Cabinet gets 41 new ministers today

[Naveed Yaseen]

ISLAMABAD: The overdue and keenly-awaited expansion of the federal cabinet will finally take place today (Monday) when 41 new federal ministers and ministers of state will be inducted into the cabinet.

President Asif Ali Zardari will administer the oath to the new ministers at the Darbar Hall of Aiwan-e-Sadr. With this expansion, the strength of the cabinet will increase to 54 at a time when the country is facing a severe economic crisis.

On Monday, 20 new federal ministers will be inducted into the federal cabinet, raising the number of federal ministers to 33 while 21 junior ministers (ministers of state) will also take oath.

It is just a coincidence that the cabinet expansion is taking place on November 3, the day when former president Musharraf imposed emergency last year and removed 60 judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts, including chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.

It is believed that Makhdoom Amin Fahim, the estranged senior leader of the ruling party, has accepted the offer to join the cabinet as senior minister though party sources are still tight-lipped about it.

However, sources close to Makhdoom Amin Fahim have confirmed that he has agreed to take oath and is rushing back to Islamabad from Dubai on Sunday night, which confirms the report that he has accepted the offer.

The cabinet expansion was on the cards since the Nawaz Sharif-led PML-N pulled out of the government on the issue of the restoration of the deposed judges. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani chaired two separate meetings on Sunday evening with the nominated ministers.

According to PPP sources, the names finalised for induction as federal ministers include Makhdoom Amin Fahim, Dr Babar Awan, Mian Manzoor Wattoo, Hamid Saeed Kazmi, Hazar Khan Bijrani, Samina Khalid Ghurki, Ijaz Jhakrani, Qayyum Jatoi and Makhdoom Shahabuddin while Hina Rabbani Khar, Firdous Aashiq Awan, Shahbaz Bhatti, Mumtaz Alam Gilani, Shahid Bhutto, Syed Sumsam Ali Bukhari, Nabeel Ahmed Gabol, Mehreen Anwer Raja, Shagufta Jumani, Muhammad Afzal Sindhu, Rafiq Jamali, Salim Haider Khan, Amad Khan, Ayatullah Durrani and Tariq Anis will be inducted as ministers of state.

From the ANP, Arbab Zahir Khan is to be inducted as federal minister while Masood Abbas will join the cabinet as minister of state. According to sources, Hina Rabbani Khar is set to make history by becoming the first ever woman minister of state for finance. It is obvious that Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance Shaukat Tareen will actually run the ministry while the role of minister of state would be to present the budget and to reply to MPs’ questions.

From the MQM, Senator Babar Ghauri and Haider Abbas Rizvi are expected to join the cabinet as federal ministers while Waseem Akhtar and Khushbakht Shujaat will take oath as ministers of state.

However, sources said though the MQM has given the list of its nominees for the federal cabinet, differences still exist on the portfolios. NRB Chairman Dr Asim Hussain, who is close to MQM chief Altaf Hussain, is trying to resolve the issue. Sources in the cabinet indicated that the issue would be resolved before the oath-taking ceremony.

From the PML-F, Justice (retd) Razzaq Thaeem (federal minister) and Muhammad Jadam Mangrio (minister of state) and from the JUI-F Maulana Ataur Rehman, Noorul Haq Dari (Fata) and Senator Israrullah Zehri of the BNP-Awami will take oath as federal ministers.

Sources said talks with the forward block of the Q-League were in the final stage and a meeting was under way at the Presidency on Sunday night till the filing of this report. It is expected that the PML-Q forward bloc would also get representation in the cabinet. However, sources said the Q-League forward bloc would announce its nominees on Monday morning and there was a likelihood that Riaz Fatiyana and Kashmala Tariq would take oath.

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