Ag Agencies
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday reshuffled his cabinet for the fourth time since the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) came to power, with the most notable changes seeing Sheikh Rashid Ahmad taking up the mantle of the interior minister and Hafeez Sheikh being sworn in as finance minister.
In the latest shake-up, Rashid, who was previously the railways minister, is replaced by Azam Khan Swati, formerly the narcotics control minister. Sheikh Rashid’s predecessor in the interior ministry, Brig (retd) Ijaz Shah was given charge of Ministry of Narcotics Control.
Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, who was previously the PM’s adviser on finance and revenue, was sworn in as a federal Minister for Finance by President Arif Alvi following the reshuffle. The oath-taking ceremony was held at the Aiwan-e-Sadr and was attended by ministers and senior officials. Sheikh was made a federal minister after the Islamabad High Court ruled on Tuesday that the Prime Minister’s advisers and special assistants have no executive authority to chair or become members of cabinet committees.
The judgment noted that Article 93 of the Constitution allows the Prime Minister to appoint up to five advisers and conferring the status of a federal minister on an adviser is “only for the purpose of perks and privileges” and “does not make the adviser a federal minister as such”.
The reshuffle comes as the ruling party is grappling with a defiant Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), which has vowed to go ahead with its Lahore rally tomorrow despite a government ban on gatherings due to the coronavirus.
Hours after the reshuffle, Rashid held his maiden press conference as interior minister, where he declared that Prime Minister Khan was “not going anywhere” because of the opposition’s rallies, and that he, along with the PTI, had also held their Dharna in 2014, which was fruitless, Geo News reported.
In remarks published by state-run Radio Pakistan, Rashid expressed his determination to improve the overall law and order situation in the country and said the opposition would fail in their designs to fan anarchy in the country. He also said there is no restriction on the opposition parties to hold a gathering in Lahore.
He claimed that if this is the sort of the opposition that will go to the elections next term, Prime Minister Imran Khan will emerge the victor in the next general elections. He added that if the opposition has “deluded itself into thinking that they will be able to copy Imran Khan and hold a massive rally at Minar-e-Pakistan, they must know that Imran Khan was blessed and rose to the top, whereas the Minar-e-Pakistan rally will only be the political downfall of the opposition”.
The minister also said if the opposition wishes to march to Islamabad, “they are welcome”. “We, too, staged a sit-in here for 126 days. It made no difference whatsoever,” he said, also criticising the choice of winter months for a protest.
Sheikh Rashid said for the sake of “saving their children” the leaders of opposition parties sought nationalities of other countries. “When your own children cry (injustice), you are pained to see that, but when the child of a poor man is ill with the virus, it is [but the mere inconvenience of] a headache for you,” he said to the opposition.
Rashid also declared that he, as interior minister, stands behind “all Islamic forces” and “will be their voice”. “All our madressahs stand as the pillars of Islam,” he added. The minister said there is no danger to Pakistan from the borders due to our valiant soldiers stationed there and at the ready.
“This country is at risk from factors at play within. There is foreign investment being made in the country so chaos can spread and those who are doing so will fail,” he said.
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