ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Prime Minister Justice (r) Nasirul Mulk’s six-member cabinet took oath at the President’s House on Tuesday, with a pledge to run the affairs of the government during its two-month interim period till the power is transferred to an elected government following the general elections on July 25.
President Mamnoon Hussain administered the oath to Shamshad Akhtar, Abdullah Hussain Haroon, Roshan Khursheed Bharucha, Yousaf Shaikh, Azam Khan and Syed Ali Zafar.
Caretaker Prime Minister Justice (r) Nasir ul Mulk also witnessed the ceremony.
The caretaker cabinet ministers have a lot of experience and expertise in their respective fields and are known as reputed personalities at home and abroad.
Abdullah Hussain Haroon, caretaker minister for Foreign Affairs, National Security Division, Defence and Defence Production, has served as Pakistan’s ambassador to the United Nations from September 2008 to December 2012.
A scion of the Haroon family, he is a renowned businessman, social activist and a previous Sindh Assembly speaker who was a board member of several educational institutes, sports associations and charity organizations.
He is the grandson of Sir Abdullah Haroon, a politician, who Muhammad Ali Jinnah called one of the strongest pillars of the All-India Muslim League.
Dr Shamshad Akhtar, caretaker minister for Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs, Ministry of Statistics, Ministry of Planning, Development and Reforms, Ministry of Commerce and Textile and Ministry of Industries and Production, has a broad-based development experience of about 37 years at leading multilateral institutions including the United Nations, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank and has served as Governor of State Bank of Pakistan.
Her development experience is spread over Asia, and Middle East and North Africa. Areas of her expertise range from macroeconomic policy management to sector-specific policies, legal and regulatory frameworks development and implementation. In addition to macroeconomics, including growth policies, public finance and monetary policy and management, she has advised various governments and the private sector organisations in specific areas of governance, poverty, privatization, public private partnerships and energy, agriculture and other sectors.
Barrister Syed Ali Zafar, caretaker minister for Law and Justice, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, Ministry of Information, Broadcasting, National History and Literary Heritage, was the president of Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan (2015-16). He has acted as arbitrator in various international arbitrations under the auspices of various bodies including International Chambers of Commerce (ICC) and the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA).
Prof Yusuf Shaikh, caretaker minister for Federal Education and Professional Training with additional portfolios of the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination and Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, has served as general staff officer and instructor at Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) Kakul. He also served as founder principal/project director of Cadet College Larkana for 23 years.
Azam Khan, caretaker minister for Interior, Capital Administration and Development Division, Ministry of Narcotics Control and Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination, is a former bureaucrat and also remained minister for Finance, Planning & Development KP from October 24, 2007 to April 1, 2008.
Roshan Khursheed Bharucha, caretaker minister for Human Rights, Ministry of Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan and Ministry of States and Frontier Regions, got master’s degree in English from the University of Balochistan in 1977. She also got a degree in Finance and Accounting for non-financial executives from PIMS Karachi in 1993.
She has held public office/official positions as caretaker minister Balochistan (November 22, 2007 to April 19, 2008) and Member Senate of Pakistan (March 12, 2003 to March11, 2006).
Bharucha has also served as chairperson of Senate Standing Committee on Health; member of Senate Standing Committee on Sports, Culture, Tourism and Youth Affairs; member of Senate Standing Committee on Education, Science and Technology and member of Senate Functional Committee on Government Assurance.
Published in Daily Times, June 6th 2018.
