—— Retired diplomat Jalil likely to be given MoFA
—— Hafeez, Baqir not being considered for Finance Ministry
—— Senator Sarfraz Bugti is to be given Interior Ministry
—— Shamshad, Gohar also expected to get key positions
—— Dr Tabish might look after the energy portfolio
ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar has completed consultations regarding his cabinet members whereas an announcement in this regard is expected today.
The sources confided that retired diplomat Jalil Abbas Jilani is likely to be made foreign minister whereas defense analyst Syed Muhammad Ali is being considered for the information ministry.
It was further revealed that prominent banker Sultan Ali Allana was earlier tipped for the caretaker finance minister, however, due to his dual citizenship, two other names were now under consideration for the post.
According to the sources, the names of former finance minister Hafeez Sheikh and former State Bank Governor Raza Baqir were not being considered for the caretaker FinMin.
Furthermore, the name of Senator Sarfraz Bugti was likely to be finalised for caretaker interior minister reason being him previously holding the portfolio of minister of home and tribal affairs of Balochistan.
Sources revealed that the chosen interim cabinet members would take oath tomorrow.
It was earlier reported that the interim PM would retain three senior aides of his predecessor Shehbaz Sharif whereas no federal secretary would be changed forthwith.
Sources told The News on Monday that Principal Secretary to Prime Minister (PSPM) Dr Syed Tauqir Hussain Shah, former advisor to PM Ahad Cheema, and joint secretary Mohib Ali had been retained by the interim PM.
Shah would continue as PSPM till October this year after which he would be moved to the World Bank where he would serve as its group executive director of Pakistan for four years.
Furthermore, Cheema is likely to be assigned a post equal to a federal minister, the sources said, whereas Press Secretary to PM Abdul Akbar would also be among the officers who would continue in office.
Meanwhile, sources revealed that Arshad Muneer Khan, who has been promoted to grade-21, would be posted as principal information officer (PIO).
Military Secretary (MS) to Prime Minister Brigadier Tajdeed Mumtaz would also continue to perform his duties in his current administrative post.
Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar is set to announce the federal cabinet shortly.
Sources told that Shamshad Akhtar had been selected for the key position of finance minister. Gohar Ijaz has been named as minister for trade and commerce while Dr Tabish Gohar will have energy portfolio. A formal decision to the effect would be announced shortly, said sources.
Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar has more or less finalised the names for his cabinet, sources say, as both Hafeez Shaikh and Reza Baqir are not among the candidates being considered for the coveted finance minister slot.
Ex-finance minister Shaikh and former State Bank governor Baqir were in the office at the same time when the current economic crisis started surfacing which later pushed the inflation and the interest rates to the all-time high levels.
The sources say Sultan Ali Allana – a renowned banker currently serving as the Habib Bank chairman and a director at the Aga Khan Fund for Development – had been picked yesterday (Tuesday) for managing the ministry in the current turbulent period.
However, things changed when his dual nationality came to light.
Hence, two other names are now under consideration for the caretaker finance minister as the new cabinet can be announced today (Wednesday) and the oath taking to take place tomorrow. Kakar is, therefore, in the final phase of consultations to complete the process.
According to the sources, Jalil Abbas Jilani – a former foreign secretary and ambassador to the United States – is expected to be the minister for foreign affairs while Syed Muhammad Ali – not Muhammad Ali Durrani as suggested by some circles – will run the affairs of information ministry.
On the other hand, it is predicted that Senator Safraz Bugti – the former Balochistan home minister – would be chosen as the interior minister in the caretaker setup.
–Agencies
