The long-awaited expansion in the Punjab Cabinet is likely to be made this week, as consultations within the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) are almost complete, Pakistan Today has learnt.
According to sources, consultations in this regard were going on since May and PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif was directly supervising the induction phase. They claimed that an important meeting was held on Thursday for final consultations to complete the provincial cabinet after separation of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) from the Punjab government. According to sources, the cabinet was planned to be expanded in May but deferred until end of the budget session owing to further consultations with Nawaz. The prospective candidates were evaluated from their participation in the assembly business besides their performance as members of the provincial assembly (MPA).
They claimed that two ministers would be taken from allied parties including the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) and the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA). Makhdoom Ahmed Mahmood from the PML-F and Ali Haider Niazi from the MMA are expected to be included in the provincial cabinet while Zulfiqar Khosa would be appointed as senior minister. Other names, which have been finalised, are Zaeem Qadri from Lahore, Shahzadi Umerzadi Tiwana from Sargodha, Dr Farrukh Javed from Pakpattan, Chaudhry Ayaz Ahmed from Rawalpindi, Mian Yawar Zaman from Okara, Saeed Akbar Khan Niwani from Bhakkar, Chaudhry Shafique from Rahimyar Khan, Rana Afzal of Faisalabad.
According to sources, the constitution after passage of the 18th Amendment, allowed the government to have a maximum of 41 provincial ministers but the cabinet size would not be larger. Presently, the Punjab government is functioning with only nine ministers, some of whom are looking after affairs of more than five departments. Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif is holding charge of around a dozen ministries. While important departments such as education, transport, finance, livestock and dairy development, irrigation, commerce and investment, communications & works, culture and youth affairs, health, home affairs, housing, information, information technology and labour etc require immediate attention but owing to absence of proper ministers, the Punjab government has to face strong criticism from certain quarters.
