Three KP ministers ousted for working against CM

By News Desk

PESHAWAR: Differences in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government came out in the open on Sunday when three ministers were kicked out of the provincial cabinet for working against Chief Minister Mahmood Khan.

Governor Shah Farman issued a notification de-notifying Muhammad Atif Khan, who held the portfolio of senior minister for sports, tourism, culture and youth affairs; Shahram Khan Tarakai, health minister; and Shakeel Ahmed, revenue and estate minister. The move comes just a couple of days after media was rife with reports of a pressure group emerging in the province allegedly led by Atif Khan who was also a strong candidate for the post of chief minister after July 2018 elections.

The KP chief minister earlier met Prime Minister Imran Khan and told him that some ministers had been forming a group to conspire against him. The portfolios of sacked ministers will either be given to other ministers already in the cabinet or new ministers will be inducted.

The issues between these ministers and Mahmood Khan sprang up when the latter was appointed as the KP chief minister. Sources said the three ministers were allegedly acting as the mastermind of a pressure group against the provincial government led by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), adding they had been removed from the cabinet for now but they could see further action against them.

KP Information Minister Shaukat Yousafzai told the media that these ministers had been opposing the policies set by the government and involved in the grouping for a long time, adding they had been given warnings many times and the matter was also raised before Prime Minister Khan.

He said there was no support from these ministers in the merger of erstwhile Fata (Federally Administered Tribal Areas) with the KP. Merging Fata with the province was a great achievement of Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, he said, adding these ministers also did not maintain good relations with former chief minister Pervez Khattak.

Yousafzai said Prime Minister Khan had also taken notice of the matter and expressed resentment and so bold decisions were needed to be taken. “These ministers gave an impression that Mahmood Khan did not deserve the chief minister’s slot and that he did not work properly,” he added.