The first phase of the Punjab cabinet will take oath tomorrow (Saturday), Minute Mirror has learnt.
Sources privy to the developments told this scribe that Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has given the final nod to the ministers, who will take oath tomorrow. They further said that Imran Khan has also met with all the would-be ministers through video link.
In the first phase, around 20 ministers will take the oath of their offices and all of them will be from the PTI. It should be noted here that not a single MPA from PML-Q will be made a minister in the first phase and it has also been confirmed by Moonis Elahi, who called on Imran Khan on Thursday at Bani Gala.
After the meeting with Imran Khan, he said that nothing more is required after taking the Chief Minister’s office in Punjab. Moonis also revealed through Twitter that PML-Q will be adjusted in the cabinet in the second phase.
It is worth mentioning here that PML-Q had two ministers in the cabinet of Usman Buzdar but now the PTI thinks that they shouldn’t be given any portfolio as they have already occupied the coveted office of Chief Minister.
According to the proposed list, former ministers Mian Aslam Iqbal, Mohsin Laghari, Raja Basharat, Hussain Jahanian Gardezi, Dr. Yasmin Rashid, Mian Mehmood ur Rasheed, Murad Ras, Hashim Dogar, Ansar Majeed Niazi, Sardar Asif Nakai, Sardar Hussnain Bahadur Dareshak, Raja Yasir Humayun, Fayaz-ul-Hassan Chohan and Hashim Jawan Bakht will be the part of the cabinet once again.
Moreover, Nawabzada Mansoor, Ali Afzal Sahi, Malik Taimoor Masood and Khurram Jahangir will be the new inductees into the cabinet. Nawabzada Mansoor is the son of late veteran politician Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan who remained the main pillar of Pakistan’s politics for decades.
Ali Afzal Sahi, who just recently won the by-election from Faisalabad, is the son of former Speaker of Punjab Assembly Ch Afzal Sahi. Khurram Jahangir also came from the by-election of the Shiekhupra constituency and he is sitting president of the district bar association. He is likely to get into the Law Ministry. Malik Taimoor Masood is a two-time MPA from Rawalpindi and he is likely to get a portfolio of Sports. It has been learnt that Raja Basharat is likely to get the portfolio of Parliamentary Affairs with an additional charge of Prosecution and Cooperatives. Dr. Murad Raas will be given the School Education ministry while Yasmin Rashid is likely to get the Health Ministry.
The sources said that Mian Aslam Iqbal will be the Minister for Housing and Industries while Mian Mehmood ur Rasheed will be made Minister for Local Government. For the coveted office of Home Minister, the names of Hashim Dogar, former Governor Omar Cheema and PTI’s senior leader Fawad Chaudhry are being discussed.
