LAHORE: A 21-member Punjab cabinet, which includes nine former PML-Q members who were either part of the Pervaiz Elahi cabinet, parliamentary secretaries or PAC chairman and had voted Musharraf to remain president in uniform, took oath on Monday.
Punjab Governor Ahmed Mehmood administered oath to the new cabinet members whereas Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif was also present on the occasion.
According to notification, the ministers who took oath along with their departments include Raja Ashfaq Sarwar (Labour and Human Resources), Rana Sanaullah (Local government & Community Development/additional charge of Law & Parliamentary Affairs), Rana Mashhood Ahmed (School Education/additional charge of Higher Education and Youth Affairs, Sports, Archaeology & Tourism), Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman (Finance/additional charge of Excise & Taxation), Bilal Yasin (Food), Malik Iqbal Channar (Cooperatives), Yawar Zaman (Irrigation) Atta Manika (Social Welfare & Baitul Maal), Malik Nadeem Kamran (Zakat & Ushr), Shuja Khanzada (Environment Protection), Tanveer Aslam Malik (Housing, Urban Development & Public Health Engineering), Sher Ali Khan (Energy/additional charge of Mines and Mineral), Dr Farrukh Javed (Agriculture), Haroon Ahmed Sultan Bukhari (Auqaf and Religious Affairs), Asif Saeed Manais (Special Education), Khalil Tahir Sindhu (Human Rights & Minorities/additional charge of Health), Zakia Shah Nawaz (Population Welfare), Hameeda Waheed-ud-Din (Women Development), Abdul Waheed Chaudhry (Prisons), Asif Malik (Forestry, Wildlife & Fisheries) and Ch Muhammad Shafique (Industries, Commerce & Investment).
Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif will retain charge of at least 11 remaining departments. Quite interestingly, there are at least eight ministers in Shahbaz cabinet who were formerly PML-Q members from 2002 to 2007 and had voted Musharraf to remain president in uniform for the next five years. While one member Sher Ali Khan was elected on PML-Q ticket in 2007 and changed his loyalties after joining forward bloc.
Prominent faces in Shahbaz cabinet which enjoyed power and perks during former chief minister Pervaiz Elahi tenure include Shujah Khanzada. He was considered very close with the former dictator and was provincial minister for Cooperatives, Implementation and Coordination and Chief Minister Inspection Team. He was also head of Bab-e-Pakistan committee which was inaugurated by then president Pervez Musharraf.
Haroon Sultan had also held the office of livesstock as minister in the cabinet of Ch Pervaiz Elahi. Asif Saeed Manais was chairman Public Accounts Committee during the tenure of Ch Pervaiz Elahi and was considered very close to him.
Meanwhile, Asif Ali Malik was parliamentary secretary Bait-ul-Mal during Pervaiz Elahi tenure while Ijaz Sharif was his minister. Ijaz has also been elected on PML-N ticket and part of forward bloc but he was denied entry in the incumbent cabinet.
Likewise, Begum Hameeda Waheed was parliamentary secretary Literacy & Non-formal Basic Education during the tenure of Pervaiz Elahi as the CM and now managed entry in the cabinet of Shahbaz Sharif. Tanvir Aslam was parliamentary secretary for Services and General Administration Department during Pervaiz Elahi tenure.
At least two of the members, Furrukh Javed and Atta Maneka, who have become part of the provincial cabinet had also been elected on PML-Q ticket in 2002. Maneka was elected on PML-Q ticket in 2008 and laid the foundation of forward bloc in the provincial assembly, which ultimately strengthened the PML-N government in the Punjab after it got rid of the PPP members.
Meanwhile, talking to the media, Shahbaz said all areas of the province have been given representation in the cabinet. He said experienced, hardworking and capable persons have been inducted in the cabinet who will work round the clock for solving public problems. Replying to a question, Shahbaz reiterated that all resources would be provided for solution to people’s problems and prosperity of the country. Earlier, when the chief minister arrived at the Governor’s House, Governor Ahmed Mehmood welcomed him and both the leaders held a meeting.
