KP govt, opposition yet to reach consensus on caretaker CM

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and opposition are yet to reach consensus on the name of caretaker chief minister, despite the completion of the five-year term of the provincial assembly.

According to sources, KP Chief Minister Pervez Khattak and Leader of the Opposition Lutfur Rehman will meet again Tuesday to decide on a name for the interim chief minister.

Reports surfaced recently suggesting that businessman Manzoor Afridi was being finalised as the provincial caretaker chief minister. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairperson Imran Khan was also said to have congratulated him at his Bani Gala residence.

The PTI, in a statement Saturday night, said Manzoor, along with his brother Ayub Afridi, a PTI senator, went to meet Imran at his Bani Gala residence where Khattak was also present.

However, on Monday, party sources said Imran has rejected Manzoor's selection and asked Khattak to decide another name for the position.

According to chief minister’s spokesperson Shaukat Yousafzai, Manzoor’s name as the caretaker chief minister had not been finalised.

Manzoor, who hails from Khyber Agency in the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas, belongs to a family of businesspersons and is a non-political figure. He is the younger brother of PTI Senator Ayub Afridi and uncle of Javed Afridi, the owner of Pakistan Super League franchise Peshawar Zalmi.