PM Imran's cabinet swells to 50 members
The PM has appointed 27 federal ministers, four state ministers, five advisers, and 14 special assistants
April 28, 2020
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan's cabinet now comprises 50 members which include federal and state ministers, special assistants, and advisers.
According to the breakdown, of the 50 cabinet members, the premier has appointed 27 federal ministers, four state ministers, five advisers, and 14 special assistants in total.
PM Imran has promoted only two of his special assistants — Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Social Protection and Poverty Dr Sania Nishtar and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Establishment Mohammad Shahzad Arbab — as federal ministers.
Read more: Shibli Faraz appointed information minister, Lt Gen (retd) Asim Bajwa replaces Dr Firdous Awan
Newly appointed Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Lt Gen (retd) Asim Saleem Bajwa has not been accorded the status of a federal minister neither that of a state minister. The total count of unelected members of the cabinet stands at 18.
This reshuffle takes the total of the cabinet members to 50, excluding the prime minister himself. The number of federal ministers part of the cabinet earlier was 26 but with the induction of Shibli Fraz, the number now stands at 27, The News reported.
According to the publication, before coming into power, the PTI and PM Imran had voiced the demand for a small cabinet but it too followed in the footsteps of its predecessors and ended up with a big one.
The PTI had promised to have a cabinet of "leaders of change” to ensure the implementation of PM Imran's agenda. Giving its 100-day plan, the PTI government had said, “Any agenda, no matter how good on paper, will only have an impact if it is implemented well. Implementing change in government is messy and it will require hard work as well as resolve, capability, and constant learning, and adaptation.
Meanwhile, the premier has kept several portfolios to himself, including, the ministry of trade, climate change, parliamentary affairs, finance, health, and overseas Pakistanis.
