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| New Pak cabinet sworn in by Musharraf, Qureshi new Foreign Min | | | Islamabad | Mar 31
Shah Mehmood Qureshi,an aristocrat and another Bhutto loyalist Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar--who were prime ministerial contenders-- are Pakistan's new Foreign minister and Defence minister respectively in a 24-member cabinet sworn in by President Pervez Musharraf today.
Key portfolios including Foreign and Defence went to PPP which is heading the coalition government formed by Musharraf's political opponents who have pledged to clip the embattled President's once-sweeping powers.
Ministers of former premier Nawaz Sharif's PML(N) sported black arm bands in a symbolic protest at Musharraf at continuing in office, describing the former Army chief as an "illegal and unconstitutional" President.
In a brief swearing-in ceremony held at the Aiwan-e-Sadr or presidency, Musharraf administered the oath to 11 ministers from the PPP, nine from the PML-N, two from the Awami National Part(ANP) and one each from the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam and a grouping of lawmakers from the tribal areas.
Qureshi, a 51-year-old Cambridge-educated PPP leader, takes over the reins of Foreign ministry at a time when Pakistan debates the priority to be given to Kashmir issue and its relations with the US after the new government hinted that its cooperation in the 'war on terror' will be reviewed.
Ishaq Dar, a close aide of Sharif, will be the new Finance minister while Sherry Rehman, a confidant of slain PPP leader Benazir Bhutto, got the Information and Broadcasting portfolio. The PPP also kept Kashmir Affairs to itself with the minister being Qamar-uz-Zaman Kaira who will also look after Northern Areas. There are two women ministers.
"Thank you and congratulations," a stony faced Musharraf said and applauded briefly after the ministers, some of whom were jailed during his regime, followed him in repeating the oath of allegiance. |
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