KP Governor accepts resignations of interim cabinet members; cabinet dissolved
PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Ghulam Ali on Friday accepted the resignations of the caretaker cabinet members and dissolved the provincial cabinet.
The chief secretary will shortly issue a notification approving the dissolution of the caretaker cabinet.
Caretaker Chief Minister Muhammad Azam Khan had received resignations of 25 cabinet members, prompting him to forward a summary to the provincial governor for acceptance of the same, which he did. The governor dissolved the cabinet forthwith.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s interim information minister Feroze Jamal Shah Kakakhel had announced on Thursday that 19 members of the interim cabinet in the province, including himself, had tendered their resignations to the interim chief minister.
This step was taken in accordance with the directives of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
In a letter issued last month, the ECP had briefed the interim CM on Article 218(3) and the role the caretaker setup plays in the conduct of the elections.
“The caretaker government including cabinet members, advisers, special assistants and other relevant functionaries can only provide an objective environment if they do not involve themselves in politics and election campaigns in violation of provisions of Section 230 (1)(d) and 2(g) of the Elections Act, 2017,” the secretary said in the letter.
The ECP regretted that it had noticed that some cabinet members were “appointed on the basis of political affiliations”. It also cited the example of Shahid Khan Khattak, the former interim transport minister, who resigned after he was found indulging in “political activities”.
“In view of the foregoing, the Election Commission has desired to request you while keeping the interim cabinet members at a minimum, to review the above said appointments (in light of the criteria as laid down in the above-said provisions of the Election Laws) and to de-notify such Ministers, Advisers and Special Assistants which are involved in politics immediately, so that free, fair and transparent elections are ensured for future,” the ECP added. Multiple parties had been complaining about the interim setup in the province. – Our Reporter and news agencies
