Portfolios of new cabinet members unveiled

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has expanded his federal cabinet by assigning portfolios to 24 newly inducted ministers, state ministers, and advisers.

The decision, which increases the total cabinet size from 25 to 50, has raised questions about the government’s commitment to its austerity drive.

According to a notification issued by the Cabinet Division, Tariq Fazal Chaudhry has been appointed as the Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, while Ali Pervaiz Malik and Shaza Fatima Khawaja have taken charge of the Petroleum and Information Technology ministries, respectively.

Other key appointments include:

Mustafa Kamal – National Health Services, Regulations & Coordination

Hanif Abbasi – Railways

Moeen Watto – Water Resources

Sardar Yousuf – Religious Affairs & Interfaith Harmony

Aurangzeb Katchi – National Heritage & Culture

Rana Mubashir – Public Affairs Unit

Raza Hayat Hiraj – Defence Production

Junaid Anwar – Maritime Affairs

Khalid Magsi – Science & Technology

In addition, Barrister Aqeel Malik, Bilal Azhar Kayani, and Talal Chaudhry have been made state ministers for Law & Justice, Railways, and Interior & Narcotics Control, respectively.

A significant appointment is that of Pervez Khattak, a former close ally of imprisoned ex-PM Imran Khan, who has been named Adviser to the Prime Minister on Interior Affairs. Two more advisers, Syed Tauqir Hussain Shah and Muhammad Ali, have also been added, increasing the number of advisers to seven.

The cabinet expansion comes despite the government’s earlier claims of reducing expenses and focusing on financial discipline.