President Arif Alvi conducted the oath-taking ceremony for the members of the newly appointed caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar’s cabinet on Thursday. The ceremony took place at the President House in Islamabad, with Kakar, Punjab interim Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi, and other officials in attendance.
The Presidency issued a list of the cabinet members, revealing that 16 federal ministers and three advisers were sworn in. Former central bank chief, Shamshad Akhtar, was appointed as the finance minister, while Pakistan’s ex-ambassador to the United States, Jalil Abbas Jilani, was appointed as the foreign minister.
The Federal Ministers who took oath include Senator Sarfaraz Bugti, Jalil Abbas Jilani, Shamshad Akhtar, Lt General (r) Anwar Ali Hyder, Murtaza Solangi, Sami Saeed, Shahid Ashraf Tarar, Ahmad Irfan Aslam, Muhammad Ali, Gohar Ejaz, Umar Saif, Nadeem Jan, Khalil George, Aneeq Ahmad, Jamal Shah, and Madad Ali Sindhi. The Advisers appointed to the Prime Minister are Air Marshal (r) Farhat Hussain Khan, Ahad Khan Cheema, and Waqar Masood Khan.
Dr. Saif confirmed through X (formerly Twitter) that he has been assigned the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication. Senator Sarfaraz Bugti also confirmed on X that he was given the portfolio of the Interior Ministry. Sherry Rehman, former climate change minister and PPP leader, congratulated Jilani on his new post and extended her best wishes.
The swearing-in ceremony took place a few days after Kakar assumed office as the caretaker premier following prolonged discussions.
Baqar Sworn in as Interim Sindh CM
In a separate ceremony, Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar was sworn in as the caretaker Chief Minister of Sindh. Governor Kamran Tessori officiated the ceremony. Baqar’s appointment was a unanimous decision between former Sindh chief minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah, and the Leader of the Opposition in the provincial assembly, Rana Ansar.
Justice Baqar, a law graduate from the University of Karachi, retired from the Supreme Court last year. He has also served as the chief justice of the Sindh High Court. Baqar’s illustrious career began when he enrolled as an advocate at the SHC in May 1981. Over the years, he progressed to become an additional judge, an SHC judge, and eventually a Supreme Court justice.
In June 2013, Baqar was the victim of a bomb attack that claimed nine lives and injured 15, including Baqar himself. At the time, he was serving as a senior SHC judge.
Additional information from Reuters