ISLAMABAD: On Sunday, newly elected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif proceeded with talks within his own party over the federal cabinet, which is anticipated to be formed in the coming days.
The prime minister conducted a lengthy meeting on Sunday to finalize the names of his new ministers, which lasted late into the night, a source in the PM Office informed Dawn.
“The cabinet may be sworn in either today, Monday, or tomorrow, Tuesday. On the same day, the cabinet’s first meeting will take place, a top PM Office official confirmed to Dawn, requesting anonymity.
Although the PPP, the PML-N’s principal ally, has declined to join the federal cabinet, it is still unclear what will happen to MQM-P in terms of how many ministries it would receive.
Aleem Khan, the president of the Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party, and Chaudhry Salik, the leader of the PML-Q, are rumored to be considering joining the cabinet during the first phase.
There’s a lot of conjecture on the grapevine regarding who will receive which portfolio. Ahsan Iqbal will continue to lead the planning and development ministry, Khawaja Asif will continue to oversee defense, Musaddiq Malik will oversee petroleum, and Azam Nazeer Tarar will once again serve as minister of law.
There’s a lot of speculation on the grapevine as to which portfolio will go to which person. Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, Petroleum Minister Musaddiq Malik, and Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar will all remain in their positions.
Mohsin Naqvi, the current chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and a former interim chief minister of Punjab, is running for interior minister and has acknowledged that he will participate in the 2018 Senate elections.
