PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s new 13-member cabinet, comprising 10 ministers, two advisers and a special assistant, is set to be sworn in at 3 pm on Friday (today).
KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi has signed the summary of ministerial appointments moved by Chief Minister Sohail Afridi.
The cabinet includes Mina Khan, Fazal Shakoor, Faisal Turkai, Aaqibullah, Arshad Ayub Khan, Aftab Alam, Dr Amjad, Khaliq-ur-Rehman, Riaz Khan, and Syed Fakhar Jehan.
Mazmil Aslam and Taj Muhammad Tarand will take the oath as advisers to the provincial chief executive, while Shafeeullah Jan will serve as a special assistant.
The oath-taking ceremony will be held at the Governor's House in Peshawar.
The development comes hours after KP CM Afridi — who replaced Ali Amin Gandapur as the chief minister earlier this month — was once again denied permission to meet PTI founder Imran Khan in Central Jail Rawalpindi, despite the Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) order.
It was the fourth time since his October 13 election as the KP CM that Afridi had been denied a meeting with the jailed PTI founder.
The KP CM had moved the IHC, terming consultation with the PTI founder as crucial in order to announce his new provincial cabinet.
Speaking to Geo News on Thursday, Afridi said he started reviewing provincial affairs and had received several briefings, with more scheduled in the coming days.
The chief minister, who is a young PTI leader, added that consultation for a short provincial cabinet had been completed, and it would be formed soon.
Commenting on governance, Afridi had said that resolving issues requires sincere intent rather than mere experience. “To run provincial matters, one needs the will to serve the public, not just experience,” he had remarked.
Speaking to reporters separately, the chief minister said the provincial cabinet had been finalised in line with the PTI founder’s directions, with more than 10 members included in the first phase.
He added that the remaining cabinet members were under consideration.