Cabinet strength swells to 32 with induction of Zulfi, Ali

ISLAMABAD: With the induction of Zulfi Bokhari and Ali Muhammad Khan into the federal cabinet, the number of its members has risen to 32, including two ministers without portfolios.

Syed Zulfikar Abbas Bokhari, a British national of Pakistani origin, has been made the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (PM) on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development. Before him, Ali Muhammad Khan was appointed as the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs.

The Special Assistant to the PM on Media, Iftikhar Durrani, told The News that Zulfi Bokhari had not been inducted because of his friendship and long association with Imran Khan. Instead, it was due to his expertise on the problems and issues pertaining to Pakistani expatriates. “Since Bokhari has been living abroad for many years, he knows well the problems of the overseas Pakistanis, has a grasp on the subject, and can better advise the PM,” Durrani said.

He said Bokhari was not the only subject-specific specialist to be co-opted into Imran Khan’s team. Abdul Razak Dawood, Dr Ishrat Hussain and Mirza Shahzad Akbar also fall in this category. “None of them has either worked for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) or has been associated with Imran Khan," Durrani said. Durrani said further personalities would be appointed to the cabinet, because several ministries are still without ministers. “The expansion will be done on the basis of need, in bits and pieces,” he said.

Federal Minister Ali Muhammad Mahar from Sindh and Minister of State Muhammad Shabbir Ali from Punjab have not yet been allotted portfolios. Under article 92 of the Constitution, as changed by the 18th amendment, the total strength of the cabinet, including ministers of state, must not exceed 11 percent of the total membership of Parliament. The combined

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strength of the Senate (104) and National Assembly (342) comes to 446 members, so 11 percent would be equal to 49 members of the cabinet.

Currently, there are 19 federal ministers, five ministers of state, and four advisers and special assistants to the PM each. Under the law, the advisers are allowed to attend and participate in the proceedings of the National Assembly and Senate, whereas the special assistants cannot.

Punjab has secured the highest representation in Prime Minister Imran Khan’s federal team. There are nine federal ministers, two ministers of state, and two advisers and special assistants each from the most populous province.

Sindh follows with six federal ministers, and one adviser and special assistant each. Two federal ministers, three ministers of state, and one adviser and special assistant each represent Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. One federal minister each hails from Balochistan and the erstwhile federally administered tribal areas.

Out of the coalition partners of the PTI, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement has two ministers, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and Farough Nasim. The Pakistan Muslim League-Q has one minister, Tariq Bashir Cheema. The cabinet also includes Sheikh Rashid Ahmed of the Awami Muslim League and Dr Fehmida Mirza of the Grand Democratic Alliance.

Farough Nasim is the only senator in the federal cabinet. It is possible that further members of the Upper House of Parliament would be inducted into the cabinet.

As per article 92, the number of federal ministers and ministers of state who are members of the Senate cannot constitute more than a quarter of the total number of ministers.

All the eight advisers and special assistants were not elected. The advisers are eminent technocrats known for their expertise in the fields they have been given charge of.

Since Malik Amin Aslam had previously worked as the minister of state for the environment, he has been allocated the portfolio of the climate change. As a prominent entrepreneur and a former minister, Abdul Razak Dawood advises the PM on commerce, the textile industry, production and investment. Being a former senior civil servant, Muhammad Shehzad Arbab now looks after the Establishment Division. Dr Ishrat Hussain advises on institutional reforms and austerity, and also heads a task force on the issue.

Three of the PM's four special assistants – Iftikhar Durrani, Naeemul Haq and Zulfi Bokhari – have long been associated with Imran Khan. Bokhari is his old friend who has played an important role in UK fund-raising events for Imran Khan’s charitable cancer hospitals and university. Iftikhar Durrani and Naeemul Haq have also acted as close aides of Imran Khan for many years.

Mirza Shahzad Akbar, who is the PM's special assistant on accountability, is a former prosecutor of the National Accountability Bureau, and has regularly appeared in TV talk shows in his capacity as a legal expert.