Shahid Jan
PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Sohail Afridi chaired an important parliamentary meeting at the Chief Minister’s House, where several important decisions concerning the provincial cabinet formation and political events in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were discussed.
Speaker of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Babar Salim Swati, and many Members of the Provincial Assembly (MPAs) of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) were also present at the meeting.
According to reports, CM Afridi has held back a decision on the cabinet formation of a temporary administration till the by-election of the Senate seat vacated by Shibli Faraz is over. It is understood that the decision to postpone the formation of the cabinet is in response to concerns that establishing a cabinet before the election may cause unrest among some MPs.
CM Afridi conveyed that if the cabinet is formed before the elections, the possibility of some members getting angry is very high and that they can use their votes against the party.
Moreover, the Chief Minister argued the matter of losing votes by talking about the message that would be conveyed to his leadership in case any of his supporters defect or spoil the votes. So the decision to wait for the by-election before making the final choice of the cabinet has evolved out of that.
On top of that, CM Afridi informed the assembly members about Senate candidate Khurram Zeeshan’s selection, ensuring the members got updates about the electoral process. Further to that, he updated members about his recent interactions with the corps commanders and discussed security concerns with them.
The assembly also considered the proposals to be tabled at the security committee meeting of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly which is scheduled for tomorrow. The delegation had also talked over the issue of cabinet formation during which MPs unanimously supported the Chief Minister in his decision to outline the cabinet structure. This step is in accordance with the orders given by PTI Chairman Imran Khan who has allowed CM Afridi to decide independently on these matters.
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The MPAs suggested that a small and temporary cabinet be formed until such time as the Chief Minister had met with Imran Khan, the proposal being endorsed in principle at the session.
