Islamabad (August 2, 2017): Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has chosen some names to fill the key slots in federal cabinet after assuming the office, said sources.
The sources said that in the interim setup, Senator Ishaq Dar will be Finance Minister, Khurram Dasttagir Minister for Commerce and Zahid Hamid Minister for Law.
Rana Tanvir will hold the Ministry for Defence Production, LT-Gen (r) Abdul Qadir Baloch For States and Frontier Regions and Khawaja Asif Minister for Water and Power, said the sources.
The federal cabinet had been dissolved after the then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif resigned from his post, hours after the Supreme Court disqualified him on Friday.
Shahid Khaqan Abbasi sworn in as new Prime Minister of Pakistan in the oath taking ceremony held at the President House in Islamabad on Tuesday.
Among others, who attended the ceremony include Governors of the four provinces, Chief Ministers of Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan, Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly.
He secured 221 votes. His rivals Syed Naveed Qamar of Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians secured 47 votes, PTI’s and PML(Q)’s joint candidate Sheikh Rashid Ahmad 33 votes, and Sahabzada Tariqullah of Jamat-e-Islami bagged 4 votes.
Shahid Khaqan Abbasi is the former federal minister for petroleum and natural resources, and a businessman who launched the country’s most successful private airline.
Addressing the lower house soon after his victory was announced, Prime Minister-elect Abbasi said: “I am grateful to you all, for following the democratic process — whether you voted for or against me.”
“I am grateful to the people of Pakistan, and I am grateful to the ‘people’s prime minister’, Nawaz Sharif,” he continued
Abbasi termed the Supreme Court’s verdict on the Panamagate case “unprecedented”, saying that although the party was blind-sided by the judgement, “we accepted it as it was”.
“We did not challenge the courts, there was no division in our ranks. The party stands as it was. No one wanted to joust for power — whoever the prime minister [Nawaz Sharif] named was supported unanimously,” he said, rebuffing rumours of cracks in the party’s ranks following the verdict.
Abbasi said, “I am sure that the real prime minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif, will return to this seat.”
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