After the resignation of Sultan Muhammad Khan from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet, Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has appointed Akbar Ayub Khan, who already holds the local government portfolio, as the new law minister of the province.
Sultan, who had joined the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf after quitting the Qaumi Watan Party, was asked to step down from his post by Prime Minister Imran Khan and the KP CM after he was seen in a leaked video taking bribes ahead of Senate 2018 elections.
Akbar Ayub now has two portfolios. But the problem with this appointment is the minister’s educational qualification: he has not studied beyond grade 10. Geo reported that Akbar Ayub was given the additional charge of the law ministry because of his “vast experience in parliamentary politics”.
KP Information Minister Shaukat Yousafzai reportedly said that Akbar is a veteran politician who knows how to run a ministry. “I am sure he will do well as the law minister,” Yousafzai added.
This is not the first time Yousafzai had to defend his colleague over the latter’s academic credential. Last year, he defended the appointment of Ayub as the education minister, saying: “One should not question Ayub’s capabilities solely due to the fact that he had not studied beyond matriculation level.”
Last year in Jan, Akbar was made the KP education minister. According to reports at the time, KP provincial assembly’s official website showed that Ayub’s educational qualification was matric. The same had been listed in an affidavit submitted by the minister, which also stated his occupation as a businessman and a landlord.
