KP cabinet expansion approved; 6 new ministers, 4 advisers, 8 special assistants to take oath tomorrow

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi on Saturday approved a summary for the expansion of the provincial cabinet after receiving recommendations from the provincial government regarding the appointment of six new ministers, four advisers and eight special assistants.

According to sources, the formal swearing-in ceremony for the newly inducted cabinet members will be held on Sunday, May 17, at the Governor House, where Governor Faisal Karim Kundi will administer the oath to the new members of the provincial cabinet.

Earlier, Chief Minister Sohail Afridi had prepared a summary containing 18 names for the expansion of the cabinet. The proposed expansion includes six provincial ministers, four advisors to the chief minister and eight special assistants. Political observers are viewing the move as an effort to make the provincial government more active and balanced.

Sources said the proposed names for provincial ministers include Nazir Ahmed Abbasi, Shakeel Ahmed, Muhammad Adnan Qadri, Muhammad Arif, Tariq Mahmood Aryani and Shafiullah Jan. Shafiullah Jan was previously serving as Special Assistant on Information and has now been selected for a regular ministerial portfolio.

Similarly, the names proposed for advisers to the chief minister include Pir Musawar Khan, Liaquat Ali Khan, Humayun Khan and Mian Muhammad Umar.

The proposed special assistants are Tariq Saeed, Muhammad Usman, Tufail Anjum, Iftikharullah Jan, Samiullah Khan, Malik Adil Iqbal, Muhammad Khurshid and Muhammad Israr.

Political circles are considering the inclusion of these new faces in the cabinet important for ensuring representation of different regions and groups within the ruling party.