PM Shahbaz Sharif likely to finalise cabinet by tonight: govt sources

ISLAMABAD: Newly elected Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif is likely to finalise his cabinet by tonight, said the government sources on Tuesday.

Before announcing the federal cabinet, PM Shahbaz Sharif will meet PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Asif Ali Zardari, PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, MQM-P Convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and other leaders of the allied parties.

All the Opposition parties are expected to get representation in his cabinet.

The sources privy to the matter said that Rana Sanaullah is expected to be given the portfolio of the interior ministry and Maryam Aurangzeb could be the next information minister.

Earlier, a report published in the Daily Jang  said that  PML-N's Khawaja Asif, Saad Rafique, Khurram Dastgir, Ahsan Iqbal, Marriyum Aurangzeb, Shaista Pervaiz Malik, and Murtaza Javed are likely to be inducted in the federal cabinet.

Independent candidates Mohsin Dawar and Aslam Bhootani and PML-Q’s Tariq Bashir Cheema are also likely to be included in the cabinet.

The name of Azam Nazir Tarar is under consideration for the Leader of the House in the Senate. The PPP will give a ministry to either Sherry Rehman or Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar from the Senate, the publication reported.

Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari could be the next foreign minister, while Shazia Marri's name is also under consideration for a cabinet slot.

During an interview last week, the PPP chairperson said that the party will decide his role in the new government.

The JUI-F has demanded to make the governor of Balochistan or Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from their party, while the governor of Punjab will be from PPP and the governor of Sindh from MQM-P.