Justice (R) Arshad Hussain Shah Appointed as Caretaker KP CM

Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Haji Ghulam Ali, on Saturday, signed off on Justice (retd) Arshad Hussain Shah’s appointment as the new interim chief minister (CM) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) for the province. The development comes after the sudden death of Muhammad Azam Khan, the ex-interim chief minister, who suffered a fatal heart attack on Friday.

Azam had taken on the role of interim Chief Minister in January after the dissolution of the provincial assembly by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led government. Following his unfortunate demise, a consultative meeting between former KP CM Mahmood Khan and opposition leader Akram Khan Durrani led to the selection of Shah for the position. The finalized recommendation was then sent to the governor for his approval.

Shah, who hails from Abbottabad, previously served as the law minister in Muhammad Azam Khan’s cabinet and had a stint as the chief justice of Gilgit Baltistan from 2019 to 2022.

The sudden vacancy left KP in a bit of a crisis, according to Durrani, who aimed to discuss and resolve the interim CM appointment promptly. Expressing confidence in his ability to persuade Mahmood Khan, Durrani anticipated a favorable outcome from their discussions.

Prior to this decision, Governor Ali had reached out to Mahmood and Durrani, urging them to come to a consensus about the new provincial chief executive.

However, amid these developments, PTI’s Zahir Khan Toru voiced the party’s refusal to accept a new chief minister chosen by the former CM and opposition leader. Toru emphasized the need for a constitutional resolution, raising concerns about the appointment process and the potential for a politically inclined new CM. He highlighted the importance of a fair playing field and stressed the need for a transparent and constitutional resolution of the matter.

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