PESHAWAR, Pakistan Former bureaucrat Mohammad Azam Khan was sworn in as the caretaker chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday in Peshawar.

KP Governor Haji Ghulam Ali administered the oath to Khan, whose name was finalized after consultation with outgoing Chief Minister Mahmood Khan and Leader of the Opposition Akram Khan Durrani.

In a notification issued on Saturday, the governor designated Khan for the role under the Constitution, which states that if the provincial legislature is dissolved, "a caretaker chief minister shall be appointed by the governor in consultation with the chief minister and the leader of the opposition in the outgoing provincial assembly."

Speaking to reporters after his appointment, Khan promised the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) his "complete cooperation" in holding "free and fair elections" in the province.

He stated that efforts would be made to strengthen KP's security and control inflation in the province.

The KP Assembly was dissolved on Wednesday after the governor signed and approved the chief minister's summary of the provincial legislature's dissolution.