Mehmood Khan takes oath as KP CM

PESHAWAR: The newly elected Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Mehmood Khan, took oath of his office here on Friday. Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra administered oath to the chief minister belonging to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) at the Governor's House.

The simple ceremony was attended, among others, by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani, recently elected lawmakers, government officials and guests from different walks of life. Many guests had come from the chief minister's native Swat district to witness the oath taking ceremony and rejoice the occasion.

Later, the chief minister made a formal call on the governor. Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, who belonged to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) when he was appointed the Governor, congratulated the chief minister on resuming his responsibilities as the new chief executive of the province. The Governor is on the way out to make way for his successor to be appointed by the ruling PTI. Already, PTI has decided to appoint former provincial minister Shah Farman, who was elected MPA in the July 25 general election, as the new Governor of the province.

The chief minister was later driven to the nearby Chief Minister Secretariat where he was presented guard of honour. Chief Minister Mehmood Khan had earlier told the media that he would consult Prime Minister Imran Khan about the formation of the provincial cabinet. Certain names for the cabinet are already stated to be confirmed, including former education minister Mohammad Atif Khan, who was considered a favourite for the chief minister's job before Mehmood Khan was picked up, and Shahram Khan, the former health minister.