ISLAMABAD: On Monday, President Dr. Arif Alvi approved the removal of Ahad Khan Cheema as an adviser to the prime minister on establishment.
Last week, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) instructed Cheema’s removal after hearing a petition seeking the removal of Cheema, Privatisation and Inter-provincial Coordination Minister Fawad Hassan Fawad, and Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Dr. Tauqeer Hussain Shah.
The petition, filed by Advocate Syed Azizud Din Kaka Khel in October, argued that the presence of these individuals in the caretaker government jeopardized the transparency of elections.
In a brief order, the ECP deemed the petitioner’s request for Cheema’s removal reasonable, emphasizing that his affiliation with the previous government could potentially influence the fairness of elections.
According to a press release from the presidency, President Alvi’s approval for Cheema’s removal came after caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar submitted a summary in compliance with the ECP’s directives.
The statement highlighted that the president sanctioned Cheema’s removal under Article 48-1 of the Constitution, acting on the advice of the premier.
Article 48 (1) stipulates, “In the exercise of his functions, the president shall act on and in accordance with the advice of the cabinet or the prime minister.”
Cheema, who also served as a special assistant in the previous PML-N-led government, stood out as the only exception associated with both the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government and Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar’s cabinet.
On November 27, the National Accountability Bureau cleared Cheema in the assets beyond means of reference, and on December 8, an accountability court acquitted him in the same case.
The current interim federal cabinet includes several ministers known for their close ties to the PML-N, such as Sami Saeed, Umar Saif, Shahid Ashraf Tarar, and Jahanzaib Khan.
In September, the ECP advised the interim government against inducting individuals with known political allegiance. However, in October, PM Kakar dismissed the perception of the caretakers being a “B” team of the PML-N, asserting that both Fawad and Cheema were seasoned bureaucrats who had served the state rather than any specific political party.
