F.P. Report
ISLAMABAD: The 34-member federal cabinet of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has taken oath at an impressive ceremony in Aiwan-i-Sadr on Tuesday.
Acting President Sadiq Sanjrani administered the oath to the 34-member federal cabinet, comprising 31 federal ministers and three ministers of state.
Those who were administered the oath of federal ministers included: Khawaja Asif, Ahsan Iqbal, Rana Sanaullah, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Rana Tanveer Hussain, Khurram Dastgir, Marriyum Aurangzeb, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Miftah Ismail, Mian Javed Latif, Riaz Hussain Pirzada, Murtaza Javed Abbasi, Azam Nazeer Tarar, Syed Khurshid Ahmed Shah, Syed Naveed Qamar, Sherry Rehman, Abdul Qadir Patel, Shazia Marri, Syed Murtaza Mahmud, Sajid Hussain Turi, Ehsan-ur-Rehman Mazari, Abid Hussain, Asad Mahmood, Abdul Wasi, Mufti Abdul Shakoor, Talha Mahmood, Syed Aminul Haque, Syed Faisal Ali Sabzwari, Israr Tareen, Nawabzada Shahzain Bugti and Tariq Bashir Cheema.
Their appointment as federal ministers had been approved by President Dr Arif Alvi.
On oath, the cabinet made its solemn pledge “to bear true faith and allegiance to Pakistan, discharge its duties honestly to the best of ability and faithfully in accordance with the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the law”.
“I will strive to preserve the Islamic Ideology which is the basis for the creation of Pakistan. That I will not allow my personal interest to influence my official conduct or my official decisions,” said the new ministers in chorus-reading of the text of the official oath.
Moreover, the president had also approved the appointment of Dr Aisha Ghaus Pasha, Hina Rabbani Khar and Abdul Rehman Khan Kanju as ministers of state, and they were also administered the oath by the acting president.
Also, President Arif Alvi had approved the appointment of Qamar Zaman Kaira, Engr Amir Muqam and Aun Chaudhry as advisors to the prime minister.
It is to be noted here that the 14 federal ministers are from Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), nine from Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), four from Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI), two are from Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) and one belongs to Jamhoori Watan Party.
It also merits a mention here that PPP’s Khurshid Shah will be given the portfolio of Water and Power, Naveed Qamar Commerce, Sherry Rehman Climate Change, and Abdul Qadir Patel National Health.
Similarly, Shazia Marri will be given the portfolio of Benazir Income Support Programme, Murtaza Mahmud Industries and Sajid Hussain Turi Overseas Pakistanis.
Likewise, Abid Hussain Bhayo is to be given the portfolio of Privatisation and Ehsan-ur-Rehman Mazari will be the Federal Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination.
Furthermore, Hina Rabbani Khar will be the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar will be the Minister of State for Law.
