PESHAWAR: Governor Faisal Karim Kundi on Sunday administered the oath to five newly appointed provincial ministers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The ministers were sworn in a day after Governor Kundi approved the summary for the induction of 18 new cabinet members sent by the office of Chief Minister Sohail Afridi.
According to a statement issued by Governor House, the ministers who took oath included Shafiullah Jan, Shakeel Ahmed, Tariq Mahmood, Nazir Abbasi, and Arif Ahmadzai. The ceremony was held at Governor House in Peshawar.
One of the minister-designates, Adnan Qadri, could not be sworn in as he was abroad at the time of the ceremony.
The event was attended by Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, KP Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati, Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah, along with several ministers, senior government officials, and political figures.
A separate statement issued by Governor House on Saturday had confirmed that Governor Kundi approved the expansion of the provincial cabinet, which includes six new ministers, four advisers, and eight special assistants to the chief minister.
The newly appointed advisers are Pir Musawir Shah, Liaquat Ali Khan, Humayun Khan, and Mian Muhammad Umar.
Meanwhile, the special assistants include Tariq Saeed, Muhammad Usman, Tufail Anjum, Iftikharullah Jan, Samiullah Khan, Malik Adeel Iqbal, Muhammad Khurshid, and Muhammad Israr.
A week earlier, Governor Kundi had met with PTI leaders to discuss Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s constitutional and economic rights, stressing the importance of presenting a strong case before the federal government to ensure “justice and fair treatment.”
Earlier this month, he also stated that there was no indication of an immediate change in the provincial government.
Responding to speculation regarding the possible return of former chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur, Governor Kundi dismissed the rumours, saying such expectations were unrealistic.