19 cabinet members of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa interim setup resign

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s cabinet resigned en masse on Thursday after they were asked to do so by caretaker Chief Minister Muhammad Azam Khan following allegations of their involvement in political activities, according to sources.

The provincial caretaker cabinet comprised 26 members, including ministers, advisers and special assistants. The cabinet was formed in January-February this year following the dissolution of the provincial assembly.

Caretaker Information Minister Mian Feroze Jamal Kakakhel said that Chief Minister Muhammad Azam Khan had a meeting with the cabinet members on Thursday and sought their resignation.

He confirmed that 19 ministers had tendered their resignations to the chief minister, while the others, who were not present in the meeting, would send their resignations.

Mr Kakakhel said that the resignations would be forwarded to Governor Haji Ghulam Ali for approval on Friday (today), after which they would be de-notified. He added that a new cabinet would be formed in a few days.

Since its installation, the provincial caretaker setup saw several reshuffles. Besides, the political activities, some of them also faced allegations of corruption and poor performance.

It was stated that the ministers were linked to political parties, or their office-bearers.

Earlier, Shahid Khattak was dismissed from the post of transport minister, for having addressed a political rally and indulging in doing politics. It is stated that several caretakers ministers were related to political personalities linked to the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and allied parties. – Our reporter and news agencies