September 11, 2018
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Muhammad Mian Soomro refused to take the oath as state minister on Tuesday.
Upset over being inducted state instead of federal minister, the PTI leader returned to Karachi from the capital without taking the oath as cabinet member.
The federal government had decided to induct Soomro as the Federal Minister for Privatisation.
However, sources said that Soomro was informed a few hours before the oath-taking ceremony that he was being inducted as state minister.
Sources close to Soomro said, “He has served on top posts such as former caretaker prime minister and former Senate chairman and feels it is not appropriate that he be appointed state minister.”
Earlier today, six new ministers — three federal and three state — were sworn in to the cabinet.
Umar Ayub Khan, Ali Muhammad Khan Mehar and Syed Ali Haider Zaidi took the oath as federal ministers while Muhammad Shabir Ali, Murad Saeed and Muhammad Hammad Azhar were inducted as state ministers.
After the inclusion of the six new ministers, the federal cabinet now has 28 members.