Former bureaucrat Mohammad Azam Khan took oath as the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa caretaker chief minister in a ceremony held in Peshawar on Saturday.

KP Governor Haji Ghulam Ali administered oath to Khan, whose name for the provincial caretaker role was finalised after consultation between outgoing chief minister Mahmood Khan and Leader of the Opposition Akram Khan Durrani.

Earlier today, Ali formally appointed Khan as the caretaker chief minister of the province in the interim set-up.

In a notification issued on Saturday, the governor designated Khan for the role under Clause 1a of Section 124 of the Constitution, which states that if the provincial legislature is dissolved under Article 58 or Article 112, “a care-taker chief minister shall be appointed by the governor in consultation with the chief minister and the leader of the opposition in the outgoing provincial assembly”.

“Further necessary action may be taken for notification and administering oath to the caretaker chief minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by the governor,” it added.

Talking to reporters after the appointment, Khan vowed to extend “complete cooperation” to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for holding “free and fair elections” in the province.

He said that efforts would be made to further strengthen the security situation in KP and control inflation in the province.

The KP Assembly stood dissolved on Wednesday after the governor signed and approved the chief minister’s summary for the dissolution of the provincial legislature.

The move came days after the dissolution of the Punjab Assembly on Jan 14 as PTI Chairman Imran Khan has vowed to disassociate himself from the “current corrupt political system” by quitting the two assemblies where he is in power.

However, a caretaker CM has not yet been appointed in Punjab due to the deadlock between the government and the opposition.

Who is Azam Khan?

A Barrister-at-Law from Lincoln’s Inn, London, Azam Khan had earlier served as minister for interior, capital administration and development in the caretaker cabinet of prime minister Nasir-ul-Mulk in 2018.

He also remained the provincial minister for finance, planning and development in the KP caretaker cabinet of CM Shamsul Mulk from October 2007 to April 2008 and served on key positions in the federal and provincial governments.

Before these stints, he served as chief secretary from September 1990 till July 1993. He also remained the Pakistan Tobacco Board chairman.