April 18, 2022
ISLAMABAD: PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari has advised Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to give cabinet positions to all the coalition partners in the first phase, while PPP will join the cabinet in the second phase, according to sources.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and PPP co-chairman called on PM Shehbaz to finalise the cabinet at PM House on Saturday night, reported The News.
According to the sources, it is expected that in the first phase of the cabinet, around 10-12 ministers will take oath on Monday or Tuesday.
Earlier, on Saturday, Asif Zardari had informed a journalist that the PPP will not join the cabinet as he wanted the coalition partners to be accommodated first. Later, senior PPP leaders started giving explanations for his remarks and said he did not mean the party would not join the cabinet.
Sources in the PPP said the party would have 11 cabinet posts, while the PML-N 14. According to the formula agreed in the political committee of the government, ministries of finance, interior, planning and development, defence and energy including water and power and Petroleum Division will go to the PML-N, while ministries like foreign affairs and human rights would go to the PPP.
The sources further said that PPP and MQM-P will decide on the Ministry of Port and Shipping and Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis, while the PPP and PML-N will decide on the Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Communications.
If Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari decides to join the cabinet, he would be the minister of foreign affairs, while Hina Rabbani Khar is likely to be the minister of state for foreign affairs and either Shazia Marri or Senator Mustafa Nawaz Kokhar would get the Ministry of Human Rights.
From the PML-N, Ahsan Iqbal is likely to get the Ministry of Planning and Development, Marriyum Aurangzeb could be the information minister, Rana Sanaullah interior minister, Rana Tanveer Hussain minister for parliamentary affairs, Miftah Ismail the adviser to the prime minister on finance.
Meanwhile, Khawaja Muhammad Asif and Khurram Dastgir will also take oaths as federal ministers. Murtaza Javed Abbasi could be the deputy speaker of the National Assembly.