Punjab’s interim cabinet takes oath

Meeting expresses commitment towards ensuring free and fair elections

LAHORE: A six-member caretaker Punjab cabinet was sworn in on Monday.

The cabinet took the oath during a ceremony held at the Governor House, while Punjab Governor Malik Muhammad Rafique Rajwana administered the oath.

The cabinet comprises of Ahmed Waqas Riaz from the Ministry of Information and Culture, Syed Zia Haider Rizvi from the Ministry of Finance, Excise and Taxation, Anjum Nisar from the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Investment and Minerals, Dr Jawad Sajid Khan from the Ministry of Primary Healthcare and specialised Healthcare, former Punjab police inspector general Shaukat Javaid and former Water and Power Development Authority Chairman Zafar Mehmood.

Caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Hasan Askari Rizvi, Punjab Chief Secretary Zahid Saeed, Lahore Corps Commander Lieutenant-General Amir Riaz, Punjab Police Inspector General Arif Nawaz and others attended the ceremony.



The meeting expressed its commitment towards ensuring free, fair and peaceful elections in the province.

Punjab Chief Secretary Zahid Saeed briefed the meeting on several different matters pertaining to government affairs, the workings of public sector departments and their infrastructure.

The caretaker setup is only in place for a limited amount of time and its scope is also limited, said Caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Hasan Askari.

The fundamental responsibility of the caretaker government is to hold transparent and impartial elections, he expressed. “We have to fulfil our responsibility.” He added that facilities will be provided under the directions of the Election Commission of Pakistan to ensure free and fair elections.

The administration has to fulfil its duties in a neutral manner, keeping in mind the limited time. “We also wish to initiate public welfare programmes to provide citizens with relief. Line departments will have to take the lead in this regard,” he said.

Askari expressed that his government wished to set an example for all future caretaker governments. The ministers, the administration and the police should all be impartial and apolitical, he stated.

The caretaker ministers are all experts in their field. They are part of my team; we have to work collectively, he added.

He also said that the cabinet did not have a political agenda. The responsibility of public welfare will be fulfilled in accordance with the limitations, he articulated.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 12^th, 2018.