19-member Federal Cabinet takes oath

A 19-member Federal Cabinet sworn in on Monday, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

President Asif Zardari administered the oath from newly-nominated Cabinet members at Awan-e-Sadr.

Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved the names of 19 members for his Cabinet comprising 18 Federal Ministers and one member as Minister of State and sent the list to President Asif Zardari to administer the oath from newly-nominated Cabinet.

According to details, Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar was likely to be appointed as Federal Law Minister, Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi as Interior Affairs Minister, Ishaq Dar as Foreign Affairs Minister, while Tariq Fatmi will be made PM Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs. PML-N leader Khawaja Asif will get the portfolio of Defence Minister.

While senior banker and economic expert Mohammad Aurangzeb was likely to get portfolio of Finance Minister.

Ahsan Iqbal will be made Planning and Development Minister while Musaddiq Malik will become Petroleum Minister. While MNA Atta Tarar will be appointed Minister for Information and Broadcasting. MNA Rana Tanvir Hussain, MNA Amir Muqam, MNA Awais Laghari and MNA Riaz Hussain Pirzada and MNA Aleem Khan will also be inducted in new the cabinet. Shaza Fatima Khawaja was likely to be made State Minister for Information Technology.

Former bureaucrat who remained very close to Shehbaz Sharif in Punjab during his CM stint, Ahad Cheema will be made Minister on Establishment Division. Balochistan’s former Chief Minister Jam Kamal and PML-Q senior leader Chaudhary Salik Hussain will also be inducted in the Cabinet.

Former diplomat Jalil Abbas Jilani and former State Bank of Pakistan governor Shamshad Akhtar will be inducted in the federal Cabinet. However, during the next phase, members from MQM Pakistan and Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) will be inducted in the Cabinet.

Reporter: Awais Kiyani