PESHAWAR: The newly elected Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sohail Afridi, is facing significant challenges in forming his cabinet, as members of provincial Assembly (MPA) of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have demanded the inclusion of elected representatives in the provincial cabinet.
During a session headed by CM Sohail Afridi, the PTI parliamentary party objected to the participation of non-elected persons in the provincial cabinet. The members in the assembly complained and demanded that the cabinet be comprised exclusively of elected representatives and inviting the participation of non-elected persons would then be unjust to the directly elected ones.
The assembly members agreed that they do agree with inclusion of Mazamil Aslam as reasonable but no one from outside the elected ones should be included in the cabinet. They clearly indicated their stand that they will oppose nothing if the Chief Minister makes it a decision to include any of the elected representatives in the cabinet.
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For this, CM Sohail Afridi gave the assurance to the members that their matters would be looked into and the decision on forming the cabinet would be taken by the party’s founder chairman.
Earlier, Chief Minister, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Muhammad Sohail Afridi has said that the formation of the cabinet has been delayed due to his inability to meet with Imran Khan, but he will exercise his constitutional and legal rights.
During his address at the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly session, he clarified that the recent meeting with the Prime Minister was not focused on law and order, but rather on issues concerning Afghan refugees and food emergencies. He commended Muzammil Aslam for effectively representing the province’s interests.
Afridi criticized the federal government, asserting that the Punjab government had halted the supply of flour to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which he deemed a violation of Article 151 of the Constitution. This halt has led to inflation in the province due to the flour shortage.
