Islamabad: 37-member federal cabinet takes oath Pakistan On Tuesday, exactly a week after the then Leader of the Opposition Shahbazi Sharif’s place Imran Khan was appointed as the Prime Minister of the country through a motion of no confidence in Parliament after midnight.
PPP’s Hina Rabbani KharWho served as Minister of External Affairs from February 2011 to March 2013, was appointed Minister of State for External Affairs in the new government. ppp Prominent Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, tipped to get the foreign and petroleum ministries respectively, shunned cabinet formation. PPP sources said Bilawal will take over as the country’s finance minister in the next few days.
Khar’s presence in the Ministry of External Affairs, albeit in a junior role than before, is seen by Indian officials as a positive development. Sources recall his remarks a few years ago about the need for Pakistan to strengthen ties with India and other neighbours. After his visit to India in 2011 he was quoted as saying that Pakistan needed to acknowledge 26/11 which was a sensitive issue for India. “She is familiar with India and comes across as a sensible leader,” said a source.
The delay in cabinet formation was apparently due to weeks of deliberations to accommodate members of smaller coalition parties, who played a key role in Imran’s removal.
President Dr. Arifo alvi, who had excused himself from administering the oath to Shahbaz, left the program again, leaving the duties to Senate President Sadiq Sanjrani. The oath ceremony was initially scheduled for Monday, but was postponed by the government due to President Alvi’s refusal to work.
Shahbaz’s cabinet includes 31 federal ministers, three ministers of state and three advisors to the PM. Of the 31 federal ministers, 13 portfolios were retained by the PML-N, nine were given to the PPP and the remaining 11 were distributed among other coalition partners.
PML-N’s Maryam Aurangzeb and Azam Nazir Tarar were appointed Information and Law Ministers respectively.
PML-N’s Ehsan Iqbal has also been made planning and development minister, while PML-N’s Rana Sanaullah has been given the home ministry charge. Miftah Ismail, who had served as foreign minister in the previous PML-N government, got the portfolio back.
Several politicians from former President Asif Ali Zardari’s PPP were inducted into the cabinet, including former Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Khurshid Shah and Senator Sherry Rehman, former Pakistan’s ambassador to the US.
Some government allies, sources disclosed, were dissatisfied with the demands made to the government regarding the distribution of ministries and other lucrative posts.
A day earlier, two coalition partners, Balochistan National Party (BNP) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), had said they would not join the cabinet on Tuesday. While the BNP accused the government of not preventing violent incidents in the province, such as the recent firing on protesters in Balochistan, the JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman demanded immediate elections. The Maulana is believed to have been angry with his demands regarding the distribution of ministries and not fulfilling certain constitutional posts.
The induction of four federal ministers from JUI-F indicates that the Maulana agreed to join the cabinet at the last minute.
Earlier this month, former PM Imran was ousted after being dumped by his party allies and a key coalition partner. Since then, Imran has called for fresh elections at every rally, saying the new government was imposed on Pakistan as part of a conspiracy by the US, a charge Washington has denied. The new government has termed Imran’s claim as a ‘bundle of lies’.
PPP’s Hina Rabbani KharWho served as Minister of External Affairs from February 2011 to March 2013, was appointed Minister of State for External Affairs in the new government. ppp Prominent Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, tipped to get the foreign and petroleum ministries respectively, shunned cabinet formation. PPP sources said Bilawal will take over as the country’s finance minister in the next few days.
Khar’s presence in the Ministry of External Affairs, albeit in a junior role than before, is seen by Indian officials as a positive development. Sources recall his remarks a few years ago about the need for Pakistan to strengthen ties with India and other neighbours. After his visit to India in 2011 he was quoted as saying that Pakistan needed to acknowledge 26/11 which was a sensitive issue for India. “She is familiar with India and comes across as a sensible leader,” said a source.
The delay in cabinet formation was apparently due to weeks of deliberations to accommodate members of smaller coalition parties, who played a key role in Imran’s removal.
President Dr. Arifo alvi, who had excused himself from administering the oath to Shahbaz, left the program again, leaving the duties to Senate President Sadiq Sanjrani. The oath ceremony was initially scheduled for Monday, but was postponed by the government due to President Alvi’s refusal to work.
Shahbaz’s cabinet includes 31 federal ministers, three ministers of state and three advisors to the PM. Of the 31 federal ministers, 13 portfolios were retained by the PML-N, nine were given to the PPP and the remaining 11 were distributed among other coalition partners.
PML-N’s Maryam Aurangzeb and Azam Nazir Tarar were appointed Information and Law Ministers respectively.
PML-N’s Ehsan Iqbal has also been made planning and development minister, while PML-N’s Rana Sanaullah has been given the home ministry charge. Miftah Ismail, who had served as foreign minister in the previous PML-N government, got the portfolio back.
Several politicians from former President Asif Ali Zardari’s PPP were inducted into the cabinet, including former Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Khurshid Shah and Senator Sherry Rehman, former Pakistan’s ambassador to the US.
Some government allies, sources disclosed, were dissatisfied with the demands made to the government regarding the distribution of ministries and other lucrative posts.
A day earlier, two coalition partners, Balochistan National Party (BNP) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), had said they would not join the cabinet on Tuesday. While the BNP accused the government of not preventing violent incidents in the province, such as the recent firing on protesters in Balochistan, the JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman demanded immediate elections. The Maulana is believed to have been angry with his demands regarding the distribution of ministries and not fulfilling certain constitutional posts.
The induction of four federal ministers from JUI-F indicates that the Maulana agreed to join the cabinet at the last minute.
Earlier this month, former PM Imran was ousted after being dumped by his party allies and a key coalition partner. Since then, Imran has called for fresh elections at every rally, saying the new government was imposed on Pakistan as part of a conspiracy by the US, a charge Washington has denied. The new government has termed Imran’s claim as a ‘bundle of lies’.