K-P cabinet expands with 4 new advisers

PESHAWAR:

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Governor Haji Ghulam Ali on Friday notified four more advisors to K-P chief minister, bringing the total number of advisors to CM to five.

He also removed one caretaker minister Khushdil Khan Malik from the cabinet on technical grounds.

Official sources told The Express Tribune that Khushdil Khan is a former bureaucrat from Nowshera district and he went on a long leave before retirement.

“He was on leave prior to retirement (LPR) and during this he was made cabinet member, apparently on the recommendation of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), but later it was discovered that he has not retired from his service following which the caretaker CM sent the case to law department for legal opinion,” said an official.

Khushdil has already moved court against it.

On the other hand, the governor notified four advisors on the recommendations of the caretaker CM.

Syed Jaffar Hussain Bukhari has been given the portfolio of population welfare, Zafar Mehmood tourism and culture, Rehmat Salam Khattak elementary education and Dr Abil Jamil the portfolio of health.

The portfolio of information and home will remain with CM Azam. Hamayatullah Khan has already been appointed as advisor to CM and given portfolio of finance, energy and power.

Earlier, speculation was rife in official circles that the interim K-P government was set to fire two of its cabinet ministers soon on technical and political grounds.

Himayatullah Khan in the previous Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf (PTI) set-up 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 set-up. He also served in the past as special secretary to president.

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.

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.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 18^th, 2023.