PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mohammad Sohail Afridi on Saturday assigned portfolios to 13 members of his newly-formed cabinet.

The all-male cabinet was sworn in on Friday more than two weeks after the election of Mr Afridi due to his inability to meet the ruling PTI’s incarcerated founder, Imran Khan, to seek his guidance regarding cabinet formation.

A notification issued by the administration department said that in exercise of powers conferred by the sub-rule 4 of the rule 3 of the KP Government Rules of Business 1985, the chief minister had assigned the portfolios to provincial ministers, advisers and special assistants.

As for the ministers, the notification said that Meena Khan Afridi had been given the charge of the local government, elections and rural development department. Mr Afridi was the higher education minister in the cabinet of last chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur.

All-male cabinet was sworn in on Friday

However, in the cabinet reshuffle, just days before his resignation, Meena Khan was assigned the charge of the communication and works department.

Arshad Ayub Khan, who headed the local government department under Mr Gandapur, has been given the elementary and secondary education portfolio.

The chief minister made Fazal Shakoor Khan the minister of public health engineering. He previously served as the minister for labour before being assigned the portfolio of tourism.

A firebrand lawmaker from Swat, Dr Amjad Ali, has been assigned the portfolio of housing. He was the special assistant to the chief minister on housing in Mr Gandapur’s cabinet before being elevated to the minister’s status on Oct 1. He had also served as the minister for housing in CM Mehmood Khan’s cabinet.

The chief minister gave Aftab Alam Afridi the charge of the minister for law, parliamentary affairs and human rights. He held the same department in Mr Gandapur’s cabinet and even was spared during the last cabinet reshuffle.

Syed Fakhr Jahan was assigned the portfolio of the excise, taxation and narcotics control. He had served as the minister for sports and youth affairs in the last cabinet before being given the charge of public health engineering in the reshuffle.

The chief minister has assigned Riaz Khan the department of irrigation, while Khaleequr Rehman has been made the health minister.

Mr Khaleeq, who served as the minister for the excise and taxation department, was given the charge of the health department in the last cabinet reshuffle.

Aqibullah Khan has been made the relief, rehabilitation and settlement minister and Faisal Khan Tarakai the labour department’s.

Mr Aqib, younger brother of former National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser and Mr Faisal, the younger brother of Shahram Khan Tarakai, who held irrigation and elementary and secondary education departments, respectively, in the last cabinet, had resigned from their positions on Sept 30.

The chief minister has made Muzzammil Aslam his adviser on finance. He held the same portfolio in Mr Gandapur’s cabinet. Taj Mohammad Tarand has been given the sports and youth affairs portfolio, while Shafiullah Jan has been made the special assistant to the chief minister on information and public relations.

On Sept 30, Faisal Khan Tarakai and Aqibullah Khan had resigned as cabinet members, A day later, portfolios of 11 ministers and advisers were reshuffled by then chief minister Gandapur.

Mr Gandapur resigned on Oct 8, leading to several days of uncertainty over the acceptance of his resignation by Governor Faisal Karim Kundi. Mr Afridi had taken oath of his office on Oct 15.

However, the cabinet formation was delayed for around two weeks as Mr Afridi was unable to meet Mr Imran in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail to seek his directions regarding the new cabinet.

Published in Dawn, November 2nd, 2025