Pakistani PM announces old faces as key ministers in his new cabinet

(L-R) The collage of image created on March 12, 2024, shows Pakistan's new federal ministers Khawaja Asif, Ishaq Dar, Ahsan Iqbal and Azam Nazeer Tarar. (National Assembly and AFP)
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Updated 12 March 2024
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Pakistani PM announces old faces as key ministers in his new cabinet

  • PM Sharif appoints four-time former finance minister Ishaq Dar his foreign minister 
  • Reappoints Khawaja Asif to defense, Ahsan Iqbal to planning, Azam Nazeer Tarar to law

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani Prime Minister’s Office on Tuesday notified the list of new federal ministers, bringing in few new faces as premier Shehbaz Sharif seeks continuity in pushing through economic reforms under the watchful eye of international lenders.

Sharif appointed four-time former finance minister Ishaq Dar his foreign minister and reappointed Khawaja Asif to defense, Ahsan Iqbal to planning and Azam Nazeer Tarar to law. The only woman in the cabinet is Shaza Fatima Khawaja, who has been appointed minister for IT and telecommunications. 

Sharif, who was elected to his second term as prime minister last week, was at the helm when Pakistan and the IMF produced an $3 billion bailout loan accord in July. Now, he has appointed Muhammad Aurangzeb, the CEO of Pakistan’s largest bank, HBL, to look after the finance ministry, as the government’s first order of business will be negotiating a new IMF deal when the current one expires this month. 

“In terms of rule 3(4) of the Rules of Business, 1973, the Prime Minister has been pleased to allocate the portfolio / business of the Government to the Federal Ministers, as follows,” the prime minister’s office said in a notification, releasing the names of 18 new ministers. 

Dar, who will now take care of the foreign ministry, told Reuters he wanted to ramped up the role for economics in the nation’s diplomacy as the country tries to secure another International Monetary Fund (IMF) deal and shore up external financing from foreign capitals.

“Economic diplomacy is the need of the hour,” he said.

Dar will be assisted by Syed Tariq Fatemi, a Sharif family loyalist and former ambassador who served as Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs to Sharif in his last government and will take over the portfolio again. He was also an adviser on foreign affairs during the last government of Nawaz Sharif, the elder brother of the current PM. 

Fatemi has previously served as Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States and the European Union. He was also federal secretary, the highest rank in the country’s civil service.

“NO WASTE OF TIME”

Growing economic challenges will dominate the new government’s agenda. 

Aurangzeb, the new finance minister who has never held public office before, told Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper his primary focus would be to implement much-needed economic reforms and get a new IMF deal.

“No debates, no waste of time — just a steadfast commitment to implementation,” he said soon after taking oath. 

Inflation touched a high of 38 percent with record depreciation of the rupee currency under Sharif’s last government from April 2022 to August 2023, mainly due to structural reforms necessitated by the IMF bailout deal in 2023. Pakistan continues to be enmeshed in economic crisis with inflation remaining high, hovering around 28.8 percent, and economic growth slowing to around 2 percent.

Sharif’s first order of business, as he admitted on Monday in his first cabinet meeting, was taking tough decisions to steer the country out of financial crisis, including bagging a new bailout deal from the IMF. 

A new program will mean committing to steps needed to stay on a narrow path to recovery, but which will limit policy options to provide relief to a deeply frustrated population and cater to industries that are looking for government support to spur growth.

Ahsan Iqbal, a senior member of Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) who returns to the planning ministry, said “job creation through entrepreneurial ecosystem with the support of new and modern infrastructure” would be his priority as a federal minister. 

An “economic turnaround” was vital through increased exports since Pakistan mostly relied on loans while preparing its budgets, he added. 

The information ministry went to an emerging PML-N leader, Attaullah Tarar, who said he would promote “positive and constructive journalism,” state-run APP reported. 

Other Sharif loyalist and senior PML-N members appointed federal ministers include Dr. Musadik Masood Malik, Rana Tanveer Hussain, Amir Muqam, Riaz Hussain Pirzada and Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh. 

The interior ministry has gone to media mogul Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi, a former chief minister of Punjab and chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board. Prior to being appointed CM from Jan 2023 to Feb 2024, he had no political experience but is widely believed to be close to Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Army Chief Gen. Asim Munir. 

During Naqvi’s term as CM, opposition parties such as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf of jailed ex-PM Imran Khan complained of a state-backed crackdown against the party in Punjab, which the administration denies. His appointment as interior minister has raised widespread fears that the crackdown against political rivals may continue under the new government.

