KP Chief Minister Gandapur inducts four new faces in his cabinet

Amidst growing speculation of a rift in the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur has changed the portfolio of the health minister and inducted four new faces in his cabinet.
According to sources, the provincial government removed Syed Qasim Ali Shah as health minister and assigned him the portfolio of social welfare.
The portfolio of health has been assigned to Ihtesham Ali, an MPA from PK-61 Mardan.
Muhammad Sohail Afridi, PTI lawmaker from PK-70 Peshawar, has been nominated as the Special Assistant for Communication and Works (C&W), while Nek Muhammad Khan, MPA from North Waziristan, has been nominated as the Special Assistant to CM on Relief department.
Pir Musawar Ghazi, a PTI leader and MPA from the Malakand region, has been appointed as the Special Assistant to the Chief Minister on Climate Change. Sources claimed that CM Gandapur will make additional cabinet changes in the coming days, which have been approved by PTI founder Imran Khan.
The provincial government of KP has yet to issue formal notifications for the changes in the provincial cabinet.
Additionally, the CM-KP Ali Amin Gandapur, who serves PTI as a provincial president, also ordered changes in the provincial cabinet of the party.
According to a notification issued on Tuesday by PTI KP chapter General Secretary Ali Asghar Khan stated that Atif Khan has been removed as Peshawar region president and former District Nazim Muhammad Asim Khan has been appointed as the president of the region.
While former provincial minister Kamran Khan Bangash has retained the post of general secretary of the Peshawar region.
Peshawar District President MNA Arbab Sher Ali has been removed and Irfan Saleem has been appointed as Peshawar District President while Malik Shahab Advocate has been appointed as the General Secretary of Peshawar District.
“With the approval of the president of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Mr Ali Amin Khan, Mr Muhammad Asim Khan has been appointed as the President of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Peshawar Region, effective immediately, replacing Mr Muhammad Atif Khan,” said the notification issued PTI KP chapter GS Ali Asghar Khan.
Sources close to the matter confirmed this scribe’s differences in PTI leadership over the removal of Shakeel Khan as minister for C&W.
Earlier, PTI senior leader and MNA Atif Khan has raised serious reservations over the removal of Shakeel Khan and allegations of corruption hurled against him.
Sources claimed that MNA Atif Khan was removed from his position after publicly supporting Shakil Khan.
Similarly, MNA Sher Ali Arbab was removed from his position after refusing to sign a declaration of confidence in the Chief Minister.