ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet is scheduled to take oath at 3pm on Monday following days of consultation on its formation.
The ceremony will be held at the President House, where newly elected President Asif Ali Zardari will administer the oath. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has initially opted for a small cabinet, with plans to induct more ministers in the second phase.
Former finance minister Ishaq Dar will be appointed as the foreign minister in the new cabinet, while Tariq Fatemi will assume the role of special assistant to the prime minister on foreign affairs. Aurangzeb Khan will oversee the Finance Ministry, and Mohsin Naqvi, former Punjab chief minister, will be given the Interior Ministry.
Furthermore, veteran Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Azam Tarar is set to lead the Ministry of Law, with Attaullah Tarar as the information minister and Khawaja Asif as the head of the Defence Ministry.
Musadik Malik will be appointed as the Petroleum Minister, while Shaza Fatima Khawaja will helm the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication.
Ahad Cheema will join as an adviser to the prime minister for the Establishment Division, alongside former Balochistan CM Jam Kamal and PML-Quaid’s Chaudhry Salik Hussain.
Additionally, Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) leader Abdul Aleem Khan and PML-N politician Amir Muqam are expected to be included in the federal cabinet. The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan will also be allocated two ministries.
The swearing-in of the federal cabinet follows Prime Minister Shehbaz’s oath of office as the 24th premier of the country last week. President Zardari took the oath as the head of state a day ago, with all dignitaries in attendance during the ceremony.
