- KP Governor Ghulam Ali administered the oath to Arshad Hussain Shah.
- Shah was appointed interim CM after the death of Azam Khan.
- However, PTI says it will not accept the new caretaker chief minister.
PESHAWAR: Justice (retd) Arshad Hussain Shah was sworn in as the new acting Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Sunday.
KP Governor Haji Ghulam Ali administered the oath to Shah at a ceremony held at the Governor House. Among those present at the ceremony were Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Mohammad Ibrahim Khan, Inspector General of Police, Advocate General, former provincial ministers and other eminent personalities.
Earlier today, the Governor signed the summary of Shah’s appointment as the new interim chief executive of the province.
The development comes after Muhammad Azam Khan – who was the caretaker chief minister – died of a heart attack a day earlier.
Azam was appointed interim CM in January this year after the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led government dissolved the provincial assembly.
After his demise, former KP CM Mahmood Khan and opposition leader Akram Khan Durrani held a consultative meeting to discuss the appointment of the new provincial chief executive.
The two leaders finalized Shah’s name and sent the summary to the Governor for approval.
Shah, a resident of Abbottabad, served as law minister in the cabinet of former chief minister Muhammad Azam Khan. Before joining the cabinet, he had also served as the Chief Justice of Gilgit Baltistan from 2019-2022.
Before the meeting, Durrani said that KP is in trouble after Azam’s death. He said that the appointment matter would be resolved today.
He had said, “I will discuss the appointment of interim CM with preparation.” I will also convince Mahmood Khan because no one rejects my suggestions.
On Saturday, Governor Ali had written a letter to Mahmood and Durrani asking them to decide on a name for the provincial post.
PTI does not accept CM’s words
Meanwhile, PTI leader Zaheer Khan Tooru said the party will not accept a new chief minister whose appointment has been decided by the former CM and opposition leader.
Toru said they would approach the court if the new chief minister was appointed by Khan and Durrani. He further stressed that the matter should be resolved in a constitutional manner, saying that the Governor should not make his own formulas.
“The new CM chosen by Mahmood Khan, Ghulam Ali and Akram Khan Durrani will be political,” he said, adding that a level playing field is not expected from the elected chief executive.
