PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Governor Haji Ghulam Ali on Wednesday
administered oath to 15 ministers, who have been inducted into the provincial cabinet over
recommendations of the newly-elected Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur.
A prestigious oath-taking ceremony was held at the Governor’s House, also attended by CM
Gandapur. The ministers would be given different portfolios in the provincial government
following their induction into the CM Gandapur-led cabinet.
Prior to the oath-taking ceremony, the induction of the ministers into the provincial cabinet
was notified by the KP government’s administration department following a summary of
Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, approved by KP Governor Haji Ghulam Ali.
The members include Arshad Ayub Khan, Shakeel Ahmad, Fazal Hakim Khan, Muhammad
Adnan Qadri, Aqib Ullah Khan, Muhammad Sajjad, Meena Khan, and Fazal Shakoor.
Nazir Ahmad Abbasi, Pakhtoon Yar Khan, Aftab Alam Khan Afridi, Khaleeq Ur Rehman,
Syed Qasim Ali Shah, Faisal Khan Tarakai, and Muhammad Zahir Shah are also part of the
cabinet.
Subsequently, the newly-elected KP CM Gandapur also sent a summary to the governor to
recommend appointments of his advisers, which was also approved by the governor.
Following the CM’s advice, five advisers have been appointed, including Syed Fakhar Jehan,
Muzamil Aslam, Muhammad Ali Saif, Mashal Azam, and Zahid Chanzeb.
Yesterday, Gandapur received a nod of approval from incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
(PTI) founder Imran Khan after a meeting with him in Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi.
After finalising the cabinet members, the chief minister did not disclose their names, as he
was under pressure by certain factions within the party to accommodate their nominees, The
News learnt from sources.
Interestingly, a majority of those considered and approved as cabinet members by the PTI
founder were unaware of their selection.
“Some of the cabinet members and their portfolios have been approved but I can’t mention
them,” a PTI leader claimed. Pleading anonymity, he added that every PTI MPA in the
provincial assembly expected to be included in the cabinet, which he said, was not possible.
After being nominated for the KP chief ministership, Gandapur signalled inducting new
faces, up to more than 50%, into the next provincial cabinet, giving them a chance to
represent the citizens in the assembly.
As per the party’s internal perception about Gandapur’s nomination for the KP’s top slot, the
PTI workers backed the decision and termed his nomination the best choice.
Elaborating on his plans to run the new provincial government, the politician proposed
widescale reforms in health, education, social welfare, and other public sectors.
Gandapur also promised the resumption of work on the projects halted by the caretaker set-up
besides continuing health cards, langar khanas (soup kitchen), and other welfare projects.