CM Afridi gives in to party pressure; six new ministers, four advisors and eight special assistants sworn in today
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi. SCREENSHOT
The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa cabinet was expanded on Saturday with the induction of six new ministers, four new advisors and eight special assistants, taking the total strength of the provincial cabinet to 31 members.
With this expansion, the number of ministers, including Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, has increased to 17, while the number of advisors stands at six. This exceeds the constitutional ceiling set in Article 130 of the Constitution, which limits the number of ministers to 15 and advisers to five.
Official sources said two ministers and an advisor will have to be fired to comply with the constitutional provision.
Learn more: KP governor administers oath to 13-member provincial cabinet
The summary of the expansion, approved by CM Afridi, was forwarded to provincial governor Faisal Karim Kundi on Friday. The governor signed and returned the summary, paving the way for the new members to be sworn in today at the Governor’s House.
The decision comes almost seven months after CM Afridi took office. Following the resignation of former Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur in October last year, Afridi was elected as the new Leader of the House.
He initially formed a reduced 14-member cabinet after failing to secure a meeting with the party’s founding president for broader consultations. He had planned to expand the cabinet later, after consultation, but the meeting could not materialize.
The party leadership and pressure from the Provincial Assembly members finally forced the chief minister to opt for expansion.
The existing cabinet included CM Afridi, Meena Khan, Arshad Ayub, Fazal Shakoor, Dr Amjad Ali, Aftab Alam, Syed Fakhr Jehan, Riaz Khan, Khaliqur Rehman, Aqibullah Khan and Faisal Turki. Among the advisors, Taj Muhammad Turand and Mazmal Aslam were part of the team, while Shafi Jan, who held the status of special assistant, has now been elevated to the rank of provincial minister.
The six new ministers are: Nazir Ahmed Abbasi, Shakeel Ahmed, Muhammad Adnan Qadri, Muhammad Arif Ahmadzai and Tariq Mahmood Aryani.
The four new councilors include Pir Musawwar Khan, Liaquat Ali Khan, Humayun Khan and Mian Muhammad Umar.
The eight new special assistants are: Tariq Saeed, Muhammad Usman, Tufail Anjum, Iftikharullah Jan, Samiullah Khan, Malik Adeel Iqbal, Muhammad Khurshid and Muhammad Asrar.
This significant expansion is seen as an effort to accommodate various factions and allies within the ruling party and meet the demands of MPs who felt sidelined in the initial small cabinet.
Political observers note that while the move strengthens the chief minister’s support base in the Assembly, it also raises questions over financial implications and adherence to constitutional norms.
This development comes at a time when the provincial government is facing multiple challenges, including financial constraints and governance issues. The expanded cabinet is expected to spread responsibilities more widely, although critics say it could increase the financial burden on the provincial treasury.
