ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday handpicked ex-chief minister Sindh Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim as his special assistant on Sindh affairs.

A notification issued by the Cabinet Division said that "the prime minister has been pleased to appoint Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim as special assistant to the prime minister on Sindh Affairs".

It said that the appointment will be in an honorary capacity.

With the appointment of Rahim, the size of the federal cabinet has expanded to 53 members.

With the recent appointment, the cabinet members have been increased to 53 - including 27 federal ministers, four state ministers, 17 special assistants, and four advisers. Rahim is believed to be the first person who managed to get himself appointed as special assistant to the prime minister within a very short span of 25 days as he had joined the PTI on July 02.

The former Sindh chief minister was quoted as saying at the time that the PM had tasked him with organising the PTI in Sindh, and that people would hear "good news" from the province in the coming days.

Prime Minister Khan plans to hold public gatherings in Sindh starting from August, according to the PTI sources, and Rahim's appointment is seen as important in that context.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021