Pakistan's New Government Sworn In As Sharif Cements Position
By RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal April 19, 2022
The members of Pakistan's new cabinet have taken their oaths in a ceremony held in the capital, Islamabad.
The new government, comprised of an alliance of political parties, was sworn in on April 19, just over a week after Pakistan's parliament ousted Imran Khan in a no-confidence vote. Opposition politician Shahbaz Sharif was elected by lawmakers to replace Khan.
Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, who is also the acting president, administered the oath of office to 31 federal ministers and ministers of state, who will form Sharif's cabinet.
The portfolios for the cabinet members have not yet been announced.
The new cabinet includes prominent lawmakers such as Khawaja Mohammad Asif, a former defense minister and a member of the Pakistan Muslim League party.
Several politicians from the party of former President Asif Ali Zardari are also part of the cabinet, including Khursheed Shah and Sherry Rehman.
Khan, who held power for three years, had tried to prevent the no-confidence vote by dissolving parliament and calling early elections, but a Supreme Court ruling ordered the no-confidence vote to go ahead.
Khan has demanded new elections, saying the new government was imposed under a U.S. conspiracy, a charge Washington has denied, and which the new government in Pakistan says is a lie.
Parliamentary elections must be held by October 2023.
With reporting by AFP and dawn.com
Source: https://gandhara.rferl.org/a/pakistan- new-cabinet-oath-sharif-khan/31810629.html
Copyright (c) 2022. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
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