The government and opposition in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have agreed on the name of Azam Khan for caretaker chief minister.
Consultation was held for the election of caretaker chief minister and the government and the opposition have selected the name of Azam Khan for the slot, said the opposition leader Akram Durrani.
The people of the province are facing difficulties, said Durrani.
Tehreek-e-Insaaf was elected twice by the people. Parvez Khattak played an important role in the consultation, said Durrani.
“I am grateful to Tehreek-e-Insaf as good names were given by both sides for caretaker chief minister – Azam Khan and Zafarullah.”
The name was given and the best one was chosen ignoring the politics, he added.
The name of Azam Khan was agreed upon for the caretaker chief minister for the interest of the province above politics, he maintained.
Azam Khan was chosen as the Caretaker chief minister.
Muhammad Azam Khan has had a long and illuminous career as a civil servant in the Government of Pakistan.
He has served as the Minister for Finance, Planning & Development Department, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Federal Secretary Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Resources and Federal Secretary Ministry of Religious Affairs.
Earlier, he held important positions in the KP government where he served as the Chief Secretary and Secretary of different ministries.
Mr. Khan was educated at the University of Peshawar, following which he went to Lincoln’s Inn, London to complete his Barrister-at-Law degree.
It is pertinent to mention here that on January 18, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly was dissolved as Governor Haji Ghulam Ali signed and approved Chief Minister Mahmood Khan’s summary for the dissolution of the provincial legislature.
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The move comes days after the dissolution of the Punjab Assembly as PTI Chairman Imran Khan has vowed to disassociate himself from the “current corrupt political system” by quitting the two assemblies where he is in power.
A notification from the governor was dispatched to CM Mahmood and Leader of the Opposition Akram Khan Durrani. It said the KP Assembly and provincial cabinet were dissolved with immediate effect under Clause 1 of Article 112 of the Constitution.
The law states that the governor shall dissolve the provincial assembly if so advised by the chief minister; and the provincial assembly shall, unless sooner dissolved, stand dissolved at the expiration of forty-eight hours after the chief minister has so advised.
The notification said that the caretaker CM would be appointed by the governor in consultation with Mahmood and Durrani. The governor called on them to provide the names of their nominees for the position by January 21.
He added that until the appointment of the caretaker CM, Mahmood will continue to hold office to perform the day-to-day affairs of the province.
Talking to reporters in Peshawar later in the day, Ali said that he hoped Mahmood and Durrani would not “waste any time” and decide on a name for the caretaker CM with consensus so that the “country can solve its political and economic crisis”.
He said that he himself acted promptly because the eight to nine months had already been “wasted”.
“Why are attempts being made to create a quagmire […] let the people of Punjab and KP decide,” he added.
On Jan 17 night, Mahmood had formally advised the governor to dissolve the provincial legislature. The chief minister’s advice said: “I, Mahmood Khan, chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in pursuance of provisions of Article 112(1) of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, do hereby forward my advice for dissolution of KP Assembly on January 17, 2023, at 17:00 hours.”
Later, in a video message, he had said that the PTI would return with a “two-thirds majority not just in KP but all of Pakistan and form a government on the basis of our performance”.