PM reconstitutes five cabinet committees

ISLAMABAD: The Prime Minister has reconstituted five cabinet committees. The committees include the Economic Coordination Committee, the Cabinet Committee on Legislation, the Cabinet Committee on Immigration, Overseas Employment and Technical and Vocational Education and Training, the Cabinet Committee on Regulatory Reforms and the Cabinet Committee on Privatization.

The Cabinet Division has issued official notifications for the reconstitution of the committees. According to the notification, the Deputy Prime Minister will continue to be the chairman of the cabinet Committee on Privatization. The members will include the Minister of Finance, Minister of Commerce and Minister of Power. The membership of the Minister of Privatisation and Minister of Industry and Production has been removed from the committee.

The Prime Minister had withdrawn the Privatisation portfolio from Federal Minister Abdul Aleem Khan last month. There is no Federal Minister for Privatisation at present. Muhammad Ali holds the portfolio of Adviser on Privatisation. The Prime Minister had withdrawn the Industries and Production portfolio from Federal Minister Rana Tanveer.

The Prime Minister will continue to be the chairman of the Cabinet Committee on Immigration, Overseas Employment and Technical and Vocational Education and Training. This committee includes the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Commerce, Minister of Education and Training, Minister of Interior, Minister of Health and Minister for Overseas Pakistanis. The membership of the Federal Minister for Industries and Production has been abolished in the committee.

The chairman of the Economic Coordination Committee of the Cabinet will remain the Finance Minister. The ECC members include the Ministers of commerce, economic affairs, petroleum, power, and planning. Federal Minister for National Food Security Rana Tanveer is part of the ECC.

The Federal Minister for Law will continue to be the chairman of the Cabinet Committee on Legislation. The members include the Federal Ministers for Commerce, Economic Affairs, Information and Broadcasting. The federal Ministers for National Food Security, Overseas Pakistanis and Parliamentary Affairs are its members. Earlier, the Committee on Legislation did not include the Ministers for Parliamentary Affairs and National Food Security. The Prime Minister has assigned the portfolio of Parliamentary Affairs to Tariq Fazal Chaudhry.

The Federal Minister for Investment will continue to be the chairman of the Cabinet Committee on Regulatory Reforms. The sole member of the committee will be the Minister for Commerce. The membership of the Federal Minister for Industries and Production and the Minister of State for Finance in the Regulatory Reforms Committee has been terminated. The Prime Minister has recently given the portfolio of Petroleum to Minister of State for Finance Ali Pervez after he became a federal minister.