Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif picks federal cabinet

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif invited his allies to the PM House over an Iftar dinner where he finalized the distribution of federal ministries among his coalition partners. The announcement will be made shortly.

SAMAA TV’s Asim Naseer reported citing government sources that Pakistan Peoples Party Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will get the foreign ministry while Rana Sanaullah’s name has been finalized for the interior ministry.

The PPP chairperson, Bilawal Bhutto, was indecisive to take up the foreign ministry. However, in an interview with CNN, he had said the party will decide his role in the new government.

PML-N's Marriyum Aurangzeb, on the other hand, would likely get information ministry. Ahsan Iqbal, Khwaja Asif, Saad Rafique, Khurram Dastagir and Ayaz Sadiq are also the part of the federal cabinet.

The dissident PML-Q leader Tariq Bashir Cheema managed to get the same housing ministry that he had in the former PTI-led government.

SAMAA TV’s Usman Khan reported that PML-N is being given 13 ministries, PPP 10, and JUI-F three. Junior partners such as BAP and JWP will also be given representation in the federal cabinet, he said.

MQM-P, which voted Shehbaz in on Monday, has decided to not join the cabinet.

‘First phase’

Addressing the allies, PM Shehbaz said that his government is moving ahead with “mutual consultation”, adding that the constituency issues would also be resolved on a priority basis.

“The first phase of the cabinet will be revealed soon,” the prime minister said. “The second phase will be announced in a few days or weeks.”

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