PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership has reportedly ignored founder chairman Imran Khan’s directions while finalising the new 13-member Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) cabinet, expanding it well beyond the five to eight members he had advised.
According to party sources, Imran Khan had stressed that the cabinet should remain single-digit and compact, but Chief Minister Sohail Afridi went ahead with a larger formation. The founder chairman had also specifically advised against including certain figures — Aqibullah Khan (brother of Asad Qaiser), Faisal Tarakai (brother of Shahram Tarakai), and former provincial minister Shakeel Khan — yet they were added to the final list.
A senior PTI leader told The News that Imran Khan had further recommended inclusion of senior members who had been previously overlooked, but those suggestions too were not implemented.
Provincial Minister Meena Khan, however, denied any formal instructions from the PTI founder, clarifying that Imran Khan had only conveyed a message to keep the cabinet small and allow CM Sohail Afridi to choose his team freely. “Changes can be made anytime, as Imran Khan reserves the right to include or remove any minister,” he said, adding that the cabinet includes a mix of experienced and younger members, with three new entrants who were not part of Ali Amin Gandapur’s cabinet.
Party insiders said the inclusion of Aqibullah Khan and Faisal Tarakai has sparked unease among PTI members, while those excluded — including elected MPAs and defeated candidates — have begun lobbying for inclusion. A senior leader, requesting anonymity, said the development has once again exposed internal divisions within the party.
He noted that several regions were left unrepresented, and prominent figures such as Taimur Saleem Jhagra and Kamran Bangash were not included. Apart from one new face, most ministers had already served under Ali Amin Gandapur and Mahmood Khan.
Notably, Barrister Dr Muhammad Ali Saif, once close to Imran Khan and the establishment, was dropped, along with former Peshawar nazim Asim Khan, Major (Retd) Sajjad Barkwal, Adnan Qadri, Syed Qasim Ali Shah, and Zahir Shah Toru.
CM Sohail Afridi announced the new 13-member cabinet late Thursday night. The oath-taking ceremony took place at the Governor’s House, where Governor Faisal Karim Kundi administered the oath. The event was attended by Speaker Babar Saleem Swati, cabinet members, and senior officials.
The new cabinet includes 10 provincial ministers —Meena Khan Afridi (Peshawar), Arshad Ayub Khan (Haripur), Dr Amjad Ali (Swat), Aftab Alam Khan (Kohat), Fazal Shakoor Khan (Charsadda), Khaliqur Rehman (Nowshera), Riaz Khan (Buner), Syed Fakhar Jehan, Aqibullah Khan, and Faisal Khan Tarakai (Swabi).
In addition, Taj Muhammad Tarand from Battagram and Muzzammil Aslam, a close aide of Imran Khan from Karachi, were appointed as advisers, while Shafi Jan from Kohat was named special assistant to the chief minister.
The governor congratulated the provincial ministers and expressed his best wishes for them.
Meanwhile, CM Sohail Afridi held a meeting with Governor Kundi and discussed law and order situation in KP, development projects and the province’s share in the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award. They agreed to take a united stand for the rights of the people of KP.
