PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan on Monday inducted two more ministers into the provincial cabinet and elevated his three special assistants as advisers.

Kamran Khan Bangash, special assistant to the chief minister for the higher education department, Arshad Ayub Khan, a PTI lawmaker from the influential Ayub family of Haripur, were made ministers.

According to a notification issued by the administration department, in exercise of powers conferred by the Article 132(1) of the Constitution, the governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, on the advice of the chief minister, appointed Kamran Bangash and Arshad Ayub as ministers.

The notification said following Mr Bangash’s elevation as the minister, he had also been de-notified as the special assistant to the chief minister for higher education department with the additional charge of the portfolio of information and public relations.

CM also elevates his three special assistants as advisers

Another notification said in exercise of powers conferred by Section 3(1) of the KP Advisors and Special Assistants to Chief Minister Appointment Act, 1989, the governor, on the advice of the chief minister, changed the status of Riaz Khan, Mohammad Arif Ahmedzai and Mohammad Zahoor, special assistant to the chief minister, to that of the adviser with an immediate effect.

However, the two ministers weren’t immediately assigned portfolios.

When contacted, Kamran Bangash said the portfolios of new ministers would be decided in a day or two.

Zahoor Shakir, who has been elevated as the adviser to the chief minister, told Dawn that he would retain the charge of Auqaf, Haj and religious affairs department. Similarly, Mr Riaz Khan and Mr Arif Ahmedzai, special assistants for communication and works, and mines and mineral development, respectively, were elevated as the advisers. However, they will retain the charge of their respective current departments.

Mr Arshad Ayub is the real brother of former KP minister for local government and rural development department Akbar Ayub Khan, who was de-notified in a cabinet reshuffle in August this year. Mr Ayub, in his resignation letter, had cited his “recently diagnosed illness” as the reason for the step and said he wanted to focus on his health and constituency affairs.

Interestingly, Faisal Amin Khan, brother of federal minister for Kashmir affairs Ali Amin Gandapur, who had taken oath as the minister earlier in May this year, has yet to be assigned portfolio.

After the induction of two new ministers, the cabinet strength reached 15. Also, the advisers totalled four and special assistants five. Four members of provincial assembly are working as parliamentary secretaries.

Under Article 130(6) of the Constitution, the total strength of the cabinet shall not exceed 15 members or 11 per cent of the total membership of a provincial assembly, whichever is higher.

In May this year, the provincial government acknowledged in the provincial assembly that it had overstepped its authority by inducting more ministers than allowed under the Constitution.

The number of cabinet members reached 17 after the induction of four ministers in April. However, the chief minister removed revenue minister Qalandar Khan Lodhi to reduce the cabinet size. Social welfare minister Hisham Inamullah Khan was sacked in July. The cabinet berths vacated by Mr Lodhi, Mr Hisham and Mr Akbar Ayub are still unoccupied.

Published in Dawn, November 2nd, 2021