Faraz, Tarin sworn in as federal ministers

Faraz will take up the mantle of minister for science and technology, whereas Tarin will henceforth be minister for finance

ISLAMABAD: Senator Shibli Faraz and Shaukat Tarin were sworn in as federal ministers by President Arif Alvi in a small ceremony at the Aiwan-e-Sadr on Saturday.

Faraz will take up the mantle of minister for science and technology, whereas Tarin will henceforth be minister for finance.

On Friday, Prime Minister Imran Khan appointed Tarin as the finance minister in yet another cabinet reshuffle during the third year of the PTI-led government. Tarin had also served as the finance minister in former premier Yousaf Raza Gilani’s cabinet from 2009 to 2010. Tarin replaced PTI’s recently appointed finance minister Hammad Azhar, who has now been given the portfolio of energy. Before Hammad’s short stint, PPP’s ex-financial czar Abdul Hafeez Shaikh had served as the finance minister before being unceremoniously sacked last month – that too when the prime minister had claimed the economy was on course to recovery.

In other major changes, the prime minister swapped the portfolios of science and information ministries between Fawad Chaudhry and Faraz. Fawad has been appointed the government’s spokesperson for the second time.

Meanwhile, cabinet division on Saturday issued notification for the appointment of Tarin as federal minister for finance and revenue and Faraz as minister for science and technology.

The notification issued by the cabinet division read that in exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 92 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the president, on the advice of the prime minister, has been pleased to appoint Shaukat Fayaz Ahmed Tarin as minister for finance and revenue and Senator Shibli Faraz as minister for science and technology.

“In terms of rule 3(4) of the Rules of Business, 1973, the prime minister has also been pleased to allocate/re-allocate the portfolios to the federal ministers with immediate effect,” the notification read.

Federal Minister Power Division Omar Ayub Khan has been reallocated as minister for economic affairs division (EAD), while Hammad Azhar as federal minister for industries and production has now been made minister for energy. EAD Minister Makhdoom Khusro Bukhtiar has been reallocated to the ministry of industries and production.

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