Imran reshuffles federal cabinet

Islamabad, April 7 (IANS) Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has reshuffled the federal cabinet by changing portfolios and making fresh appointments in different Ministries and Ministerial Departments, his office said.

According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister Office on Monday night, Khan has appointed Muhammad Hammad Azhar as Federal Minister for Industries, who was earlier serving as Minister for Economic Affairs, reports Xinhua news agency.

Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar who was serving Minister for National Food Security has replaced Azhar as Minister for Economic Affairs while Syed Fakhar Imam has replaced Bakhtiar in his previous portfolio.

The Prime Minister also accepted the resignation of Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui as Federal Minister of Information Technology and Telecommunication, said the statement, adding that Syed Amin Ul Haque has been appointed as Federal Minister for Telecom.

In addition to the above-mentioned changes, Khan also made some replacements and appoints in his advisors and bureaucracy, including the appointment of Babar Awan as an Advisor to the Prime Minister for Parliamentary Affairs.

The statement however, did not disclose the reason behind the reshuffle.

However, local media quoted sources close to the premier as saying that the changes were made in the backdrop of an inquiry into the sugar crises which caused high rates and shortage of the commodity in the country.

But there were no official confirmations on te claims.

In a tweet on Sunday, Khan said that has made the preliminary reports into sudden price hikes of sugar and wheat public which would lead the country to transparency, promising that “no powerful lobby will be able to profiteer at the expense of our public”.

The reshuffle came at a time when the country is running a nationwide campaign to fight against the COVID-19.

Pakistan has reported 3,861 confirmed COVID-19 cases with 54 deaths so far.

–IANS

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