PESHAWAR: Sohail Afridi, the newly appointed Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has started negotiations about the provincial cabinet. Nonetheless, the final approval of the cabinet members is going to be given by the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan.
According to reports, CM Sohail Afridi will be the one to meet the founder of PTI for final approval prior to making the cabinet members’ names public. The provincial cabinet will probably consist of a combination of old and new faces; some of the present cabinet members will continue their work while others will take over.
Very important cabinet people like Finance Advisor Muzammil Aslam and Information Advisor Barrister Saif are believed to hold their current positions. Nevertheless, persons such as Abdul Kareem, Zahir Shah Toor and Qasim Ali Shah are among those who are likely being considered for ousting. Besides, Kamran Bangash and Taimur S. Jhgira are still in the list of potential candidates to be discussed, yet no decision has been made.
Former Speaker Asad Qaiser, along with Shahran Tarakai’s brothers Aaqibullah and Faisal Tarakai, may find it hard to get a place in the new cabinet.
Those who are in close proximity to the Chief Minister have made it clear that the final verdict on cabinet appointments will be delivered by PTI’s chief Imran Khan. In a move to sidestep criticism, CM Afridi has handed over the ultimate decision to Imran Khan, so only the names that have been approved by the party’s leader will find a place in the cabinet.
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The new cabinet could either enhance or disrupt the province’s administration for the next years, as the tug-of-war between seasoned politicians and the newcomers is going to attract political circles and the public alike.
