Two ministers likely to be inducted into cabinet

Changes in portfolios also expected next week

PESHAWAR:

Two new ministers are likely to be inducted in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa cabinet next week.

Talking to The Express Tribune a PTI official said that there was still enough space in the provincial cabinet to include two more ministers. In July Akber Ayub Khan and Hisham Inamullah had been removed from the cabinet on the charges of poor performance. Similarly Faisal Amin Gandapur is part of the provincial cabinet as a minister for the past four months but he doesn’t have any portfolio.

Sources said that there were chances of upgrading Special Assistance to CM on Information Kamran Bangash to minister status and he could get the portfolio of Local Government.

“The current and the previous PTI provincial governments are well known for the reshuffle and changers in the cabinet after every few months. For example Atif and Shahram Khan Tarakai were removed from the cabinet and then re-inducted. Shakil Ahmad was Minister Revenue but he was removed from the cabinet. Akbar Ayub and Hisham Inamullah both were removed on the basis of their ‘poor performance’ from ministries. Ghazi Gulab Jamal who was Advisor to CM on Energy and Power was also removed from his post. Minister Irrigation Liaqat Khattak was also sent packing over charges of not supporting party candidate in Nowshera’s by-elections and favoring the opposition instead. Similarly, Himayatullah was also Advisor on Energy and Power who was one day suddenly removed from his post. Zia Bangash and Law Minister Sultan Muhammad Khan were also sent home. It is very difficult to remember and keep record of all the changes in the provincial cabinet in the past three years,” he said, adding that the PTI current and previous governments are notorious for inducting and removing ministers as well as special assistants and advisors.

Read More: K-P local govt minister removed from cabinet

“Apart from making Kamran Bangash a minister we are expecting a new face to be included in the cabinet. A large scale reshuffle in the portfolios is also expected with the inclusion of two cabinet members,” said another official of PTI, adding that the Chief Minister has the authority to make any change to the cabinet and he could also include any woman in the cabinet in the coming days but it is not confirmed that any woman will be part of the cabinet or not.

Kamran Bangash, in a press conference recently claimed that these will be the last changes in the cabinet and after that the ministers and party officials will be given targets for the next general elections.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 12^th, 2021.