Some familiar faces return, some new included in PM Shehbaz’s proposed 19-member cabinet – Pakistan

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday sent a summary to newly elected President Asif Ali Zardari to appoint a 19-member federal cabinet.

A source in the PM’s Office had told Dawn that the prime minister held a marathon meeting on Sunday, which continued late into the night, to finalise the names of his new ministers.

The PML-N’s main ally, the PPP, has refused to become part of the federal cabinet.

According to a letter written by the premier to President Zardari, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, the cabinet includes 12 MNAs and 3 senators as federal ministers, as well as a minister of state. Three technocrats — Muhammad Aurangzeb, Mohsin Naqvi and Ahad Cheema are also included in the cabinet.

The proposal for the appointment has been made under clause 1 of Article 92 (federal ministers and ministers of state) of the Constitution, which states: “Subject to clauses 9 and 10 of Article 91, the president shall appoint federal ministers and ministers of state from amongst the members of Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) on the advice of the prime minister.”

Federal ministers

Minister of state

While the grapevine is rife with speculation about who will get what portfolio, sources had said that all except Dar would retain theirs.

While both Ishaq Dar and HBL chief Muhammad Aurangzeb had been participating in recent meetings on the economic situation, the proposal of the latter as a minister has strengthened reports of him heading the national kitty.

The letter written by PM Shehbaz said that Dar and Malik “shall continue in office as federal ministers” after ceasing to be members of the Senate.

Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party leader Aleem Khan and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan’s Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui are also among the names for federal ministers.

Former caretaker Punjab chief minister Mohsin Naqvi, who is also currently the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, is also among the suggested ministers. A Dawn report stated he is in the run for interior minister and has admitted that he would be a candidate for the upcoming Senate elections.

Other names for federal ministers include PML-N’s Jam Kamal Khan, Amir Muqam, Sardar Awais Leghari, Attaullah Tarar, Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh and Riaz Hussain Pirzada, as well as the PML-Q’s Chaudhry Salik Hussain.

Former PM’s aide Ahad Khan Cheema has also been suggested as a federal minister while the appointment of Shaza Fatima Khawaja, ex-PM’s aide on youth affairs, as a minister of state has been advised too.

Attaullah is tipped to be the new information minister while Khawaja is being named as a minister for IT.

Earlier, the MQM-P had demanded three to four ministries in the federal cabinet.