Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Thursday finally succeeded in agreeing to names for the federal cabinet, which was dissolved after disqualification of Nawaz Sharif by Supreme Court in Panama Papers case.

The back-to-back consultative meetings of the ruling party on Thursday reached consensus on members of the team of Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi. The cabinet is scheduled to take oath Friday (today) morning at 9am by President Mamnoon Hussain at the President’s House.

The new federal cabinet is likely to comprise around four dozen ministers and state ministers. Though most of the members of the previous cabinet are likely to be retained in the new team, some important portfolios are likely to be shuffled. According to sources familiar to the development, Ahsan Iqbal is likely to succeed Ch Nisar Ali Khan as interior minister. Khurram Dastagir is likely to take over as defence minister, a portfolio previously held by Khawaja Asif, who is likely to be given the portfolio of foreign minister. Maryam Aurangzeb is likely to retain portfolio of minister for information and broadcasting.

Ishaq Dar is likely to resume his responsibilities as finance minister. Though Supreme Court in its July 28 verdict in Panamagate case has ordered the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to file a reference against Dar for keeping assets beyond known sources of income, yet PML-N has been forced to retain him since it doesn’t have any ‘suitable’ person within its close ranks to hold this crucial post.

While Mushahid Ullah Khan is being given the climate change ministry, Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Kh Saad Rafique, Saira Afzal Tarar, Anushe Rehman and Sardar Yousuf are likely to retain their previous ministries.

Junaid Anwar Chaudhry (Toba Tek Singh), Sardar Arshad Khan Laghari (Rahim Yar Khan), Abdur Rehman Kanju (Lodhran) and Danyal Aziz (Narowal) may also make their way to the new cabinet.

Sources said people from the southern part of Punjab province are being indicted in the cabinet on special instructions of deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

Ch Nisar Ali Khan, who has served as interior minister in Nawaz Sharif’s cabinet until his disqualification on July 28, is not likely to be part of the new cabinet. He, however, may rejoin the cabinet when Shahbaz Sharif takes over as PM.

Following the oath-taking, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi will be chairing the first session of the cabinet.

A PML-N consultative session in Murree on Wednesday had failed to finalise members of the Khaqani’s cabinet, which led to the postponement of the oath-taking which had been scheduled for Thursday.

On Thursday, incumbent Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif met for the second day at latter’s Donga Gali residence and finalised the names of the cabinet members.

The first meeting was followed by an informal meeting which was attended by Pervez Rashid, Musaddiq Malik, Tariq Fazal Chaudhry and Marriyum Aurangzeb among others. The meetings also discussed whether Shahbaz would contest the NA-120 by-poll and take over from Abbasi or the latter would continue as prime minister until the 2018 general election.

Shahid Khaqan Abbasi left Murree after the meeting and reached Prime Minister’s House in Islamabad to formally assume his official duties. On arrival at the PM House, he was presented guard of honour by a smartly turned out contingent of the three services.

It has also been learnt that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is planning to show its political strength when former prime minister Nawaz Sharif reaches Lahore from Islamabad on Sunday.

Sources said Nawaz Sharif will leave for Lahore in a big caravan via motorway and address public rallies on the way at various interchanges to give the counter-narrative on his disqualification.

Published in Daily Times, August 4^th 2017.