33 MPs take oath as cabinet members

ISLAMABAD: The 33-member federal cabinet comprising members of the mainstream political parties of the country took oath on Tuesday at a swearing-in ceremony held here at the Aiwan-e-Sadr.

Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani administered oath to the cabinet members, a week after he gave oath to the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as the head of the government. The total strength of the federal cabinet at present is 38. Two MPs have not taken the oath yet.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has not taken the oath as foreign minister, but he is expected to assume his office after he returns following a meeting with PMLN supremo Nawaz Sharif from London. Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, who has been named the minister for energy, will also take the oath in the next phase, which is expected in a few days.

The new ministers include Minister of Defence Khawaja Asif, Minister of Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal, Minister of Interior Rana Sanaullah, Minister of Education and Professional Training Rana Tanveer Hussain, Minister of Climate Change Sherry Rehman, Minister of Information Marriyum Aurangzeb, Minister of Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique, Minister of Water Resources Syed Khursheed Shah, Minister of Commerce Syed Naveed Qamar, Minister of Health Abdul Qadir Patel, Minister of Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Shazia Marri, Minister for Industries Syed Murtaza Mahmud, Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Sajid Hussain Turi, Minister of Human Rights Ehsan-ur-Rehman Mazari, Minister of Privatization Abid Hussain Bhayo, Minister of Communication Asad Mahmood, Minister of Housing and Works Abdul Wasay, Minister of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Mufti Abdul Shakoor, Minister of SAFFRON Muhammad Talha Mahmood, Minister of Information Technology Syed Amin-ul-Haque, Minister of Maritime Affairs Syed Faisal Ali Subzwari, Minister of Defence Production Muhammad Israr Tareen, Minister of Narcotics Control Shahzain Bugti, Minister of Food Security and Research Tariq Bashir Cheema.

Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Khurrum Dastagir Khan, Murtaza Javed Abbasi, Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada also took oath as ministers but were not assigned portfolios. Meanwhile, Aisha Ghaus Pasha has been given the portfolio of state minister for finance and revenue and Hina Rabbani Khar state minister for foreign affairs. Abdul Rehman Khan Kanju also took oath as state minister but wasn’t allocated a portfolio.

Similarly, Qamar Zaman Kaira has been notified as adviser to the PM on Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan. Other two advisers are Amir Muqam and Aon Chaudhry.

Sanjrani administered the oath, instead of President Arif Alvi after he had excused himself from performing his constitutional duty.

Besides Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the event was attended by senior politicians, including Bilawal Bhutto, former prime ministers Yusuf Raza Gilani and Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, and a large number of parliamentarians, party workers and government officials.

The new cabinet mainly comprises members of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM). One member each from the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), Jamhoori Watan Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Q also joined the cabinet. However, the Balochistan National Party stayed away from the coalition cabinet.

The President House in a statement issued prior to the oath-taking ceremony said that President Dr Arif Alvi had given formal approval to the names of the federal and state ministers and advisers.