K-P cabinet expanded to 31 members

Six new ministers, four advisors and eight special assistants sworn in today

PESHAWAR:

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa cabinet was expanded on Saturday with the induction of six new ministers, four new advisors and eight special assistants, taking the total strength of the provincial cabinet to 31 members.

With the expansion, the number of ministers, including Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, has risen to 17, while the number of advisors stands at six.

The expansion summary, approved by Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, was forwarded to Governor Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Faisal Karim Kundi on Friday. The Governor signed and returned the summary, clearing the way for the new members to take oath today at the Governor's House.

The decision comes nearly seven months after Sohail Afridi assumed office. Following the resignation of former Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur in October last year, Afridi was elected as the new leader of the house. He initially formed a lean 14-member cabinet after failing to secure a meeting with the party's founder chairman for broader consultations. He had planned to expand the cabinet later following consultation, but the meeting could not materialise.

Party leadership and pressure from Members of the Provincial Assembly eventually forced the Chief Minister to go for the expansion.

The existing cabinet included Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, Meena Khan, Arshad Ayub, Fazal Shakoor, Dr Amjad Ali, Aftab Alam, Syed Fakhr Jehan, Riaz Khan, Khaliqur Rehman, Aqibullah Khan, and Faisal Turki. Among the advisors, Taj Muhammad Turand and Mazmal Aslam were part of the team, while Shafi Jan, who held the status of special assistant, has now been elevated to provincial minister rank.

The six new ministers are: Nazir Ahmed Abbasi, Shakeel Ahmed, Muhammad Adnan Qadri, Muhammad Arif Ahmadzai, and Tariq Mahmood Aryani.

The four new advisors include Pir Musawwar Khan, Liaquat Ali Khan, Humayun Khan, and Mian Muhammad Umar.