Pakistan’s caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar’s 18 member cabinet took oath on Thursday. The cabinet will see Pakistan through their upcoming elections at a time the country has been hit with economic and political crisis, considering former Prime Minister Imran Khan has also been arrested.
The caretaker government helmed by Kakar will stay in power till the general elections are conducted and will ensure a seamless transition of power.
On Thursday, Pakistan president Arif Alvi administered an oath to the caretaker Cabinet at Aiwan-e-Sadr, the presidential house. According to an official statement, 16 federal ministers and 3 advisers are part of the Cabinet.
Former foreign secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani has been appointed as Foreign Minister, Sarfaraz Bugti as Interior Minister, Shamshad Akhtar as Finance Minister, Lt Gen (retired) Anwar Ali Haider as Defence Minister and senior journalist Murtaza Solangi as Information Minister.
Khalil George took the oath as Minister for Minorities, industrialist Gohar Ijaz as Minister for Industries, academic Dr Umar Saif as Minister for Information Technology, Ahmad Irfan Aslam as Law Minister, renowned actor Jamal Shah as Minister for Culture Aniq Ahmad as Religious Affairs Minister.
Akhtar is the only woman in the Cabinet.
The ceremony was attended by Kakar, Punjab interim Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi and others.
The swearing-in of Cabinet ministers completed the process of government formation in the country, which is facing its worst economic crisis.
Under the Constitution, a caretaker government should be appointed to provide a neutral administration for holding the elections in a fair and transparent manner.
Pakistan’s National Assembly was dissolved on August 9, ending the tenure of the government led by Shehbaz Sharif and paving the way for installing a caretaker setup.
The general elections in Pakistan are expected to be held within 90 days.
Pakistan is currently in the throes of an economic crisis.
The Pakistan government and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reached a long-awaited staff-level agreement on June 29 to inject a USD 3 billion Standby Arrangement (SBA) into the ailing economy after months-long negotiations that pushed the country to the brink of default.
J&K Separatist Yasin Malik’s wife sworn in Pak cabinet
Jailed Jammu and Kashmir separatist leader Yasin malik’s wife Mushaal has reportedly been sworn in as part of the 18 member caretaker government of Pakistan. According to reports, Mushaal will be working as a “special assistant” to Pakistan’s caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar for human rights.
Mushaal is a Kashmiri leader – who married Yasin Malik in February 2009. Reportedly, the two met while Malik was on a tour in Pakistan in 2005.
Meanwhile, Yasin Malik is serving life sentence in a terror funding case he was found guilty of by a trial court in 2022 last year.
(With PTI inputs)
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Updated: 17 Aug 2023, 10:53 PM IST