Two K-P ministers face chopping block

CM inducts one advisor in cabinet, four more to follow

PESHAWAR:

Speculation is rife in official circles that the interim Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government is set to fire two of its cabinet ministers soon on technical and political grounds.

Be that as it may, Caretaker Chief Minister Azam Khan has begun expanding his team with the induction of Himayatullah Khan as advisor to CM on finance, energy and power.

In the previous Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf (PTI) set-up he served as advisor to CM Mahmood Khan on energy and power in 2018. He is considered very close to the former chief minister and PTI. With his induction, PTI now has a representative in the caretaker cabinet.

He also served in the past as special secretary to president.

There are rumours that another four advisors will be inducted soon while two ministers will be sacked on technical and political grounds.

Background

A 15-member caretaker provincial cabinet of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa was sworn in on January 26 at a ceremony held at the Governor House in Peshawar.

K-P interim CM Azam Khan had formed a 15-member provincial cabinet, which included 12 ministers and three advisors.

Governor Ghulam Ali administered the oath to the cabinet.

The interim provincial ministers included Haji Ghafran, Khush Dil Khan, Hamid Shah, Advocate Saul Nazir, Fazal Elahi, Adnan Jalil, Taj Muhammad Afridi, Muhammad Ali Shah, Justice (retd) Irshad Qaiser and Dr Riaz Anwar.

Rehmat Salam Khattak, Shakir Allah and Himayatullah Khan were appointed as advisors.

Secretary Dr Shehzad Bangash, Inspector General of Police Moazzam Jah Ansari, Commissioner Peshawar Riaz Mehsud, heads of administrative departments, and political and social personalities were present at the oath-taking ceremony.

The cabinet formation followed Azam Khan’s induction as the caretaker chief minister at a swearing-in ceremony at the Governor House.

Khan, who belongs to Charsadda, has previously served as K-P finance minister from October 24, 2007, to April 1, 2008.

He also remained the secretary of the ministry of petroleum and natural resources in Islamabad and the chief secretary in K-P from September 1990 to July 1993.

First meeting of cabinet pending

The caretaker chief minister has failed to call even the introductory meeting of the newly sworn in cabinet.

When contacted, sources in the chief minister house told The Express Tribune the deadly Peshawar Police Line attack soon after the caretaker set-up assumed charge resulted in the inordinate delay.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 15^th, 2023.