| Govt notifies five more Ministers
Bureau Report
KARACHI: PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari announced Tuesday he will be taking oath as a federal minister today, and is likely to be appointed as the Foreign Minister.
Bilawal made the announcement in a press conference after a meeting of the PPP’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) after Adviser to the Prime Minister on Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Qamar Zaman Kaira said last week his party chairman would take oath within two days.
Bilawal was present at the time when the initial federal cabinet members took oath, however, he did not take the oath. But Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb had assured that the PPP chairman would take the oath after he returns to Pakistan.
The federal government on Tuesday notified portfolios of five new ministers — four federal and one state — a week after the 37-member cabinet of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took their oath.
According to a notification issued by the Cabinet Division, Khurram Dastagir Khan has been given the portfolio of power, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has been made the minister for economic affairs, Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada has been appointed the human rights minister, while Murtaza Javed Abbasi has bagged the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs.
In addition, Muhammad Hashim Notezai has been made the minister of state for power.
The first oath-taking ceremony of PM’s Shehbaz’s cabinet was held on April 19 at the President’s House without President Dr Alvi, who was reportedly unwell at the time.
He was, however, present when a second oath-taking ceremony was held for four new members of the cabinet.
The second swearing-in ceremony took place just days after the president and the prime minister held their first meeting since Shehbaz became premier. The President’s Secretariat had said the leaders discussed issues related to the evolving political and economic situation in the country.
PM Shehbaz’s cabinet continued to expand amid reports of differences among allies in the new coalition government and even within the PML-N over the selection of members and distribution of portfolios among them.
