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12 more KP ministers take oath

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PESHAWAR: A 12-member cabinet of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa took oath on Thursday, raising the number of provincial ministers to 14, however, there was no woman minister among those sworn in.

Governor Engineer Shaukatullah administered the oath to the new cabinet members. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak was present during the swearing-in ceremony. The ministers and their portfolios are: Israrullah Gandapur (law and parliamentary affairs), Shaukat Yousafzai (health and information), Yousaf Ayub (communication and works) Shahram Khan (agriculture), Inayatullah Khan (local government), Bakht Baidar (manpower and industry), Ibrar Hussain Tanoli (forest) Habibur Rehman (Ushar and Zakat), Shah Farman (public health), Ali Amin Gandapur (revenue), Atif Khan (elementary education) and Mehmood Khan (higher education).

Two senior ministers – Maulana Sirajul Haq of Jamaat-e-Islami and Sikander Sherpao Khan of Qaumi Watan Party – had already been sworn in on May 31 when the chief minister was taking oath of his office. No reason was given for not including any woman in the cabinet of Pervez Khattak although the three coalition partners – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, JI and QWP – have women elected on reserved seats in the KP Assembly.

"There will be a female cabinet minister," Pervez Khattak said after the oath-taking ceremony, dispelling the impression that the provincial government did not believe in gender equality.

End.