From small to a larger, more elaborate cabinet

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Expansion of Punjab Cabinet is likely after PML-N think tanks are scrambling to build an opinion among the party leaders to decentralise dozen of ministries from Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif amid successive crisis in health causing hundreds of deaths. With unanimous agreement among the party leaders, Shahbaz Sharif will sooner or later shed scores of ministries, around 18, and the impending situation will lead to broaden the cabinet brining new faces to run the ministries in befitting manner.
Though discussion on expanding the cabinet was not put on pedestal during consultative meeting held at Raiwind, but influential circles in the party remained abuzz reviewing CM’s inability to handle health ministry which finally begot PIC suspected medicine scam following dengue crisis and doctor salary dilemma besides IT woes.
Sources privy to development told Pakistan Today that the party top brass, looking concerned on CM portfolios’ issue, was also in a mood to iron out the smothering problem by expanding the cabinet. “Most of them are suggesting Sharifs that ministries decentralisation should not be made matter of ego, instead it should be handled with rational approach.
PML-N Secretary Finance Sardar Ayaz Saddiq opined that he would prefer decentralisation of ministries. He said the CM was a human being who had his limits. Nobody could justify all multiple tasks belonging to various ministries, he added.
The long-awaited expansion in the Punjab Cabinet came to limelight a number of times during 2011. It was due since February 25 when the PPP ministers were sent home packing; thus putting an end to the coalition government in the province. However, issue stood lingering on due to one reason or the other. Cabinet widening resurfaced after Law Minister Rana Sana Ullah had told the media in second week of June last year that his government was taking 13 new ministers in the cabinet, and members of the Unification Block would not be given any portfolio. He hinted at the possibility that the induction would be made towards the end of June.
PML-N Chief Nawaz Sharif had also started directly supervising the induction phase. The prospective candidates were evaluated from their participation in the assembly business besides their performance as MPAs. Potential candidates were 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 and Rana Afzal from Faisalabad.
According to sources, the constitution after the passage of 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. The ministers included Ahmad Ali Aulakh (Agriculture, Additional Charge Cooperatives, Livestock & Dairy Development Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries, Irrigation), Chaudhry Abdul Ghafoor Khan (P & D, Food, Additional Charge of Mines & Minerals), Haji Ehsan-ud-Din Qureshi (Auqaf & Religious Affairs, Additional Charge Bait-ul-Maal & Labour), Kamran Michael (Finance, Human Rights & Minorities, Additional Charge Women’s Development), Malik Muhammad Iqbal Channar (Prisons), Malik Nadeem Kamran (Zakat & Ushr), Mian Mujtaba Shuja-ur- Rehman (Excise & Taxation, Additional Charge Higher Education, Schools Education, Literacy, Transport), Rana Sana Ullah Khan (Law & Parliamentary Affairs, Additional Charge Revenue), Sardar Dost Muhammad Khan Khosa (Industries, Commerce & Investment).
Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif is holding charge of around a dozen ministries including health, communication and works, S&GAD, tourism, local government and community development, environment, home, special education, energy, information culture and youth affairs, sports, population, social welfare and housing.