Cabinet expansion: Dr Sania Nishtar appointed as special assistant

Dr Sania is also serving as Chairperson Benazir Income Support Programme

The size of the federal cabinet has increased once again after the government appointed Dr Sania Nishtar as Special Assistant to Prime Minister Imran Khan.

A notification was also issued in this regard, Express News reported on Wednesday.

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The designation of Dr Sania – also Chairperson Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) – would be equivalent to a federal minister.

“Dr Sania will be premier’s Special Assistant on Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation Programme,” read a notification issued by the Prime Minister House.

Earlier in April this year, in a major reshuffle of the cabinet, Pakistan saw reallocation of portfolios and new appointments.

PM Imran approved the appointment of Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh as Adviser on Finance and Fawad Chaudhry was assigned the portfolio of Minister for Science and Technology.

Ghulam Sarwar was made Federal Minister for Aviation, Ijaz Ahmed Shah Federal Minister for Interior and Shehryar Afridi Minister of State for States and Frontier Regions.

Similarly, Azam Swati was appointed as Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan was made Special Assistant to PM on Information and Broadcasting.

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Nadeem Babar was made as Special Assistant to PM on Petroleum while Dr Zafarullah Mirza was made Special Assistant on National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination.