Nawaz set to expand his cabinet of ministers

The federal cabinet is likely to be expanded in the next few days as Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his kitchen cabinet are mulling a reshuffle in ministerial portfolios, Pakistan Today has learnt.
Government sources said that a meeting of the prime minister and his close aides was expected in the next couple of days in which the top party leadership, including Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, would discuss assigning new roles to the prime minister’s team of advisors and special assistants.
“Sartaj Aziz, prime minister’s adviser on national security and foreign affairs, will most likely be inducted in the government’s economic team,” said the sources.
Currently, 16 federal ministers and nine ministers of state are holding various portfolios. Some of them, including Khawaja Asif and Pervaiz Rashid, have been given charge of additional ministries.
Two federal advisers and a special assistant to the premier, who were appointed in October, have no official work to do as they have not been allotted any portfolios as yet.
Imtiaz Sheikh of the Pir Pagara-led Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) was appointed as special assistant to Nawaz but he is yet to be assigned any specific job.
Same is the case of Ameer Bux Bhutto, son of Sardar Mumtaz Bhutto, who was named as adviser.
“The PM has told us that he would shortly induct new ministers and would also reshuffle portfolios. Then we will be given ministries,” Sheikh said.
The Special Assistant has the status of Minister of State while the adviser has that of a federal minister, as per the separate official notifications issued on October 28 and October 14.
Senior PML-N leader Amir Muqam, who was appointed as adviser to the prime minister, is doing “general work” in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and has not been allocated any portfolio.
Sources said that Akram Durrani, a former KP minister belonging to the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), is also expected to be taken in as a minister.
Under the Constitution, the prime minister is empowered to have a maximum of five advisers. Imtiaz Sheikh’s incorporation brings the tally of special assistants to two with Tariq Fatemi being the other one.