Profile of nominated Punjab ministers

LAHORE: The first ever cabinet of PTI government in Punjab seems dominated by former provincial ministers of Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi and those who served as the PML-Q MPAs or parliamentary secretaries in the Q-league era.

The names of Punjab cabinet were finalised by the prime minister in consultation with the Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar in Islamabad on Sunday.

The new cabinet is likely to take oath on Tuesday whereas the PML-Q, the PTI ally, has so far received one ministry allotted to Ammar Yasir.

Negotiations are also underway for induction of Bau Rizwan MPA who has been elected for the third time from Sialkot.

Dr Yasmin Rashid, the runner-up of two elections against Sharif family whose name was even dubbed the would-be chief minister, has been awarded the portfolio of health.

She is widely respected in the PTI camp. In the 2018 general election, she lost the NA-125 seat to the Sharif family despite bagging more than 100,000 votes.

She also contested against Nawaz Sharif in 2013 and later against Begum Kulsoom in 2017 by-polls.

Although she lost the general election, she attained significant stature in the party camp.

In recognition of her services for the party, Imran also offered her the National Assembly reserved seat but she preferred to remain in the Punjab Assembly. She is the first even woman health minister of Punjab.

Prime Minister Imran Khan approved the names of six former provincial ministers of PML-Q including Raja Basharat, Abdul Aleem Khan, Chaudhry Zaheer, Hasnain Bahadur Dreshak, Mian Aslam Iqbal and Sibtain Khan whereas amongst his old guards who have over 15 year-long affiliation with IK are Mian Mehmood-ur-Rasheed and Dr Murad Raas. Besides, Raja Rashid Hafeez, Mohsin Leghari and Asif Nakari have been MPAs in 2002 or 2008 on PML-Q and National Alliance tickets. Fayyazul Hassan Chohan, who won in 2002 on MMA ticket also sided with the PML-Q at the time the party was in power.

Junoobi Punjab Mahaz head Khusro Bakhtiar’s brother Hashmi Jawan Bakht has been chosen as finance minister in the cabinet of Usman Buzdar.

Khusro’s group was an ally of the PML-N before the formation of Junoobi Punjab Mahaz whereas before that it also vowed loyalty to PML-Q in Musharraf era when Khusro Bakhtiar served as Tehsil Nazim and later as State Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Hashim Jawan has got elected for second consecutive term from Rahim Yar Khan.

Amongst other members who have been picked from Southern Punjab are Mohsin Leghari and Hasnain Dareshak. Both got elected from Rajanpur district.

From Sahiwal, former MNA Malik Nauman Langrial has also been chosen as minister without portfolio.

Potohar region has got a major representation in the Punjab cabinet with Raja Yasir (From Chakwal as Minister for Higher Education), Fayyazul Hassan Chohan (from Pindi as Minister for Information), Raja Rashid Hafeez (from Pindi as Minister Revenue), Ammar Yasir (from Chakwal and awaiting portfolio) and Malik Anwar (from Attock awaiting portfolio).

Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Raja Basharat is the most experienced member of Buzdar cabinet who has returned to the Punjab Assembly for the fifth time.

He has the unique distinction of being the member of cabinets of former chief ministers Shehbaz Sharif and Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi.

He sided with Nawaz Sharif and got elected in 1990, 1993 and 1997 general elections and joined PML-Q after October 12, 1999.

He lost from Rawalpindi in 2002 general elections but got re-elected in by-polls and served as Minister for Law, Parliamentary Affairs in the cabinet of Pervaiz Elahi.

He lost 2008 general elections at the hands of Chaudhry Sarfaraz Afzal of PML-N. In 2018, he got elected from Rawalpindi on PTI ticket defeating Chaudhry Tanveer group.

Abdul Aleem Khan, one of the close aides to Imran Khan now and who has been elected for the second time from Lahore has been chosen as Minister for Local Government.

Aleem contested first general elections in 2002 as PML-Q candidate from NA-127 but lost to Pakistan Awami Tehreek chief Dr Tahirul Qadri. However, within a couple of months in early 2003, he got elected as MPA from the then PP-147, a seat vacated by PML-N’s Ayaz Sadiq who took oath as MNA.

Abdul Aleem Khan defeated Syed Zaeem Qadri of PML-N and MMA’s Ameer-ul-Azeem. In 2008, while PML-Q was in dire straits, Aleem Khan suffered defeat as its candidate by a huge margins.

He joined the PTI in later years and was fielded as its candidate in 2015 by-polls from the then NA-122 but lost to PML-N’s Ayaz Sadiq after a very tough fight.