Pakistan’s general elections last month resulted in a split mandate, prompting Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and President Asif Ali Zardari’s Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) to form a coalition government. The PPP has, however, declined to join the federal cabinet.


Rights network criticizes flood compensation and rehabilitation efforts in Sindh

Updated 5 sec ago
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Rights network criticizes flood compensation and rehabilitation efforts in Sindh

  • Network’s fact-finding team says not much consultation was done while designing houses for flood-hit families
  • It says these one-room ‘flood-resilient’ structures lack basic amenities like toilets, can’t withstand heavy rain

KARACHI: A fact-finding mission conducted by a network of rights activists in South Asia on Friday criticized Pakistan’s response to the devastating 2022 floods, highlighting significant shortcomings in housing, sanitation and health care for flood-affected communities in Sindh.
The 2022 floods, triggered by unprecedented monsoon rains and glacial melt, displaced millions, killed over 1,700 people and caused damages exceeding $35 billion, leaving vast areas submerged for months.
The fact-finding team of South Asians for Human Rights (SAHR) visited Sindh, surveying several districts, including Larkana, Shikarpur, Nawabshah and Hyderabad, from January 6-10 to assess the government’s compensation and rehabilitation efforts.
“The preliminary findings contradict the provincial government’s claims of launching one of the world’s largest housing projects for flood affectees,” said Ahmad Rafay Alam, an environmental lawyer and SAHR Bureau Member, during a press conference in Karachi.
The mission raised serious concerns over the proposed one-room “flood-resilient” housing model, calling it insufficient and lacking essential amenities such as kitchens and toilets.
“With skyrocketed inflation, the Rs300,000 ($1,077) compensation per house is unreasonably low,” SAHR said in a statement.
It maintained there was not much consultation while designing the houses, questioning their climate resilience and warning they were unlikely to survive future disasters.
“More severe natural calamities will impact this vulnerable population, and it is highly unlikely that these structures can withstand another heavy rain,” it noted.
In Dhand, a village near Mohenjo Daro, SAHR found that only four out of 40 destroyed houses had been rebuilt.
“Some families still live in tents or neighbors’ homes, and with average family sizes of six people, it is impossible to live in these single rooms, especially when some family members are married,” it said.
The regional rights network urged the government to conduct fresh surveys to ensure no genuinely affected individuals were left out. It informed that many residents had reported difficulty in finding their names on government beneficiary lists, delaying relief.
SAHR also highlighted poor sanitation and health care in affected areas, reporting that villages lacked drainage systems, leading to outbreaks of diarrhea, malaria and skin infections.
Arab News reached out to provincial officials, including Sindh’s Information Minister Sharjeel Memon and Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah’s spokesperson Rasheed Channa, but received no response.
Sadia Javed, another government spokesperson, said she would review the mission’s findings but had not responded by the time of filing this report.


Pakistan court halts Afghan musicians’ repatriation for two months, orders decision on asylum cases

Updated 10 January 2025
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Pakistan court halts Afghan musicians’ repatriation for two months, orders decision on asylum cases

  • Afghan musicians feared persecution and fled their country after the Taliban’s return to power in 2021
  • They filed a petition in the Peshawar High Court last year amid the government’s deportation campaign

