Tariq Pervez took charge on March 20, Abdur Rauf Khattak, Ishaq Khattak, Fayaz Ahmad Khan Toru, Muhammad Yunus Marwat, Samin Jan Babar, Umer Farooq Khan, Dr Farrukh Sair, Mussarat Qadeem and Jehangir Khan Tareen took oath as caretaker ministers.

More will take oath in the coming days which will mark the end of setting up an interim government in the province.

In the presence of the chief minister, Governor Shaukatullah Khan administered oath at the Governor House. The ceremony was attended by political figures and high-ranking civil and police officials including K-P Assembly former speaker Kiramatullah Khan, Chief Secretary Ghulam Dastagir Akhtar and Inspector General Police Akbar Khan Hoti.



Abdur Rauf Khattak, Samin Jan Babar and Younas Khan Marwat are retired bureaucrats and have served on important assignments before.

Fayaz Khan Toru had served as the inspector general of police and home secretary whereas Engineer Ishaq Khattak, Omar Farooq Khan and Dr Farrukh Sair are counted amongst technocrats.

The only female caretaker minister, Mussarat Qadeem, originally from Charsadda but settled in Islamabad, belongs to civil society organisations. She has also taught at the University of Peshawar’s Political Science department.

Jehangir Khan Tareen, from Haripur, belongs to an influential family in the region and is a retired government official. He has previously served as chief commissioner Afghan refugees, joint secretary Kashmir affairs and was also a member of the Prime Minister’s Secretariat.

Talking to the media after the oath-taking ceremony, CM Khan said: “After performing Umrah, the governor will administer oath to the other caretaker ministers to be inducted in the provincial caretaker cabinet.”

To a question regarding the portfolio of the ministers, Pervez said that their portfolio will be decided after holding a meeting with them (the ministers) and taking into account their capacities.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 25^th, 2013.