Asad Khohkar given portfolio of housing, urban development

LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) legislator Asad Ali Khohkar, who was notified on Tuesday as the provincial minister, has been given the portfolio of Housing, Urban Development and Public Health Engineering on Friday.

Khohkar whose oath-taking ceremony was previously delayed because of the murder of his brother Mubashar Khohkar last week was confirmed on Tuesday as provincial minister and Governor Punjab Chaudhry Sarwar took oath from him on the same day.

The notification states: “The Governor of Punjab, in exercise of his power conferred upon him under the Clause (1) of Article 132 of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, on the advice of chief minister, is pleased to appoint Malik Asad Ali (PP-168), member of the provincial assembly of the Punjab, as minister.”

His oath-taking ceremony was also attended by Chief Minister Usman Buzdar at the Governor House.

“I hope Asad Khohkar will diligently work as per the party policy to serve the public,” CM Buzdar said on Tuesday.

It is pertinent to mention that Khohkar lost the 2018 general elections on a PTI ticket for National Assembly. But soon after the general elections, he managed to win a by-election for PP-168 defeating PML-N’s candidate Rana Khalid Mehmood Qadri by 687 votes. PP-168 seat was vacated by PML-N stalwart Khawaja Saad Rafique.

Earlier on February 27, 2019, he was sworn in as chairman of the chief minister’s complaint cell and he resigned from this post on August 26, 2019.

On September 13, 2019, he was notified as the provincial minister for the first time and was given the portfolio of Fisheries and Wildlife on December 31, 2019, but he resigned from his ministry on July 19, 2020, and CM Buzdar had accepted his resignation.

In July 2020, Khohkar had resigned from his ministry saying that he could not concentrate on his constituency due to the responsibilities of his ministry.