The provincial cabinet of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has undergone a major reshuffle, with an official notification issued to confirm the new appointments.  According to the notification, Special Assistant to the Chief Minister, Hameedur Rehman, has been appointed as Health Minister, and  Special Assistant Arbab Asim has been appointed as Education Minister.  In the same notification, the Tourism Department has been handed over to Provincial Minister Fazal Shakoor.

The notification further states that Special Assistant to the Chief Minister Dr Amjad has been elevated to the status of a full provincial minister, while his adviser Zahid Chanzeb has been allotted the Labour Department as minister.  Similarly, Pakhtoon Yar has been entrusted with the Sports Ministry, while former Sports Minister Fakhar Jahan has been shifted to the Public Health Engineering Department.  In addition, Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur's health adviser, Ihtisham Ali, has been assigned to the Excise Department. 

A meeting of the reshuffled provincial cabinet has been scheduled for today, to be chaired by Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur.  Provincial ministers, advisers, and special assistants are expected to attend the session along with the chief secretary and departmental secretaries.  The cabinet reshuffle follows the dramatic resignations of two provincial ministers earlier this week. Provincial Minister for Education Faisal Khan Tarakai and Provincial Minister for Irrigation Aqibullah Khan stepped down from their posts, citing strong differences with CM Gandapur’s policies. 

In their resignation letters, the two ministers maintained that while they had worked as ministers under Imran Khan’s mission and vision, they could no longer continue under Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur.  They alleged widespread corruption in the province and expressed concerns that the leadership of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was being compromised by the chief minister’s decisions. 

Both ministers hail from the Swabi district. Aqibullah Khan is the brother of former National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, while Faisal Khan Tarakai is the brother of National Assembly Member Shahram Tarakai.  The resignations and reshuffle mark a significant shift in the political landscape of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, raising questions about the stability of Chief Minister Gandapur’s government. 

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)