PESHAWAR: A Pakistani court issued a short order on Friday, barring the forced repatriation of about 150 Afghan singers and musicians who fled their country after the Taliban’s return to power in 2021 and directing federal authorities to determine their status within two months.
The Peshawar High Court (PHC) issued the order after the musicians filed a petition last year, seeking asylum amid fears of persecution in their home country.
The Taliban had imposed a strict ban on music during their first stint in power from 1996 to 2001, suppressing musical expression and leading to the persecution of artists across Afghanistan.
A single-member bench of Justice Wiqar Ahmad issued a two-page short order, accepting the plea of the musicians and restraining the government from forcibly repatriating them to Afghanistan.
“The Federal Government or its notified officer shall decide cases of all these petitioners for grant or refusal of asylum within a period of two months,” the PHC order said.
“Till the final decision, these petitioners shall not be ousted from the territory of Pakistan nor otherwise compelled to leave Pakistan and go back to their native country Afghanistan,” it added.
Afghan nationals in Pakistan have lived in a state of uncertainty since 2023, when the government launched a major deportation drive against migrants living illegally in the country. The campaign primarily targeted Afghans amid an uptick in militant violence, with the government alleging that several of them were involved in attacks on Pakistani civilians and security forces.
The Afghan authorities in Kabul denied the allegations, saying their citizens were not responsible for Pakistan’s security challenges.
The court order said if the federal authorities were unable to decide the cases within 60 days, the interior ministry’s secretary should issue permission allowing the petitioners to stay for a period sufficient to reach a final decision.
“Law Enforcement Agencies of the Federal Government as well as the Provincial Government are restrained from taking any adverse action against these petitioners for their stay in Pakistan for a period of 60 days or such extended time if allowed by the Federal Government,” it added.
Afghan musicians described the court order as a “ray of hope,” saying the recent crackdown on their fellow nationals had sent shockwaves through their community.
“We were in fear, but the recent decision of the court has sparked happiness among our community,” Zarwali Afghan, a musician from Afghanistan, told Arab News. “We hope that the government will consider our cases on humanitarian grounds.”
The Afghan Taliban hold the belief that music is forbidden in Islam, though several schools of thought within the religion differ with their interpretation.
Last year, authorities in Kabul were compelled to clarify their stance after their diplomats in Pakistan and Iran refrained from standing during the playing of national anthems at official ceremonies.
The incident was perceived by both countries as disrespectful and contrary to diplomatic norms. However, the Afghan Taliban explained that their representatives meant no harm and would have stood if the national anthems had been played without background music.
Arab News attempted to seek a response from the interior ministry over the court order, but its spokesperson did not respond.


Pakistani PM, OIC chief urge global push for Gaza ceasefire

Updated 10 January 2025
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Pakistani PM, OIC chief urge global push for Gaza ceasefire

  • The OIC leader is currently in Islamabad to attend a global conference on girls’ education in Muslim countries
  • Shehbaz Sharif also met with the secretary general of the Muslim World League, the co-host of the conference

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Secretary General Hissein Brahim Taha agreed on Friday the OIC must intensify pressure on the international community to secure an immediate ceasefire in Gaza during their meeting in Pakistan’s federal capital.
The top OIC official arrived in Islamabad earlier in the day to attend a two-day global conference on girls’ education in Muslim countries, set to begin on Saturday. He was received by Education Minister Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui upon arrival.
During the meeting, the prime minister thanked the OIC for its consistent support regarding the Kashmir dispute with his country’s nuclear rival, India.
Sharif strongly condemned Israel’s ongoing “genocidal campaign” in Gaza and stressed the need for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, unrestricted humanitarian aid for Palestinians and global accountability for Israel’s conduct of war.
“Both leaders agreed that the OIC must maintain its pressure on the international community for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza,” read an official statement released by Sharif’s office after the meeting. “They emphasized that the resolution of the Palestine issue must align with UN resolutions and the aspirations of the Palestinian people.”
The meeting also touched on combating Islamophobia and other global and regional matters of mutual interest.
GIRLS’ EDUCATION
The OIC secretary general expressed gratitude for Pakistan’s warm reception and praised the country’s leadership role in addressing critical issues facing the Muslim world.
“The hosting the international conference on girls’ education in the Muslim world is an example of Pakistan’s leadership role in addressing important issues,” he said.
Separately, the prime minister also met with Sheikh Dr. Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, the secretary general of the Muslim World League (MWL).
Sharif commended the MWL’s partnership in co-hosting the two-day conference and emphasized that the event would send a strong global message about the Muslim world’s commitment to advancing girls’ education.
Dr. Al-Issa informed Sharif the conference would culminate in the Islamabad Declaration, a consensus document promoting girls’ education in Muslim countries.
He also informed the conference would feature renowned scholars, educators, and thought leaders from around the globe to address a wide range of issues affecting the Muslim world.


Stitching hope: Sindh’s artisan program uplifts rural women through handicrafts

Updated 10 January 2025
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Stitching hope: Sindh’s artisan program uplifts rural women through handicrafts

  • The Sindh Rural Support Organization has trained over 6,000 women in some of the poorest areas in Pakistan’s south
  • Woman artisans in Sindh say the organization has not just brought them financial stability, but dignity and hope as well

