ISLAMABAD: Cabinet expansion is imminent… such is the consensus amongst senior PML-N leadership with Senator Irfan Siddiqui maintaining on a private channel that PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif has already approved the names of the new members.
Other PML-N leaders told Business Recorder that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is still awaiting approval from Nawaz Sharif on the expansion of the federal cabinet.
Well-placed sources told Business Recorder that the decision to expand the Cabinet is not opposed by the stakeholders as it is designed to strengthen the politics of the ruling elite in their constituencies.
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The number of new cabinet members, ministers and advisers, under consideration is reportedly 9 or 10 – an addition that is premised on the need to accommodate demands of increasingly recalcitrant coalition partners, those not part of the coalition but the government can engage with like the JUI-F and to allow those ministers currently managing more than one portfolio to relinquish one to focus more on the other.
A senior PML-N leader, who declined to be named, told the BR that several PML-N lawmakers including those who previously left PTI to join PML-N are advocating for ministerial positions.
Key lawmakers and party leaders who are looking for ministerial position include Hanif Abbasi, Barrister Aqeel Malik, Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Barrister Daniyal, Talal Chaudhry, Malik Sohail Khan Kamrial and PTI defectors Aurangzeb Khan Ghichi and Alamzeb Khan.
The list does not include Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), a significant ally in the ruling coalition, as the party has chosen not to accept any cabinet position, despite Prime Minister Sharif’s requests. A senior PPP official, who preferred to remain anonymous, asserted that the party’s stance remains unchanged, and emphasized that the government should prioritize providing relief to the public rather than expanding the cabinet, which is deemed unnecessary at this time given the prevailing economic difficulties.
He added that the party has consistently supported the government in legislative matters and other issues of national importance. “If we join the cabinet, we will lose the ability to critique the government,” stated a senior PPP leader.
In a visible divergence from the government’s policies Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has repeatedly criticised the government for continuing its curbs on social media and slowing down the internet through an increasingly controversial firewall. And the party’s complaints against not being allowed any space in Punjab in spite of a reported deal to allow the party to appoint focal persons in key districts in south Punjab. Shazia Marri, a long term PPP loyalist, recently lambasted the government for not calling a Council of Common Interest meeting and has expressed annoyance at not being taken on board before taking key decisions.
An anecdotal survey carried out by the BR team revealed that any cabinet expansion is not likely to be supported by the general public operating in the private sector labouring under wages that have not been raised for the past four to five years while inflation continues even though its rate has come down.
In response to a query about a cabinet expansion that would compromise the government’s austerity measures, a senior PML-N leader dismissed the assertion, stating that the majority of ministers and advisors do not receive salaries.
He further noted that cabinet ministers are utilizing only official vehicles with restricted fuel allowances. While confirming that approximately 10 to 12 federal and state ministers, along with advisors, will be incorporated into the cabinet he added that any expansion would be based on performance, as suggested by the Prime Minister.
Reports suggest that Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb advised the Prime Minister against expanding the cabinet, citing concerns that it could undermine the government’s austerity measures.
Aurangzeb reportedly recommended that in the event that the cabinet expansion is a done deal that advisers instead of federal ministers be appointed as there is currently only one adviser in the cabinet and four are allowed as per the constitution.
Another senior PML-N leader argued that the government’s performance and governance have been negatively impacted due to the limited number of ministers handling multiple portfolios.
When questioned about the anticipated cabinet expansion, he stated that no specific timeline could be provided, as it could occur at any moment.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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