Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has forwarded a list of proposed federal cabinet members to President Asif Zardari, indicating a significant step in the formation of the new government.
According to sources familiar with the matter, the prime minister has recommended the appointment of 19 individuals as federal ministers, under clause 1 of Article 92 of the Constitution.
Among the proposed appointees are Attaullah Tarar, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Jam Kamal, Ameer Muqam, and Awais Laghari, as revealed by sources privy to the matter. Additionally, prominent figures such as Khawaja Asif, Ahsan Iqbal, Rana Tanveer, Abdul Aleem Khan, and Azam Nazir Tarar are also included in the list of potential ministers.
The list further includes the names of Chaudhry Salik Hussain, Qaiser Sheikh, and Riaz Pirzada.
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Moreover, Prime Minister Sharif has also recommended the names of Muhammad Aurangzeb, Ahad Cheema, and Mohsin Naqvi in the cabinet, albeit as ministers of state. They will, however, have the status of federal ministers.
Furthermore, the prime minister’s list also includes the names of former finance minister Ishaq Dar, Dr Musadik Malik and Shaza Fatima. As per the sources, the PM has proposed to make Ishaq Dar and Musadik Malik federal ministers and Shaza Fatima a minister of state.
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It has been recommended to make Ishaq Dar and Musadik Malik federal ministers under clause 1 of Article 92 of the Constitution, read with clause 9 of Article 91.
Clause 9 of Article 91 of the Constitution states: “A Minister who for any period of six consecutive months is not a member of the National Assembly shall, at the expiration of that period, cease to be a Minister and shall not before the dissolution of that Assembly be again appointed a Minister unless he is elected a member of that Assembly:
Provided that nothing in this clause shall apply to a Minister who is a member of the Senate.”
Muhammad Aurangzeb, Ahad Cheema, and Mohsin Naqvi will also be taking the oath under the above rule.
Oath ceremony
The federal cabinet is scheduled to take oath at 3pm at the Presidency. Newly elected President Asif Ali Zardari is set to administer the oath to the new federal cabinet.
It has been reported that Prime Minister Sharif has called the maiden meeting of his cabinet at 5pm, right after they take oath, at the PM House.