KARACHI: Dressed in a vibrant pink embroidered dress with traditional patterns depicting the Sindhi culture, Ponam Shaam Lal proudly displays her handcrafted cushions to visitors at an upscale mall in Karachi. Had it not been for Sindh’s rural artisan programs, Lal, in her late 30s, would have been bereft of skill, and the means to earn her bread and butter.
Lal’s creations were among the 5,800 handicrafts showcased at a four-day exhibition launched by the Sindh Rural Support Organization (SRSO), a not-for-profit organization, in Karachi’s Ocean Mall on Thursday. The event, a collaboration with the Sindh government, featured 3,545 rural woman artisans displaying products ranging from traditional shawls to embroidered accessories.
The SRSO has trained thousands of rural women in different trades from some of the most under-developed regions of Sindh such as Jacobabad, Kandhkot-Kashmore, Shikarpur, Ghotki, Qambar-Shahdadkot and Badin districts in the last 16 years.
Lal, who rarely ventured beyond her remote village near Rohri up until a few years ago, is one of those thousands of artisans at the Karachi event, which aims to help these women sell to high-end customers in Pakistan’s urban cities.
“Before, we never went out; we didn’t know the outside world. Only my husband would earn. We would sit idle, wondering how to make ends meet or pay for our children’s education,” Lal told Arab News, as she showed her handicrafts to a customer.
“We were poor, but when we started doing this work, took on orders, and worked hard, our circumstances improved.”
Lal says the crochet and embroidery work she learned due to the SRSO’s training program has helped her send her children to school, and life is “finally stable.”
Shahida Baloch, an artisan and trainer from Sindh’s Sukkur city, learned embroidery from her mother and grandmother, but she had little formal education or access to markets where she could sell her products.
“I am a rural woman from the village,” Baloch, a mother of seven, told Arab News.
“We learned embroidery and sewing at home from our grandmothers, without attending any institute or training center.”
But things changed for Baloch, when the SRSO reached her village almost a decade ago. She says the organization provided her recognition for her embroidery and sewing skills by showcasing her work at exhibitions across the country.
As one of the few trainers at the SRSO, Baloch now guides woman artists on how to transform traditional craft into marketable products. 
“I trained women to make cushions, bags, and pouches from the same art. We also worked on color combinations, blending traditional Sindhi colors — blue, yellow, red, green, all natural colors — with modern preferences. This way, the color became more appealing to urban customers,” she said.
“Similarly, we taught them to create buttons as a supplementary product. For instance, if no one buys large, embroidered fabrics worth fifty thousand or a hundred thousand rupees, they might buy a few buttons to embellish their shirts.”
SRSO CEO Muhammad Dittal Kalhoro said the organization has trained over 6,000 women in Sindh’s poorest areas through 316 Business Development Groups.
“Our aim is to connect these women with high-end markets and ensure better incomes,” he said.
Sindh government spokesperson Sadia Javed said the SRSO, part of a larger poverty-reduction initiative, provides loans and support to woman artisans, and with a 98 percent repayment rate, it has proven highly effective.
“Earlier, this program was limited to a few districts,” Javed said. “Now, it has expanded to urban slums in Karachi and Sukkur.”
For women like Lal and Baloch, the SRSO has brought more than financial stability.
It has brought them dignity and hope.
“I am extremely grateful to Allah for making the SRSO the means through which I was empowered,” said Baloch, who could not study beyond the fifth grade, but has managed to send two of her daughters to university.
“Today, I am successful, and so are my children.”


Pakistani forces kill five militants in intelligence-based operation in northwest

Updated 10 January 2025
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Pakistani forces kill five militants in intelligence-based operation in northwest

  • Operation took place a day after more than a dozen atomic energy workers were abducted in Lakki Marwat
  • The prime minister lauds the professionalism of security forces, saying the whole nation stands with them

KARACHI: Pakistani security forces killed five militants in an intelligence-based operation on Friday in the volatile northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to a statement by the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
The operation comes amid a surge in militant violence in the region, which Pakistan has attributed to cross-border attacks from Afghanistan by groups like Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Afghan authorities have denied these allegations.
The operation followed an incident a day earlier when armed militants abducted 17 Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission workers and their driver in the restive Lakki Marwat district. Eight of them were freed after a few hours.
“On 10 January 2024, Security Forces conducted an intelligence-based operation in general area Maddi, Dera Ismail Khan District on reported presence of khwarij [TTP militants],” the ISPR said in the statement.
“During conduct of operation, own troops effectively engaged khwarij’s location,” it continued, adding that five of them, including their ring leader, Shafiullah alias Shafi, were killed as a result.
Weapons and ammunition were recovered from the militants, who were involved in attacks on security forces and the targeted killings of civilians, the statement said.
Subsequently, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised the professionalism of security officials, vowing to continue the fight against militancy until it was eradicated from the country.
He said the whole nation stood united with the security forces.
“The entire country pays tribute to the bravery of our security personnel who risk their lives to combat these enemies of the state,” he added.