PESHAWAR: Opposition benches in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Monday raised questions over the status of the chief minister’s adviser on finance, Muzammil Aslam, as the government recently declared him the minister for finance without formal swearing-in.

On a point of order during a sitting chaired by Speaker Babar Saleem Swati, member of the opposition Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Ahmad Karim Kundi​ said that the provincial chief secretary issued a letter on March 7 declaring Mr Aslam a minister “at the pleasure of the chief minister.”​

He argued that the move violated the Constitution, so any actions taken by Mr Aslam, including attending the NFC meeting, were unconstitutional.

The lawmaker demanded that the chief secretary be summoned to the house over the matter.

​“Under Article 132 clause 1, subject to clauses 9 and 10 of Article 130, the Governor shall appoint provincial ministers on the advice of the chief minister among members of the provincial assembly,” he said, adding that even a non-MPA could be appointed a minister under Article 130’s Clause 9.

Law minister insists oath mandatory for elected members only

Mr Kundi questioned the chief secretary’s authority and insisted that a provincial minister must take oath before assuming office.

He warned that the opposition would not allow Mr Aslam to attend assembly sessions and would disrupt proceedings if the need arose.

The chair observed that according to notification, the KP government and the chief minister, being the competent authority, had given Mr Aslam the status of the minister with immediate effect.

He noted that the law minister and the advocate general’s office would be consulted in case of any “errors”.

Minister for law Aftab Alam Afridi acknowledged Mr Kundi’s concerns, noting that Mr Aslam was technically an adviser but had been given ministerial status in terms of perks and privileges.

He added that a non-elected person could serve as a minister for up to six months.

“There could be a clerical mistake as the notification should not have been issued under Clause 9 of the Constitution’s Article 130, which applies to a six-month period. We will verify the notification and also confirm if taking oath is necessary,” he said, adding that an oath is mandatory only for elected members under Article 132 sub-clause 2.

On inquiry, advocate general Shah Faisal Utmankhel informed the chair that a proper response on the matter would be submitted on Tuesday.

The chair said that he would give a ruling after going through the reply.

Leader of the Opposition Dr Ibadullah questioned how a budget debate could proceed while Mr Aslam’s status remained unclear.

The chair, however, said that Mr Aslam could represent the government both as an adviser and a minister.

He later asked Mr Afridi to consult the chief secretary and hold further discussions in his chamber.

During the pre-budget discussion, Mr Aslam addressed questions on the surplus budget.

He said KP’s total revenue estimates for FY 2025-26 were Rs2.119 trillion against expenditures of Rs1,962 billion, leaving a projected surplus of Rs157 billion.

The minister added that the federal government collected Rs429 billion less than its targets in the last eight months, resulting in Rs75 billion less for the province.

He highlighted allocations by the KP government, including Rs12 billion under the Ramazan Package, Rs28.6 billion for the counter-terrorism department and Rs15 billion for people displaced by military operations in the province.

“Our financial position is not satisfactory as the federal government has failed to collect taxes,” he said.

Mr Aslam also noted that suspension of trade with Afghanistan contributed to a likely revenue shortfall of over Rs100 billion.

He said other allocations included Rs100 billion for Peshawar’s re-vitalisation project, Rs10 billion for floods, Rs12.5 billion for Ramazan Package, Rs3.5 billion for the motorcyclists’ relief and Rs1.5 billion for Bus Rapid Transit Peshawar fares.

“Anything saved out of the Rs157 billion surplus will remain here. We will try to present a free and better budget for the next financial year,” he said.

During the sitting, opposition Awami National Party MPA Mohammad Nisar Baaz raised concerns about being offloaded while travelling for Umrah, despite being an elected member.

“There are no charges against me. I was told that I am anti-state and talk against the establishment,” he insisted.

The lawmaker said he was opposed to the establishment’s interference in political affairs.

He hoped that the chief secretary and interior secretary would be summoned over the placing of his name on ECL.

Mr Baaz demanded that the chief secretary and secretary interior be summoned to the house to clarify the issue.

He also questioned the data used for distributing the Ramazan Package payments and Rs25 billion worth of expenditure in the merged tribal districts and noted that 3,400 families had left their homes, while 1,100 families still awaited compensation.

Treasury MPA Fazal Hakim raised the issue of a delay in the reconstruction of the bridges destroyed in last year’s floods and the payment of compensation for the damaged and destroyed shops.

MPA Abdul Salam Afridi complained that Mardan district received low development funds.

Lawmakers from both benches suggested clean drinking water, infrastructure and other public welfare schemes.

Minister for law and parliamentary affairs Aftab Alam Afridi tabled the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Public Services Commission Amendment Bill, 2026.

The chair referred the bill to the relevant house committee saying it should be returned within 15 days with recommendations.

The sitting was later adjourned until 2pm today (Tuesday).

Published in Dawn, March 31st, 2026