PESHAWAR: Caretaker Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Muhammad Azam Khan, passed away on Saturday after being admitted to the hospital due to illness the day before.
The 89-year-old interim chief minister was rushed to Rehman Medical Institute (RMI) in Peshawar on Friday when he fell ill with diarrhea, ultimately leading to his admission to the hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU). During treatment, Khan suffered a heart attack, resulting in his demise.
The hospital administration revealed that Khan was admitted at 10 pm the night before, experiencing vomiting and cholera symptoms for four days. Dr. Gulzar explained that despite undergoing various tests and being diagnosed with a hernia, a decision on his operation was pending for the day, but Khan passed away due to a sudden heart attack.
Azam Khan, a retired bureaucrat from Charsadda district, took the oath as interim chief minister on January 21, 2023, following the dissolution of the KP Assembly. His nomination by the opposition and unanimous approval by the outgoing Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government marked his leadership of the province.
Khan’s extensive career included serving as a Barrister-at-Law from Lincoln’s Inn, London, and holding ministerial positions in the provincial ministry for interior and capital administration and development.
Additionally, he served as a finance, planning, and development minister in KP from October 2007 to April 2008 and held key posts in both federal and provincial governments.
The dissolution of the KP cabinet was announced by former Secretary of the Election Commission of Pakistan, Kanwar Dilshad, following the chief minister’s demise.
He stated that all powers have shifted to KP Governor Ghulam Ali in accordance with the law and Constitution.
Dilshad explained that the governor holds authority until the appointment of a new chief minister, with the decision-making process involving mutual consultations between the leader of the opposition in the Senate and the Leader of the House. If no consensus is reached, the matter will be referred to the Election Commission of Pakistan, with a final decision expected within a week.
(Islamabad51_Newsdesk)
