No expansion in Shehbaz cabinet in 8 months

ISLAMABAD: The size of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s cabinet is small compared to the past governments, and no expansion was made in the first eight-and-a-half months of the PMLN government.

Neither the PPP joined the federal government nor any expansion was made, hence several ministries and divisions still deprived of ministers. There are 18 federal ministers for all 40 federal ministries and divisions. Several ministries and divisions are being run through additional portfolios or the prime minister himself keeping additional portfolios. The cabinet also does not have any female federal minister.

According to sources in the Cabinet Division, the notification of Shehbaz Sharif’s appointment as the PM was made on March 4, 2024. Since then, many important ministries and divisions are being run through additional portfolios given to the ministers or the PM himself keeping them.

Sources said at present, Health, Inter-Provincial Coordination, IT and the ministries of Climate Change are deprived of federal ministers, while the portfolio of the Ministry of Railways has also been kept by the PM. The prime minister himself is the minister in-charge of the National Security Division, Cabinet Division and Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection Division. He has also not appointed a federal minister for the Ministry of Energy. Separate ministers have appointed for both the divisions of the Ministry of Energy, i.e. Power and Petroleum. Awais Leghari is the Minister for Power and Musadik Malik is the minister of Petroleum Division. Musadik Malik has also been assigned the additional portfolio of the Ministry of Water Resources. All 18 federal ministers have been given the portfolio of one or more ministries and divisions, 12 out of 18 federal ministers have been assigned additional portfolios. Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has been given the additional portfolio of Defence Production and Aviation. Federal Minister for Industries and Production Rana Tanveer Hussain has the additional portfolio of National Food Security, while Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar has the additional ministries of Human Rights and Parliamentary Affairs. Similarly, Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Chaudhry Salik Hussain has been given additional portfolio of Religious Affairs. Minister for Privatisation Abdul Aleem Khan has additional portfolios of Board of Investment and Communications. Minister for SAFRON Ameer Muqam has been given additional portfolio of Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan Affairs. Federal Minister for Information Atta Tarar has additional portfolio of National Heritage and Culture, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui has additional portfolio of Education and Training, and Federal Minister for Finance Muhammad Aurangzeb has been assigned additional portfolio of Revenue i.e. FBR. Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Cheema has the additional portfolio of the Establishment Division. Federal Minister for Interior Mohsin Naqvi has been given the additional portfolio of Narcotics Control. Currently, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Commerce Minister Jam Kamal, Maritime Affairs Minister Qaiser Sheikh, Housing and Works Minister Riaz Pirzada and Power Minister Awais Leghari do not have additional portfolios. The PM did not make the only female member of the cabinet, Shaza Fatima, a federal minister. She is currently serving as the minister of state for IT. According to Cabinet Division sources, the number of ministers, ministers of state, advisors and special assistants to the Prime Minister is 24, including 18 federal ministers, two ministers of state, one advisor and three special assistants.