PM hints at more changes in cabinet, says Asad Umer will soon rejoin team
I need to show performance, adding that it doesnt matter if someone is elected or unelected
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday said that former finance minister Asad Umer will rejoin the federal cabinet.
The prime minister in his meeting with senior journalists in Islamabad said that more changes in the federal cabinet will be made in the coming days, adding that the ministers who would perform will be part of the federal cabinet and others will have to go.
I will appoint honest and hardworking people when and from where ever I found, he said.
To a question regarding inclusion of unelected people in the cabinet, Imran Khan said, “I need to show performance, adding that it doesn’t matter if someone is elected or unelected.” “Technical people are being included in the cabinet where there were no experts.”
The premier went on to say that former finance minister Asad Umar is an asset and he will be a part of the federal cabinet again. “I will attend the National Assembly session on Monday,” he added.
Asad Umar decides to quit
On April 19, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Member National Assembly (MNA) Asad Umar had decided to quit as the finance minister of Pakistan.
The PTI leader held a press conference in Islamabad and told that he conducted a detailed meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan after his proposal of reshuffling of the cabinet. “I convinced the premier to allow me to step down from the cabinet,” he said.
“I thank Imran Khan for inviting me to join PTI and to put his trust in me. My support will always be PTI which will make naya (new) Pakistan. “I have had an amazing journey in Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf since April 18, 2012 – the day I joined the party. “I enjoyed a lot of success and faced difficult times as well. I specially thank PTI supporters and social media volunteers for their tremendous support.
“Special gratitude goes to the people of NA-48 and NA-54 for electing me. “The economy of Pakistan – when I took charge – was in the most dangerous condition and we could have fallen into a pitfall if correct and bold decisions had not been made. “The economic condition improved during my tenure and the figures verify the claim.
“Although the new finance minister will assume the office in a relatively better position, still difficult decisions will have to be made. “The economy is going towards betterment but finance ministry is still the second most difficult job in Pakistan after the premiership. “The people should show patience and support tough decisions. Choices made in haste may drop the economy back into the pitfall.”
His resignation comes after PM Imran Khan had changed and re-allocated the portfolios of ministers of the federal cabinet. Let it be known that Fawad Chaudhary had been given the portfolio of Minister for Science and Technology, while Ghulam Sarwar was made Minister for Aviation, Ijaz Ahmed Shah Minister for Interior and Shehryar Afridi Minister of State for SAFRON.
Mohammad Mian Soomro was appointed Minister for Privatization and he also holds additional portfolio of Aviation Division. Azam swati had been appointed as Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, while Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh as Advisor on Finance.
Dr Zafarullah Mirza had been appointed as Special Assistant to Prime Minister on National Health Services, while Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Nadeem Babar on Petroleum Division.
Asad Umar s resignation catches backlash
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari – following an abrupt announcement by former finance minister Asad Umar to not take any cabinet position – asserted that removal of Umar as a finance minister would yield better results. “We [PPP] hope that other minister those have affiliations with banned outfits would also be removed,” he said.
“The government had come to realize after eight months that their economic policies were faulted,” he added, while claiming that economy of the state would improve after such a decision.
Former Sindh Governor Mohammad Zubair Umar strongly criticised over what he termed as “ineffective policies” of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in [resolving core issues of the general public and economy in particular].
He called it “a failure of the government” and claimed that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has lied to the public. He further claimed that PM Khan had tried a lot to put the blame of [failed economy] on previous governments.
Dr Salman Shah, a Lahore-based Economist and former caretaker Finance Minister of Pakistan, told the media that the dismissal of Asad Umar as a finance minister would not affect Pakistan’s bailout package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which is likely to happen in the end of April.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb also reacted on the development by stating that if the government’s policies were all good, then what has happened.
She took to Twitter, and stated why Asad Umar was asked to leave the position of finance ministry. “His removal as a finance minister is evidence that Imran Khan’s economic policies have failed [to deliver],” she said. “The real problem lies with Imran Khan himself, and not Asad Umar,” she concluded.
Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, the spokesperson for PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, congratulated the people of Pakistan for what he called “a wicket lost to the PTI on demand of the PPP.”
“PTI’s more wickets will fall soon,” he stated. “The whole team of the PTI will walk dejectedly back to the pavilion well before 50 overs.” He claimed that PM Khan has pushed the country towards worst crisis.
