Punjab, KP caretaker cabinets take oath

LAHORE/ISLAMABAD/PESHAWAR: The caretaker cabinets of the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces took oath on Thursday.

In Punjab, an eight-member caretaker cabinet took oath at the Governor’s House, while three members are likely to be sworn in after a few days.

Governor Muhammad Baligh Ur Rehman administered the oath. Chief Secretary Chaudhry Zahid Akhtar Zaman read out the notification of appointment.

The caretaker cabinet includes SM Tanveer, Dr. Javed Akram, Ibrahim Murad, Bilal Afzal, Dr. Jamal Nasir, Mansoor Qadir, Syed Azfar Ali Nasir and Aamir Mir.

Caretaker Chief Minister Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi, Inspector General of Police, Punjab, Dr. Usman Anwar, were among those present in the ceremony.

Later, Punjab caretaker CM allocated portfolios to eight ministers. SM Tanvir has been given Energy, industries, Commerce, investment, Skills Development (I & SD) institutions. Dr Javed Akram has been handed over Specialised Health Care and Medical Education Department. Dr Jamal Nasir is given Primary and Secondary Health Care (P&HSC) institutions. Ibrahim Murad has been given Local Government and Community Development, while Bilal Afzal Communication and Works, Excise & Taxation and Narcotics Control. Mansoor Qadir has been given Higher Education and Schools Education. Syed Azfar Ali Nasir has been given Auqaf and Religious Affairs with Zakat and Ushr. Aamir Mir has been given portfolio of Information and Culture. It has been stated that necessary notification is being issued in this connection.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Governor Ghulam Ali administered the oath to the caretaker cabinet. The PTI alleged that its nominees were ignored.

The government notified a 15-member cabinet earlier in the day but only 14 members took oath. The portfolios are yet to be allotted. Most of the cabinet members are stated to be close relatives of certain political leaders and rather resourceful.

Those inducted into the cabinet include Abdul Haleem Qasuriya, a retired civil servant; Syed Masood Shah, former inspector general of police; Hamid Shah, politician, Sawal Nazir, lawyer; Bakht Nawaz, politician; Fazal Elahi, industrialist; Adnan Jalil, businessman; Shafiullah Khan; Shahid Khan Khattak, politician; Haji Ghufran, Khushdil Khan Malik, retired civil servant; Taj Mohammad Afridi, businessman; Mohammad Ali Shah and Justice (retired) Ms Irshad Qaiser.

Meanwhile, a former provincial minister and PTI leader Shaukat Yousafzai complained that they were not taken into confidence on the selection of the cabinet.

He said all the cabinet members were nominated by the opposition parties and it seemed to them that the governor and former opposition leader had chosen the cabinet.

“We are the largest political party of the province but have not been taken into confidence in the selection process of the caretaker cabinet. Almost all of the cabinet members belong to the opposition parties, which may jeopardise the elections,” Shaukat Yousafzai feared.