KP CM hopes to name caretaker cabinet before Eid

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakh-tunkhwa Caretaker Chief Minister Justice (R) Dost Mohammad Khan said on Monday he was facing some difficulties in selecting people for the interim cabinet, but was hopeful to choose the ministers before Eidul Fitr.

He said caretakers had been brought for a brief period and their top priority was to hold free, fair, transparent and timely election.

During his first interaction with the media on Monday, Dost Mohammad Khan said initially a list of some names for the caretaker cabinet was prepared but it could not be considered for the job after the security agencies reported about their affiliation with different political parties. “We would like to choose people for the caretaker cabinet who have no political affiliation and none of their relatives is taking part in the forthcoming election,” said the chief minister.

He said people were being considered on a daily basis for the caretaker cabinet and final approval would be made after verification from the security agencies. “The list is almost there but needed to be verified by the security agencies. Since this isn’t a political government, therefore any person having any potential affiliation with a party cannot be considered for this job,” explained Dost Muhammad Khan.

He said he would prefer retired bureaucrats, technocrats and other people with a clean record and those who are apolitical. The chief minister said the caretaker setup was working with other relevant quarters to ensure free, fair and transparent election. He said a reshuffle of government officials of different cadre in the province and the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) would be made.

Answering a question about mismanagement and alleged irregularities in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ehtesab Commission, the caretaker chief minister said there were so many issues which needed to be addressed properly not only in the KP Ehtesab Commission but also in other government? departments.

However, Dost Mohammad Khan avoided comment when his attention was drawn towards former military dictator General Pervez Musharraf’s participation in the election. He just said he had given a verdict against Musharraf and, therefore, would not comment on him.