January 26, 2020
PESHAWAR: The ousted provincial ministers were kicked out for not heeding the Cabinet's decisions and creating difficulties, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Information Minister Shaukat Yousafzai said Sunday.
Prime Minister Imran Khan, Yousafzai added, decided to remove them over their negative behaviour. The ousted ministers included former sports and culture minister, Atif Khan, minister of health, Shahram Khan Tarakai, in charge of the revenue and estate department — de-notified earlier today by KP Governor Shah Farman under clause 3 of Article 105 of the Constitution.
Sunday's notification had also said the lawmakers were removed from office with "immediate effect".
Read more: KP govt's differences in the open as three ministers dismissed
The information minister said no one would be allowed to blackmail the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) or the government. Khan was also a candidate for the KP chief minister post but was given the biggest ministry, as well as, four provincial departments, he added.
Atif Khan never accepted incumbent Mahmood Khan as the chief minister and continued to create difficulties, Yousafzai explained.
Earlier, on Friday, The News had reported that differences between KP CM Mahmood Khan and some of his cabinet members had deepened and that PM Imran had also taken notice of the friction.
Senior PTI leaders had told the publication on Thursday that certain people in the party also took notice of the differences and decided to constitute a jirga to resolve the issue before it damages the government and the party.