Expansion in Punjab Cabinet After Federal Government – Who Will Be the New Ministers?

It has been a year since the Punjab government under Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz was formed. Upon the completion of this one-year period, Maryam Nawaz also presented a performance report to the public. Based on the evaluation of performance, the Chief Minister has decided to expand the cabinet.

Currently, Maryam Nawaz’s cabinet consists of 16 members, including five special assistants. Seven ministers are from Lahore, while the remaining nine belong to other districts of Punjab.

Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif held meetings and conducted interviews with party MPAs from each division of Punjab before finalizing the decision to expand the provincial cabinet.

Following Nawaz Sharif’s approval, a shortlist of 10 to 12 members was sent to the Chief Minister. The swearing-in ceremony for the new Punjab ministers is expected to take place this week.

Sources indicate that an assessment was initially conducted to determine the representation of each division in the cabinet. Based on this ratio, one minister from each underrepresented division will be inducted into the provincial cabinet.

The shortlisted names include Begum Zakia Shahnawaz, Rana Muhammad Iqbal, Mansha Ullah Butt, Colonel (R) Ayub Gadhi, Salman Naeem, Rana Tahir Iqbal, Malik Asad Khokhar, Malik Asif Bha, Osama Leghari, and Yawar Zaman. Some of these individuals will be appointed as special assistants to the Chief Minister, while others will be given new ministries.

Possible Changes in Ministries

With the expansion of the cabinet, several ministerial portfolios are also expected to change. Provincial Minister Sohaib Bharta is likely to lose his additional portfolio of the Law Ministry, while Rana Sikandar is expected to be removed from the Higher Education Ministry.