Former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Pervez Khattak’s addition to the federal cabinet might have been made because of his ‘past services’, Federal Minister Kashmir Affairs, Gilgit Baltistan Engineer Amir Muqam has said.

“He [Pervez Khattal] might have been rewarded for his past services,” he said while appearing via audio link on Rubaroo, which was aired on Aaj News on Friday.

He refrained from answering a query related to services and chuckled on his comment.

In a surprising move on Thursday, the PML-N-led federal government more than doubled the size of its cabinet, raising the total number of members from 21 to 43. The increase included 30 federal ministers, nine state ministers, and four advisers.

The expansion also introduced four special assistants to the prime minister, bringing the total size of the prime minister’s team to 51 members, which includes eight special assistants to the prime minister.

Three new advisers—Dr Syed Tauqir Hussain Shah, Muhammad Ali, and Pervez Khattak—were appointed, raising the total number of advisers to four. The cabinet enlargement comes despite previous claims by the government of implementing austerity measures and tightening budgets.

Khattak, who was once a prominent member of the PTI, grew disillusioned after facing accusations of not adhering to the party’s directives. He previously held the position of chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from 2013 to 2018 during the PTI’s provincial administration.

He launched his party, PTI-Parliamentarians, after leaving the former ruling party. But it was short as he also left the newly formed party, which also included his successor in KP, Mahmood Khan.

KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi was also on the show via video link. He said that the KP government should take war against terrorism “seriously”.

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He claimed that the provincial government was yet to summon a meeting on the law and order situation where all stakeholders should be invited.

When asked, Kundi said that President Asif Ali Zardari’s meeting with PML-N President Nawaz Sharif in Lahore was not scheduled. “He can go anywhere as president of Pakistan.”

PTI lawmaker Ali Muhammad Khan, who was also on the show via video link, was of the view that Khattak’s entry to the federal cabinet would not go well with the people of his constituency as the former PTI leader used to criticise the incumbent leaders while in the party.