Provincial Cabinets of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa take oath

LAHORE: The 18-member cabinet of Punjab whereas 15-member cabinet of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were sworn in at their respective provincial capitals on Wednesday.

Punjab Governor Baligh Ur Rehman administered the oath to the newly appointed ministers of the provincial government, headed by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.

Among those who took the oath were Maryam Aurangzeb, Aashiq Kirmani, Kazim Pirzada, Rana Sikander Hayat, Khawaja Salman Rafique, Khawaja Imran Nazir, Zeeshan Rafique, Bilal Akbar, Sohail Shaukat, Azma Bukhari, Bilal Yasin, Ramesh Singh Arora and others.

The ceremony was graced by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, who extended her congratulations to the 18-member cabinet of Punjab.

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Later on the day, a distinguished ceremony took place at the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor’s House on Wednesday where fifteen KP ministers and five advisers to the Chief Minister were sworn into office.

Their inclusion in the provincial cabinet was formalized by the KP government’s administration department after Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur’s proposal summary was approved by KP Governor Haji Ghulam Ali.

The newly appointed ministers comprise individuals such as Arshad Ayub Khan, Shakeel Ahmad, Fazal Hakim Khan, Muhammad Adnan Qadri, Aqib Ullah Khan, Muhammad Sajjad, Meena Khan, and Fazal Shakoor. Additionally, Nazir Ahmad Abbasi, Pakhtoon Yar Khan, Aftab Alam Khan Afridi, Khaleeq Ur Rehman, Syed Qasim Ali Shah, Faisal Khan Tarakai, and Muhammad Zahir Shah have also joined the cabinet.

Subsequently, Chief Minister Gandapur forwarded a summary to the governor recommending the appointment of his advisers, which was duly approved. Consequently, five advisers, including Syed Fakhar Jehan, Muzamil Aslam, Muhammad Ali Saif, Mashal Azam, and Zahid Chanzeb, have been appointed.

It is pertinent to mention here that out of the total 366 seats in the Punjab Assembly, PML-N emerged as the top party with 224 seats. Of these, 139 seats were won directly by PML-N, 21 independents joined the party, and PML-N secured 7 of the 57 reserved women seats.

The Sunni Ittehad Council held a total of 106 seats, while the Pakistan Peoples’ Party secured 16 seats in Punjab.

PML-Q obtained a total of 11 seats, including 8 won by its candidates, and secured 3 women seats. The Ishtekam-e-Pakistan Party secured 6 seats, one of which was won by its candidate, with 3 independents joining the party, and it obtained 2 reserved women seats.

Additionally, Tehreek-e-Labbaik, Muslim League Zia, and Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) each secured one seat.

Whereas on Tuesday, KP Chief Minister Gandapur obtained approval from imprisoned Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan following a meeting at Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi.

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Although the cabinet members were finalized, their identities were not disclosed by the chief minister due to pressure from certain factions within the party to accommodate their preferred candidates, as per sources.

Interestingly, a majority of those approved as cabinet members by the PTI founder were unaware of their selection.

After being nominated for the KP chief ministership, Gandapur indicated the inclusion of new faces, constituting over 50%, in the upcoming provincial cabinet to provide representation to citizens in the assembly.

The PTI workers supported Gandapur’s nomination for the KP’s top slot and hailed it as the best choice.

Regarding the governance plans, Gandapur proposed extensive reforms in healthcare, education, social welfare, and other public sectors. He also pledged to resume projects halted by the caretaker government and continue initiatives such as health cards and soup kitchens.