Gandapur likely to meet Imran today for cabinet approval

PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur is likely to travel to Rawalpindi today, Tuesday, where he is scheduled to meet Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founding chairman Imran Khan in Adiala Jail and seek his approval for the cabinet members he had chosen for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government.

Also, Gandapur faced tough criticism from the opposition parties, though they are small in number, when the chief minister moved a motion in the assembly for ongoing expenditures.

The opposition parties challenged his legal status, saying the government was meant the cheif minister and his cabinet, arguing that he alone was not authorised to make such important decisions without having a cabinet.

It sparked a controversy that led to creating tension in the assembly. The cheif minister had taken oath of his office on Saturday, but could not finalise his cabinet, apparently he would seek approval from his party leader.

Gandapur has reportedly chosen his 15-member provincial cabinet, and he would discuss their names and portfolios with Imran Khan. Though most of the party senior leaders are not present in the KP assembly, those elected using various connections to get berth in the cabinet.

Since PTI former chairman is imprisoned, some of the senior leaders including Omar Ayub Khan, Barrister Gohar, Ali Amin Gandapur are calling the shots. The party leadership in Peshawar, Mardan, Malakand region and Swabi had been sidelined.

Former finance and health minister Taimur Khan Jhagra has reportedly been selected to play a key role in the government. According to PTI sources, Aqibullah Khan, younger brother of former speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser Khan, Faisal Khan Tarakai, younger brother of former provincial minister Shahram Khan Tarakai, from Swabi, former provincial minister Shakeel Khan, Shafiullah Khan and Liaqat Ali Khan, from the Malakand and Dir districts, Meena Khan Afridi, and Syed Qasim Ali Shah from Peshawar, Khaliqur Rahman and Mian Omar from Nowshera, Dr Amjad Ali Khan from Swat, Mushtaq Ghani from Abbotabad, Shafi Jan from Kohat, Akbar Ayub from Haripur, Zahir Shah Toru from Mardan, and Riaz Khan from Buner district, Anwar Zaib Khan from Bajaur and Adnan Qadri from Khyber tribal district were under consideration for the cabinet.

Senior government officials and doctors had already started visiting residences of these MPAs after their names appeared in the media. Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the KP assembly was again tense as Ali Amin Gandapur's proposal for ongoing motion expenditure prompted immediate objections from opposition members, who contested the Chief Minister's authority to initiate such motions without proper procedural adherence.

Ahmad Karim Kundi of the PPP from Dera Ismail Khan vehemently objected, asserting that the Chief Minister lacked the mandate to make unilateral decisions on budgetary matters.