PM Kakar accelerates consultations to form federal cabinet

Caretaker PM likely to keep cabinet small

ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) – Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar has accelerated consultations to form the interim cabinet. 

According to media reports, the interim PM will keep his cabinet small, besides personally reviewing profiles of all potential candidates.

Sources quoted Prime Minister Kakar as having said he did not want to put extra burden on the country already suffering from economic woes. 

PM Kakar has also wished that his protocol be kept to a minimum level, adding that he does not want to incur unnecessary expenses nor make people suffer. 

The media reports said names of caretaker ministers under consideration included former foreign secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani, former civil servant Shoaib Suddle, former Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president Ahsan Bhoon, former senator Sarfaraz Ahmed Bugti and former IG Zulfiqar Ahmad Cheema. Moreover, former information minister Muhammad Ali Durrani is likely to be given the portfolio of the Ministry of Information, reports said. 

Apart from this, the names of Faisal Vawda, retired Maj Khurram Hameed Rokhri, Shahid Afridi, Qari Sadaqat Ali, Hafeez Sheikh, Ahad Cheema, Mushtaq Sukhaira, Absar Alam, Salim Safi and Hamid Mir are also being considered for the caretaker government cabinet. 

According to reports, the names of Zulfikar Cheema, Shamshad Akhtar, Raza Baqir, Ashtar Ausaf, Jugnu Mohsin, Ayesha Raza Farooq and Brig Muzaffar Ranjha are also being considered as ministers in the caretaker cabinet. 

A day earlier, Kakar - a former senator and a leader of the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) -  took oath as the eighth caretaker prime minister of Pakistan to see the country through to the general elections which are due in months. 

Reports said Principal Secretary to Prime Minister (PSPM) Dr Syed Tauqir Hussain Shah, former adviser to PM Ahad Cheema and joint secretary Mohib Ali had been retained by the interim PM.

Meanwhile, sources said, Arshad Muneer Khan, who was promoted to grade-21, would be posted as principal information officer (PIO).

Military Secretary (MS) to Prime Minister Brig Tajdeed Mumtaz would also continue to perform his duties. Deliberations for the caretaker federal cabinet will start today (Tuesday) with a likelihood of it being announced later this week, reports said.