ISLAMABAD: The Elec­tion Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday named retired Justice Dost Muhammad Khan as caretaker chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The decision was taken with consensus at a meeting presided over by Chief Election Commissioner retired Justice Sardar Muhammad Raza and attended by all four members of the commission.

Addressing a press conference outside the ECP office here, the commission’s additional secretary Dr Akhtar Nazeer said the KP government and the opposition had sent four names for consideration as the caretaker chief minister.

Nomination came from opposition led by JUI-F

The matter was referred to the ECP after a parliamentary committee comprising three representatives each from the government and opposition Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) failed to finalise a name for the post of caretaker chief minister at a meeting held on June 2. Both sides stuck to their nominees.

According to the procedure set under the 18th Constitution Amendment, the names are forwarded to the ECP after members of the parliamentary committee fail to reach a consensus on a name.

Former KP chief minister Pervez Khattak had recommended bureaucrats Himayat­ullah Khan and Ejaz Ahmed Qureshi, while opposition leader Maulana Lutfur Rehman proposed the names of businessman Manzoor Khan Afridi and retired Justice Dost Muhammad Khan.

Earlier, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf had agreed on the name of Manzoor Afridi for the post of caretaker chief minister and the party even released an official handout and a picture of Mr Afridi with PTI chairman Imran Khan at his Banigala residence. But within 24 hours, the PTI reversed the decision and withdrew the name of Mr Afridi.

Opposition parties in the KP Assembly had accused former CM Khattak and JUI-F leaders of receiving huge money from Mr Afridi for nominating him for the post.

Justice Dost Muhammad Khan was born in KP’s Bannu district in 1953. After graduating from Bannu, he obtained a degree in law from Karachi. He started practising law in Bannu and went on to become president of the Bannu Bar Association.

Justice Khan was appointed additional judge of the Peshawar High Court in 2002 and made its permanent judge in 2003. He was appointed PHC chief justice in 2011.

Justice Khan was elevated to the Supreme Court as a judge in 2014. He retired on March 19 this year after completing his tenure.

Published in Dawn, June 6th, 2018