Federal cabinet to take oath tonight: Khurshid Shah

• Khurshid Shah reveals 36-member cabinet will take oath tonight at 8:30pm.
• He says PML-N will have the 14 ministries, PPP 11 and JUI-F 4.
• BNP-M’s Akhtar Mengal says his party will not be a part of the cabinet for now.

ISLAMABAD: PPP leader Khurshid Shah Monday said that the 36-member new federal cabinet will take oath tonight at 8:30pm.

During an informal conversation with journalists, Shah revealed that the PML-N will have the majority in the cabinet with 14 ministers. The PPP will have 11, and the JUI-F will be given four ministries. Meanwhile, the rest of the seven positions will be allotted among other allies.

Meanwhile, BNP-M’s Akhtar Mengal said that they will not be a part of the cabinet for now.

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PML-N leader Marriyum Aurangzeb, while speaking at a press conference, announced that she would reveal the names of the minister soon.

Earlier, sources had said that PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah is likely to be given the portfolio of the interior ministry, while Marriyum Aurangzeb is expected to be appointed as the information minister.

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

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

A day ago, PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah said that the ministry of foreign affairs is likely to be given to the PPP and Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari is deliberating over the decision.

"I cannot ascertain whether Bilawal Bhutto will become part of Shahbaz Sharif's cabinet," he had said.

According to sources, the following is the list of the party-wise divisions of ministries:

• Ministry of Climate Change — PPP
• Aviation Division — PML-N
• Commerce and Trade Ministry — PPP
• Ministry of Communications — JUI-F
• Ministry of Defence — PML-N
• Ministry of Defence Production — BAP
• Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs — PML-N
• Ministry of Education — BNP-M
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs — PPP
• Ministry of Human Rights — PPP
• Ministry of Housing — JUI-F
• Ministry of Industries and Production — PPP
• Ministry of Information and Broadcasting — PML-N
• Ministry of Information and Technology — MQM-P
• Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs — PML-N
• Ministry of Energy — PML-N
• Ministry of Special Initiatives, Planning, and Development — PML-N
• Petroleum Division — PML-N
• Ministry of Poverty Alleviation — PPP
• Ministry of Privatisation — PPP
• Ministry of Railways — PML-N
• Ministry of Religious Affairs and Inter-faith Harmony — PML-N
• Ministry of SAFFRON — PML-N
• Ministry of Science and Technology — BAP
• Ministry of Water Resources — PPP