Azam Khan's name finalised as KP's caretaker CM: Durrani

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and the opposition on Friday unanimously decided to appoint former bureaucrat Azam Khan as the interim chief minister of the province, Aaj News reported.

The breakthrough was made in a meeting between the government and the opposition committee meeting held to finalise the appointment of the province’s caretaker CM.

Addressing a joint press conference along with Pervez Khattak and CM Mahmood Khan, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Pakistan-Fazal (JUI-F) leader Akram Khan Durrani said the government and opposition had built a consensus on Azam Khan's name for the post of the caretaker chief minister.

"We have chosen a person who is acceptable to all,” he said.

Durrani said that the government and the opposition jointly nominated Azam Khan, adding that the names of Zafarullah Khan and Sahibzada Saeed were also considered.

He said that PTI leader and former defence minister Pervez Khattak played an important role in reaching the consensus.

Speaking on the occasion, CM Mahmood Khan said that the government committee agreed on Azam Khan after consultation with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan.

Earlier, the deadlock between the PTI-led KP government and the opposition alliance persisted until Thursday as both stakeholders refused to talk to each other.

However, both sides held their own meetings to finalise names for the caretaker CM.

The opposition alliance met at the residence of Awami National Party’s (ANP) senior leader Haji Ghulam Ahmad Bilour on Wednesday night.

On Wednesday, Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif, spokesman for the previous PTI government, said meetings were going on and the opposition might be consulted after PTI finalised the list of its candidates for CM.

“Consultation within the party is going on and some names have been discussed, including some former judges and retired bureaucrats, but nothing is finalised as yet,” Mr Saif told the media.