Democratic transition: Tariq Pervez Khan takes oath as caretaker CM

Says he will contact all stakeholders to hold peaceful elections.

PESHAWAR:

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Governor Shaukatullah Khan swore in Justice (retd) Tariq Pervez Khan as the K-P caretaker chief minister (CM) at the governor house on Wednesday following the dissolution of the provincially assembly.

Governor Shaukatullah dissolved the provincial assembly on Tuesday on the advice of former chief minister Amir Haider Khan Hoti. The name of the new CM was revealed in a press conference in Islamabad on March 5.

Talking to the media after taking oath, the newly-appointed CM said he was an apolitical person and would remain so till the next government takes office after the general elections. CM Tariq Pervez Khan added he would play the role of a bridge between the interim and next government.

“My top priority will be to bring peace in the region and to create an environment in which people can tolerate each other, removing hate from among them. There will be no break in the democratic governance,” said the retired judge.

Free, fair and transparent general polls would be Khan’s main aim and to achieve this, he would contact each and every political party in the province to hold elections peacefully, promised the new CM.

He would further study the law to know his legal obligations in nominating the interim cabinet and would announce it soon, he added.

“Political parties will be taken on board for nominating the interim cabinet; the names of the members will be disclosed in a few days.”

Former CM Hoti and Leader of the Opposition Akram Khan Durrani jointly announced the name of Justice (retd) Tariq Pervez Khan. Both leaders said the judge was chosen based on consensus and merit. He is the fifth caretaker CM in the history of the province.

Justice (retd) Tariq Pervez Khan served as the president of Peshawar High Court Bar Association in 1996. He was appointed as chief justice of the Peshawar High Court on April 5, 2005 and elevated to the Supreme Court in October 2009. Khan retired from the same post on February 14, 2013.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 21^st, 2013.