Justice (retd) Arshad Hussain Shah appointed interim KP CM

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Haji Ghulam Ali Sunday signed the summary of Justice (retd) Arshad Hussain Shah’s appointment as the new caretaker chief minister of the province. 

The development comes after Muhammad Azam Khan — who was the caretaker chief minister — passed away after suffering from a heart attack a day earlier. 

Azam was appointed as the caretaker chief minister in January this year following the dissolution of the provincial assembly by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led government.

Following 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 finalised Shah’s name and sent the summary to the governor for approval. 

Hailing from Abbottabad, Shah was serving as the law minister in former CM Muhammad Azam Khan’s cabinet. Before joining the cabinet he had also served as the chief justice of the Gilgit Baltistan from 2019-2022. 

Ahead of their meeting, Durrani said that KP had plunged into a crisis after Azam’s death. He added that the matter of appointment will be resolved today. 

“I will discuss the appointment of interim CM with preparation. I will also convince Mahmood Khan as no one rejects my suggestions,” he had said.

On Saturday, Governor Ali had written a letter to Mahmood and Durrani, asking them to decide on a name for the provincial post. 

PTI not to accept CM

Meanwhile, PTI leader Zahir Khan Toru said that the party will not accept the new chief minister whose appointment is decided by the former CM and opposition leader.

Toru said that they will move the court if the new chief minister’s appointment is done by Khan and Durrani. He further stressed that the matter should be solved constitutionally, saying that the governor should not make his formulas.

“The new CM chosen by Mahmood Khan, Ghulam Ali and Akram Khan Durrani will be a political one,” he said, adding that a level playing field is not expected from the chosen CM.