PESHAWAR: Governor Haji Ghulam Ali appointed Azam Khan as the caretaker chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday.
Azam Khan, the former provincial chief secretary, was the unanimous choice of both the outgoing Chief Minister Mahmood Khan and Leader of the Opposition in the now-dissolved Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Akram Khan Durrani.
This was the first instance that a consensus had been reached regarding appointment of an interim chief minister.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor issued a notification on Saturday, which said that Azam Khan was being appointed as the caretaker chief minister according to Clause (IA) of the Article 224 of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan 1973.
Azam Khan, who obtained his Bar at Law degree from Lincoln’s Inn (London), has served as the federal secretary in the Ministries of Religious Affairs and Petroleum.
Speaking to a news channel after his appointment, Azam Khan said that ensuring peaceful elections is his first priority. “It is the Election Commission of Pakistan’s job to conduct peaceful polls and we will fully support it,” he said.
“I have served as a caretaker interior minister before and supported the ECP in the elections.”
Meanwhile, the government and opposition have failed to reach a consensus on the appointment of Punjab’s caretaker chief minister. The ECP will now make a decision on the matter.
