Shehbaz Sharif's potential cabinet picks

ISLAMABAD: After the dismissal of former prime minister Imran Khan, PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif is likely to be elected as the 23rd prime minister of Pakistan today and all the Opposition parties are expected to get representation in his cabinet, according to a Daily Jang report.

According to sources, the PML-N will have the majority in the cabinet with 12 ministers. The PPP will have seven, and the JUI-F will be given four ministries. Meanwhile, MQM-P will have two, and ANP, Jamhoori Watan Party and Balochistan Awami Party one each.

PML-N's Khawaja Asif, Saad Rafique, Khurram Dastgir, Ahsan Iqbal, Marriyum Aurangzeb, Shaista Pervaiz Malik, Rana Sanaullah and Murtaza Javed are likely to join the cabinet. 

Independent candidates Mohsin Dawar and Aslam Bhootani and PML-Q’s Tariq Bashir Cheema are also likely to be included in the cabinet.

The name of Azam Nazir Tarar is under consideration for the Leader of the House in the Senate. The PPP will give the ministry to either Sherry Rehman or Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar from the Senate, the publication reported.

Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari could be the next foreign minister, while Shazia Marri's name is also under consideration for a cabinet slot.

During an interview last week, the PPP chairperson said that the party will decide his role in the new government.

The JUI-F has demanded to make the governor of Balochistan or Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from their party, while the governor of Punjab will be from PPP and the governor of Sindh from MQM-P.