Justice (retd) Dost Muhammad Khan sworn in as caretaker KP CM

By
Web Desk

PESHAWAR: Justice (retd) Dost Muhammad Khan was sworn in as the sixth caretaker chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on Wednesday.

The interim provincial chief minister was administered the oath by KP governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra during a ceremony at the Governor House in Peshawar. 

The ceremony was attended by former provincial chief minister Pervez Khattak and Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) provincial president Amir Muqam among others. 

Speaking to the media after his oath-taking ceremony, Justice (retd) Khan assured, "Will complete the mission given by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and Constitution."

"We will ensure free and fair elections are held as per schedule," he asserted. 

He further vowed, "Will try my best to ensure the nation gets maximum relief during my brief term in the government."

"My cabinet will be small and will be appointed on the basis of merit," the interim KP CM added. 

Justice (retd) Khan was appointed as a Supreme Court justice in 2014 and retired on March 19, 2018, after completing his tenure.

The ECP named Justice (retd) Khan as caretaker KP chief minister on Tuesday. The decision was made during a consultative meeting of a five-member commission. 

The matter was earlier forwarded to the electoral body after the parliamentary committee constituted to nominate the caretaker chief minister was unable to finalise a candidate for the post.

Former KP chief minister Pervez Khattak had recommended bureaucrats Himayatullah Khan and Ejaz Ahmed Qureshi, while leader of the dissolved opposition Maulana Lutfur Rehman had proposed the names of businessperson Manzoor Khan Afridi and Justice (retd) Dost Muhammad Khan for the post.