Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. File
| Photo Credit: AP
The Pakistan government on Friday (March 7, 2025) allotted portfolios to 12 new members of the cabinet, taking its numerical strength to 51, which included Ministers, Minister of the State, advisors and special assistants to the Prime Minister.
According to an official notification, it appointed Hanif Abbasi as Minister for Railways, Mustafa Kamal as Minister for Health, Sardar Yousaf as Minister for Religious Affairs, Shaza Fatima as Minister for Information Technology, and Rana Mubashir Iqbal as Minister for Public Affairs.
Tariq Fazal Chaudhry was appointed as Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Ali Pervaiz Malik Minister for Petroleum, and Khalid Hussain Magsi Minister for Science and Technology.
Munir Wattoo has been assigned the Ministry of Water Resources, Aurangzeb Khichi the Ministry of National Heritage and Culture, Junaid Anwar the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, and Raza Hayat Hiraj the Ministry of Defence Production.
President Asif Ali Zardari had administered the oath to 12 Ministers on February 27, but they were not given any portfolio. It was the first major expansion of the cabinet since the government came to power a year ago.
With the new inductions, the size of the federal cabinet has swelled to 51, including 30 Ministers, nine Ministers of State, four advisers and eight SAPMs (Special Assistant to Prime Minister).
Published – March 07, 2025 06:44 pm IST