Major reshuffle in cabinet on the cards

ISLAMABAD: The final decision has been taken for a major reshuffle in the federal cabinet and top bureaucracy after the approval of the federal budget for fiscal 2010-11 by parliament.

According to sources in the Prime Minister House, Premier Yousaf Raza Gilani has taken President Asif Ali Zardari into confidence on possible changes in the federal cabinet and top bureaucracy. However, the sources added that neither any minister would be removed nor new ministers would be inducted in the cabinet. And changes will be made on the basis of performance of the ministers.

Portfolios of most ministers will be changed in phases, the officials said. To this effect, the prime minister has already sought performance reports of the ministers. It has been revealed that several ministers do not visit their offices for days. And some of them do not have good working relations with the ministers of state and parliamentary secretaries.

According to the officials, the prime minister has now decided to delegate departments to the ministers keeping in view their capabilities. A decision has also been taken to change the federal secretaries and assign important ministries to senior and experienced officers, the sources said. Secretaries of those ministries, lacking transparency and facing charges of corruption, are also being changed.

Sources in the Prime Minister House said that the government has spent over two and a half years in power and now it wanted to resolve problems of the masses on war footing as part of preparations for the next general elections. For this purpose, the ministers will be given targets to come up to the expectations of the government.

Published in The Express Tribune, June , 2010.