Federal cabinet to be sworn in today

PML-N, PPP, allies to be assigned ministries; Sanjrani to act as president

ISLAMABAD:

Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani will be summoned in capacity as the acting president on Tuesday (today) to administer oath to the new federal cabinet of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, which was finalised on Monday following extensive deliberations among the government allies.

It is learnt that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) will take the ministries of information, finance, interior, planning and development, energy, trade, establishment, cabinet, national security, inter-provincial coordination, law and justice and parliamentary affairs.

So far, three names of the PML-N ministers have come forth. They are: Miftah Ismail, the new finance minister, Marriyum Aurangzeb, the new information minister and Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar, who will be given the portfolio of the law ministry.

The PPP, a major ally of the government, will get the ministries of foreign affairs, water resources, health, human rights, education, climate change, communications, industries and production, besides the head of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP).

Read PM finalises federal cabinet portfolios

The PPP members who would take oath as ministers are: Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Hina Rabbani Khar, Naveed Qamar, Shazia Marri, Saleem Mandviwala, Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, Mahesh Malani, Syed Khursheed Shah, Qadir Patel, and Fazal Shah.

Among the other allies, Amir Haider from the Awami National Party (ANP) and Shazain Bugti of the Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP), will be inducted in the federal cabinet. It is also learnt that the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) will get the housing and works, and religious affairs ministries.

The Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) will get the defense production ministry. The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) will get two ministries of maritime affairs and information technology, while the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) will get one ministry. Shahida Akhtar of the JUI-F will be the deputy speaker of the National Assembly.