15-member Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet takes oath of office

• Governor Ali administers oath to KP cabinet members
• Chief Minister Gandapur also appoints five advisers.
• KP CM got nod from PTI founder for cabinet names.

Fifteen Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ministers who have been inducted into the provincial cabinet took oath in a prestigious ceremony held at the Governor’s House on Wednesday.

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.