9-member caretaker cabinet sworn in

The formation of a 9-member caretaker cabinet in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) took place on Monday, a day after the swearing-in of Justice (retd) Arshad Hussain Shah as the interim chief minister.

The new interim arrangement has been necessitated by the passing of former chief executive Azam Khan on Friday, causing a temporary constitutional crisis in the province.

The swearing-in ceremony, held at Governor House Peshawar, marked the official end of the crisis.

Governor Haji Ghulam Ali administered the oath to the ministers and conveyed his good wishes to them.

Caretaker Chief Minister Justice (retd) Syed Arshad Hussain Shah also participated in the ceremony.

The 9-member caretaker cabinet comprises Syed Masood Shah, Justice (retd) Irshad Qaiser, Ahmed Rasool Bangash, Asif Rafiq, Dr Najeebullah, Dr Muhammad Qasim Jan, Engineer Aamir Nadeem Durrani, Engineer Ahmed Jan, and Syed Amir Abdullah.

However, former information minister Feroze Jamal Shah did not partake in the oath-taking ceremony due to being abroad. He is expected to take the oath at a later date.

The ceremony also saw the presence of Chief Secretary Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry, Inspector General of Police Akhtar Hayat Khan Gandapur, heads of administrative departments, and various political and social personalities.

Among those who took the oath, Syed Masood Shah and Justice (retd) Arshad Qaisar have been sworn in for the third consecutive time to supervise the caretaker cabinet of the province, while the other seven ministers took the oath for the second time.

Interim CM assumes office

Later, the recently appointed interim chief minister formally took charge of his duties, marking the commencement of his tenure.

As he arrived at the Chief Minister's Secretariat, a warm welcome was extended by senior officials of the secretariat, accompanied by a ceremonial guard of honour presented by police force.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 14^th, 2023.