KP cabinet 'to be extended'

PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has decided to extend the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet and two ministers are likely to take oath this week. According to reliable sources, it has been decided to re-induct the former provincial minister Shahram Khan Tarakai in the cabinet, while Anwar Zeb Khan, a member of the provincial assembly from Bajaur, will also be made minister. Reliable government sources confirmed the possible swearing-in Thursday; however, the final decision will be made Wednesday. Shahram Khan Tarakai along with Atif Khan and Shakeel Khan were removed from their posts due to differences with Mahmood Khan. However, all issues were settled in the meeting between Governor Shah Farman, Chief Minister Mahmood Khan and Shahram Khan, therefore, it has been decided to include him in the provincial cabinet. Sources close to former provincial minister Atif Khan have confirmed that he has shown no interest in taking over the ministry and has refused to be part of the government.

Another adviser Ajmal Wazir was de-notified on an alleged audio tape on July 11, 2020 and inquiry commission has yet to submit its report. Atif Khan was the minister for sports, culture and tourism, Shahram Khan Tarakai was the minister for health and Shakeel Ahmed held the portfolio of revenue and estate, who were removed from the ministries on January 26, 2020. Anwar Zeb Khan was elected from PK-100 Bajaur, on the PTI ticket in 2019 election from newly-merged districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The current cabinet consists of 12 ministers, 10 special assistants and three advisers. Among provincial ministers are: Shah Muhammad Khan (Transport), Muhammad Iqbal Khan (Relief, Rehabilitation & Settlement Department), Shaukat Yousafzai (Labour and Culture), Liaqat Khattak (Irrigation), Hisham Inamullah Khan (Social Welfare), Sultan Muhammad Khan (Law, Parliamentary Affairs & Human Rights), Amjad Ali (Housing), Mohibullah Khan (Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperatives), Akbar Ayub Khan (Elementary & Secondary Education), Qalandar Khan Lodhi (Food), Syed Muhammad Ishtiaq (Environment, Forest and Wildlife) and Taimur Saleem Khan (Health & Finance). Three advisers Himayatullah Khan (Energy & Power), Khaliq-ur-Rehman (Higher Education) and Ziaullah Khan (Science and Information Technology) are also part of the cabinet. The cabinet includes 10 special assistants including Shafiullah for (Anti-Corruption, Complaint Cell) and PIT, Wazir Zada (Minority Affairs), Syed Ahmed Hussain Shah (Population Welfare), Taj Muhammad (Prisons), Muhammad Arif (Mines & Minerals Development), Riaz Khan (Public Health Engineering), Muhammad Zahoor (Auqaf, Haj & Religious Affairs), Syed Ghazi Ghazan Jamal (Excise & Taxation), Kamran Khan Bangash (Local Government, Information Department and Abdul Karim Khan (Industries, Commerce).