President Musharraf: Swears-in 24-member Federal Cabinet 
By Fatima Raza 'Pakistan Times' Special Correspondent

ISLAMABAD: President Pervez Musharraf swore in a 24-member federal cabinet of the new coalition government at a graceful ceremony at the Aiwan-e-Sadr in Islamabad on Monday.

The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, Chairman Senate Muhammadmian Soomro, Chief Justice, senior politicians and federal secretaries.

President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani entered the hall together as bugles were sounded. The national anthem was played and after recitation from the Holy Quran the President administered the oath to the cabinet.

Among 24 ministers of the newly sworn-in cabinet, Pakistan Peoples Party and Muslim League (Nawaz) make the major and almost equal share of the roll, with eleven and nine ministers respectively.

Apart from these 20 ministries, two have been allocated to members of Awami National Party, while one minister each belongs to Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazal) and FATA.

Those who took oath include;

Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan (Senior minister, Communications with additional charge of Food, Agriculture and Livestock)
Shahid Khaqan Abbasi (Commerce)
Tehmina Daultana (Culture)
Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar (Defence)
Rana Tanveer Hussain (Defence Production)
Ahsan Iqbal (Eduction, additional charge Minorities)
Hameed Ullah Jan Afridi (Environment)
Muhammad Ishaq Dar (Finance, Revenue, Economic Affairs and Statistics)
Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi (Foreign Affairs)
Rehmat Ullah Kakar (Housing and Works)
Sherry Rehman (Information and Broadcasting)
Qamar Zaman Kaira (Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas)
Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah (Labour, Manpower and Overseas Pakistanis)
Farooq H. Naik (Law and Justice)
Haji Ghulam Ahmad Bilour (Local Government and Rural Development)
Nazar Muhammad Gondal (Narcotics Control)
Khawaja Muhammad Asif (Petroleum and Natural Resources, additional charge Sports)
Humayun Aziz Kurd (Population Welfare)
Syed Naveed Qamar (Ports and Shipping, additional charge Privatization and Investment)
Syed Mehtab Ahmed Khan (Railways)
Nawabzada Khawaja Muhammad Khan Hoti (Social Welfare, Special Education)
Najmuddin Khan (States and Frontier Regions)
Raja Pervaiz Ashraf (Water and Power) &
Khawaja Saad Rafique (Youth Affairs, Science and Technology)

Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani in his brief chat with the reporters after the ceremony said the cabinet would be expanded after consultation with other coalition leaders.

“We will move forward with their consultation and I think that we will have to expand the cabinet,” Gilani said.

He said the new cabinet needs some time to settle in before taking up the priorities that he spelt out for the first 100 days, soon after taking the vote of confidence.

The new cabinet comprises 21 MNAs and three Senators with 13 belonging to Punjab, four from Sindh and NWFP, two from Balochistan while one from the Federally Administered Tribal Area.

Later the guests joined the President and the Prime Minister at a reception.●