Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi on Sunday administered the oath to five new provincial ministers.
The ministers were sworn in a day after Kundi’s approval of the summary for the induction of 18 new cabinet members sent by the office of Chief Minister Sohail Afridi.
Shafiullah Jan, Shakeel Ahmed, Tariq Mahmood, Nazir Abbasi, and Arif Ahmadzai took the oath, according to a statement issued by Governor House, where the ceremony was held.
Minister-designate Adnan Qadri could not be sworn in as he was abroad. The portfolios for the newly appointed ministers are yet to be decided.
CM Afridi, KP Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati, Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah, ministers, government officials, and political figures were among those who attended the ceremony.
An official statement issued by Governor House on Saturday said Kundi had approved the summary for the expansion of the provincial cabinet with six new ministers, four advisers and eight special assistants to the chief minister.
New advisers are Pir Musawir Shah, Liaquat Ali Khan, Humayun Khan, and Mian Muhammad Umar.
Special assistants include Tariq Saeed, Muhammad Usman, Tufail Anjum, Iftikharullah Jan, Samiullah Khan, Malik Adeel Iqbal, Muhammad Khurshid and Muhammad Israr.
A week ago, Kundi had met with PTI leaders and discussed KP’s constitutional and economic rights, stressing the need to present a firm case before the federal government to ensure “justice and fair treatment”.
Earlier this month, the governor said there was no indication of an immediate change in the provincial government.
Responding to rumours about ex-CM Ali Amin Gandapur’s possible return to the office, Kundi dismissed the speculation, saying such expectations were unrealistic.