ISLAMABAD: The federal government has formed an 11-member technocratic advisory council to assist Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Governor Faisal Karim Kundi in managing provincial affairs following the imposition of emergency and governor’s rule in the province.
The council will support the governor in exercising the functions of the provincial government on behalf of the federal government. According to Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, the council comprises individuals with relevant expertise and experience.
The members have been assigned responsibilities covering key provincial departments, including home affairs, finance, law, education, health, industries, communications, energy and religious affairs.
The following are the members of the council and their assigned portfolios:
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Kifayatullah Khan — Home Affairs
Kifayatullah Khan will oversee the affairs of the provincial Home Department. He previously served as Inspector General of Prisons in KP, chairman of the FATA Tribunal, secretary of the Home and Tribal Affairs Department and commissioner of Mardan.
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Tariq Mehmood Pasha — Finance
Former Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) chairman Tariq Mehmood Pasha will oversee the province’s financial affairs. He was appointed FBR chairman in 2017 and has also served as secretary of the Economic Affairs Division and special assistant to the prime minister on finance.
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Amir Javed — Law
Supreme Court advocate Amir Javed will advise the governor on legal matters. He was appointed KP advocate general in 2023 while serving as additional attorney general for Pakistan. He previously served as deputy attorney general and resigned as advocate general after the 2024 general elections.
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Syed Amir Abdullah — Education
Syed Amir Abdullah will oversee education-related matters. He is a former caretaker provincial minister and former member of the expert committee of the National Counter Terrorism Authority. He holds a PhD in international relations.
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Lt Gen (retd) Nigar Johar Khan — Health
Lieutenant General (retd) Nigar Johar Khan, a former senior military medical officer, is also a member of the council. She was the first woman in Pakistan’s Army to attain three-star rank and the first female officer to command an army hospital.
A graduate of Army Medical College, she holds qualifications in family medicine, medical administration and public health. She has received several honours for her services, including the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz (Military) and Hilal-i-Imtiaz. Her career was also portrayed in the Pakistani film Aik Hai Nigar.
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Sarfraz Ali Shah — Mines and Minerals
Sarfraz Ali Shah will oversee the Mines and Minerals Department. He holds a PhD in economics and previously served as adviser to the KP chief minister on planning and development.
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Muhammad Irshad — Industries and Commerce
Muhammad Irshad will oversee industries and commerce. A former FBR chairman, he is also a member of the management board of the Pakistan Red Crescent Society and holds a PhD in finance.
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Asif Rafiq — Communication and Works
Former KP caretaker minister Asif Rafiq has been assigned responsibility for the Communication and Works Department.
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Maulana Muhammad Tayyab Qureshi — Religious Affairs
KP Chief Khateeb Maulana Muhammad Tayyab Qureshi will advise the governor on religious affairs. He is the administrator of Jamia Ashrafia in Peshawar and prayer leader at the city’s historic Mahabat Khan Mosque.
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Osman Saifullah Khan — Energy
Osman Saifullah Khan will oversee energy-related matters. He is a former senator, a member of the board of governors of the Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology, and a former member of the Pakistan State Oil board of management.
He has also served as chairman of the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association in KP and is the grandson of former president Ghulam Ishaq Khan.
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Samar Haroon Bilour — Information and Broadcasting
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz MNA Samar Haroon Bilour will serve as adviser on information and broadcasting. She is a former member of the KP Assembly.
The formation of the council comes amid a major administrative change in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa following the imposition of emergency and governor’s rule. The council will assist Governor Kundi in overseeing the province’s affairs and coordinating the work of key departments.
