Islamabad: After delay of several days, Pakistan's newly elected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's 34-member Cabinet took oath on Tuesday. According to report, the oath of new ministers - a mixture of young and experienced faces - was administered by Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani after President Arif Alvi's continious denial to attend the ceremony.
Post the oath-taking ceremony, which included swearing in of 31 Cabinet ministers and three Ministers of States (MoS), PM Sharif called for the first Cabinet meeting today.
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Interestingly, Pakistan Peoples Party's chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari could not find a Cabinet berth in the initial swearing-in event. Bhutto was said to be fron-runners for the coveted post of Foreign Minister. Sources close to PPP told news ageny PTI that Bhutto would eventually join the Cabinet but would take oath during its expansion.
However, his Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) got nine seat in the Cabinet. Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N) got 13, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) 4 and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) managed to get two berths.
Other coalition partners including Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) and Jamhori Watan Party (JWP) got one ministry each.
In MoS camp, two ministers belong to PML-N camp and one to PPP. Additionally, three special advisors with the status of a minister have also been nominated.
PPP's Qamar Zaman Kaira is likely to serve as PM Sharif's Advisor on the Affairs of Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.
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The newly constituted Pakistan Assembly has several old faces serving as federal ministers, while around 20 ministers are the first-timers. In terms of gender, only five female ministers have been appointed in Sharif's Cabinet including three full ministers - Marriyum Aurangzeb, Sherry Rehman, Shazia Marri - and two ministers of the state - Aisha Ghous Pasha and Hina Rabbani Khar.
Though there were no official announcements on portfolios of ministers, sources have told PTI said that Miftah Ismail has been given the key ministry of finance.