In 2018 general elections, Aleem Khan lost the National Assembly seat again but remained fortunate on one provincial seat and after winning it he is now the member of Punjab cabinet for the second time in his life. He has been notified as the senior minister.

Sibtain Khan, the MPA elected from Mianwali, has returned to the Punjab Assembly for fourth term, as he first got elected in 1990 as an independent candidate defeating the IJI’s Ghulam Shabbir Joya.

Later, he won in 2002 general elections and was chosen as Minister for Mines and Minerals by Pervaiz Elahi, the then CM. He won once again in 2013 on the PTI ticket and got re-elected in 2018. He is yet to be awarded a portfolio.

Mian Aslam Iqbal, once a Union Council Nazim in 2001, came into limelight in 2002 general elections when he got elected as an independent MPA defeating the group of former Minister Akhter Rasul.

He joined the PML-Q and being close to then District Nazim Lahore Mian Amir Mehmood, he also found place in the cabinet and was given the portfolio of tourism.

He lost the 2008 elections on PML-Q ticket but after joining PTI made a comeback in 2013 defeating Akhter Rasul of PML-N. He won once again in 2018 and has been chosen as Minister for Industries now.

Chaudhry Zaheer-ud-Din is another experienced member of PA who has been chosen as the cabinet member but is yet to get any portfolio.

Zaheer had been siding with the PPP since 1999 and got elected as MPA in 1988, 1993 on the PPP ticket and later in 2002 and 2008 on the ticket of PML-Q.

He served as minister for communication and works in the cabinet of Pervaiz Elahi and later as opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly. By 2018, he joined the PTI and is now the part of Usman Buzdar’s cabinet who is much junior to him.

Hasnain Bahadur Dareshak, another former member of 2002-2007 cabinet, has returned to the Punjab Assembly for the second time.

After winning 2002 general elections on the provincial seat, he was inducted as minister for finance by Pervaiz Elahi. He lost the 2008 polls to independent MPA Athar Gorchani and won the 2018 poll on the PTI ticket.

Fayyaz Chohan, who has been elected from Rawalpindi for second term and won as MMA candidate in 2002 general elections is also part of Buzdar cabinet and will hold the portfolio of information.

Chohan won the 2002 election on the ticket of MMA but he soon joined the PML-Q.

He lost the 2008 general election on PML-Q ticket by a huge margin at the hand of PML-N’s Raja Hanif and after joining PTI in later years, he was fielded from PP-17, a seat that he won comfortably and has now been notified as Minister for Information and Culture.

Chohan is known for his aggressive style of speech and quite popular in the PTI ranks for defending the party head and countering anti-Imran propaganda by the members of rival parties in TV shows.

Mian Mehmood-ur-Rasheed, an old guard of Imran Khan who got elected from Lahore in 1988, 1990 on IJI ticket and later in 2013 and 2018 general elections as PTI candidate led the PTI Lahore chapter in critical phases.

He headed the Lahore district organization at a time when PTI didn’t even have a single councilor from Lahore and was also the president of Lahore chapter when the party had its first ever historic gathering at Minar-e-Pakistan in October 30, 2011.

After winning the 2013 general elections, he served as opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly and won consecutively again from Lahore, a city known as PML-N headquarters.

He has been awarded the portfolio of Housing and Urban Development but unlike Abdul Aleem Khan, who is quite junior to him as far as the standing with party is concerned, he hasn’t been chosen as senior minister.

Dr Murad Raas, another MPA elected from Lahore is one of the old guards of Imran Khan and has around 15-year-long standing with the PTI. Raas has been awarded the portfolio of school education.

He got elected from PP-159, a seat that he also won in 2013 while it was PP-152.

Mohisn Leghari is also one of the most experienced persons, as he not only has been elected as MPA for third term, but also served as senator between 2012 and2018. He belongs to Dera Ghazi Khan but under the fresh delimitation he has been elected from the Rajanpura.

He got elected in 2002 by-polls against the seat vacated by former president Sardar Farooq Ahmed Khan Leghari who was heading a party named National Alliance.

He won again in 2008 polls on the PML-Q ticket and got elected as senator in 2012. He got re-elected in 2018 from PP-293 and has been awarded the portfolio of irrigation.

Asif Nakai, son of former Punjab chief minister Sardar Arif Nakai, hails from Kasur and has served as MPA on the PML-Q ticket in the past.

He joined the PTI in later years. He has been inducted as minister in Buzdar cabinet and awaits a portfolio.