PESHAWAR, March 19: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Engineer Shaukatullah Khan on Tuesday dissolved the provincial assembly on the advice of provincial Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti.
The summary to dissolve the 124-member House was sent to the governor and that was signed immediately, said a notification issued here.
Caretaker Chief Minister Tariq Pervez Khan, a former Supreme Court judge, will take oath of his office at the Governor’s House today (Wednesday).
The notification read: “In pursuance of the dissolution of the Provincial Assembly vide Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Law Department’s Order No. LEGIS:4(1)/77/Vol-II, Dated 19-03-2013, it is hereby notified for general information that the following provincial ministers: Rahimdad Khan (Planning & Development and Energy & Power), Arbab Muhammad Ayub Jan (Agriculture), Muhammad Ayub Khan Ashari (Science & Technology and Information Technology), Barrister Arshad Abdullah (Law, Parliamentary Affairs and Human Rights), Muhammad Humayun Khan (Finance), Liaqat Ali Shahbab (Excise & Taxation), Mehmood Zaib Khan (Mineral Dev: and Technical Education), Mian Iftikhar Hussain (Information and Public Relations; Inter Provincial Coordination, Transport and Culture), Namroz Khan (Auqaf, Hajj, Religious and Minority Affairs), Saleem Khan (Population Welfare), Sardar Hussain Babak (Elementary & Secondary Education), Syed Aqil Shah (Sports, Tourism and Museums), Sitara Ayaz (Social Welfare, Special Education and Women Empowerment), Syed Ahmad Hussain Shah (Irrigation), Wajid Ali Khan (Environment), Muhammad Zarshid Khan (Zakat and Ushr), Syed Zahir Ali Shah (Health), Muhammad Shuja Khan (Revenue, Estate & Relief), Sher Azam Khan Wazir (Labour), Qazi Muhammad Asad Khan (Higher Education, Archives & Libraries), Malik Amjad Khan Afridi (Housing), Haji Hidayatullah Khan (Livestock, Dairy Development & Cooperation), Syed Qalb-e-Hassan (Food) and Samiullah Khan Alizai (Industries & Commerce) have ceased to hold their respective portfolio at 2400 hours on March 19, 2013.”
Justice (r) Tariq, who had also served as the chief justice of the Peshawar High Court, was nominated the caretaker chief executive of the province on March 15 after the government and opposition developed consensus on his name.
After assuming his new assignment, he will form his cabinet.
Under Article 112 (1) of the Constitution, the governor shall dissolve the provincial assembly on the advice of the chief minister.
Mr Hoti, the youngest and longest chief minister in the history of the province, took oath of his office on April 1, 2008.
He was a joint candidate of Awami National Party and Pakistan People’s Party and was elected 20th chief minister of the province unopposed.
On political front, Mr Hoti did not face tough time as Akram Durrani-led opposition as well as his coalition partner, PPP, gave him full support.
However, five years term of the Hoti-led coalition government was full of troubles facing with manmade and natural disasters.
Mr Hoti took charge of his office when the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province was passing through crucial period due to increase in militancy in the province, especially in Swat district. Later, militant activities were seen throughout the province.
After failure of peace talks with Swat TTP chief Maulana Fazlullah and his father-in-law, Maulana Sufi Muhammad of Tehrik Nifaz-i-Shariat Mohammadi, the provincial government formally requested the federal government to launch a decisive action against militants in May 2009 resulting in the massive exodus of over two million internally displaced persons.
After crushing militancy in Swat and other parts of Malakand Division his coalition government faced with devastating floods in July 2010.
Around three million people were rendered homeless in the province and their rehabilitation proved a challenging task for the provincial government.
