Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Haji Ghulam Ali has approved the appointment of Justice (retd) Arshad Hussain Shah as the new caretaker chief minister of the province following the untimely death of caretaker CM Muhammad Azam Khan due to a heart attack.
Azam was appointed as the caretaker chief minister in January after the dissolution of the provincial assembly by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led government. The decision on Justice Arshad Hussain Shah’s appointment was made during a consultative meeting between former KP CM Mahmood Khan and opposition leader Akram Khan Durrani, who then sent the summary to the governor for approval.
Justice Arshad Hussain Shah, originally from Abbottabad, previously served as the law minister in the cabinet of the late Muhammad Azam Khan. Before joining the cabinet, he served as the chief justice of Gilgit Baltistan from 2019-2022. The consultative meeting was held to address the crisis that arose after Azam’s sudden demise, with Durrani expressing confidence that the matter would be resolved promptly.
However, PTI leader Zahir Khan Toru has expressed reservations about the appointment process, stating that the party will not accept a new chief minister chosen by former CM Mahmood Khan and opposition leader Akram Khan Durrani. Toru indicated that the PTI might move to court if the appointment is decided by Khan and Durrani, emphasizing the need for a constitutional solution and expressing concerns about the chosen CM being politically motivated rather than ensuring a level playing field.
