The 14-member federal caretaker cabinet took oath here on Tuesday at Aiwan-e-Sadr. President Asif Ali Zardari administered the oath to the 14-member cabinet. The ministers who took oath are: Malik Habib, Ahmer Bilal Soofi, Dr Musaddaq Malik, Arif Nizami, Shahzada Ahsan Ashraf and Shahzada Jamal from Punjab; Sohail Wajahat H. Siddique, Maqbool H.H. Rahmatoola and Dr Younis Soomro from Sindh; Abdul Malik Kasi, Asadullah Mandokhel and Mir Hassan Dhomki from Balochistan and Dr Sania Nishtar and Feroze Jamal Shah Kakakhel from KP.
Caretaker Prime Minister former justice Mir Hazar Khan Khoso, Ambassadors, high dignitaries of military and civil, former parliamentarians, senior journalists and others were present on the occasion. The Prime Minister on Monday selected a 15-member caretaker cabinet but 14 ministers took oath on Tuesday. Sources said that just before the oath taking ceremony, the chair of Dr Mushtaq Khan was removed and he did not take oath. But officials were mum as to why Khan did not take oath.
Sources said that Dr Mushtaq Khan was stopped from taking oath, when Governor State Bank of Pakistan, Yaseen Anwar, pointed out to the officials of President Secretariat that Dr Khan is an employee of the central bank, in the capacity of Economic Advisor. The sources said that Dr Mushtaq Khan may be appointed as advisor to the Prime Minister on Finance. Representation was given to all provinces in the caretaker cabinet. The ministers do not belong to any political party. However, they were included in the cabinet due to their good reputation and services especially in social sector.