Second K-P interim cabinet takes oath in six months

Move comes after ECP's insistence that all ministers 'involved in politics' be sacked

PESHAWAR:

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) interim federal cabinet took oath on Saturday at a ceremony held at the Governor House in Peshawar.

The cabinet, comprising nine provincial ministers, two advisors and one special assistant, was sworn in by K-P Governor Haji Ghulam Ali.

Syed Masood Shah, Barrister Feroze Jamal Shah Kakakhel, Justice (retd) Irshad Qaiser, Ahmed Rasood Bangash, Asif Rafiq, Dr Najibullah, Dr Muhammad Qasim Jan, Justice (retd) Irshad Hussain Shah and Syed Aamir Abdullah are among those who took oath.

Caretaker Chief Minister Azam Khan, inspector-general of police (IGP) and other high ranking officials were present on the occasion.

Read ECP shows interim K-P minister the door

The carefully curated cabinet is a response to the challenges posed by the previous caretaker administration’s perceived political involvement.

Former interim ministers appointed after the K-P assembly was dissolved in protest in January 2023 on the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief’s instructions, resigned en masse on August 10 on the call of interim CM Khan.

The previous caretaker cabinet comprised 26 members, including ministers, advisers and special assistants.

The caretaker cabinet and the government’s team was constantly under pressure amid allegations that the ministers were involved in political activities.

Since its installation, the set-up saw several reshuffles in the last six months, with the Election Commission of Pakistan eventually directing the CM in July to sack all those “involved in politics”.