Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar’s 19-member interim cabinet took oath on Thursday, with technocrats and many familiar faces included.

A notification showing 16 ministers and three advisers has been issued, without mentioning individual portfolios.

Sources said that Shamshad Akhtar will be finance minister, Sarfaraz Bugti will be interior minister, Muhammad Ali would be energy minister and Ahmad Irfan Aslam will be law minister.

The sources added that Jalil Abbas Jillani would be foreign minister, while Aniq Ahmad will be religious affairs minister. Dr Nadeem Jan will be health minister, Shahid Ashraf will be communications minister, Murtaza Solangi will be information minister, Sarfaraz Bugti will be interior minister and Anwar Ali Hyder will be defence minister.

Gohar Ejaz will be minister for industries and commerce, Dr Nadeem Jan will be minister of health, Jamal Shah will be minister of culture, Umar Saif will be minister of Information and Technology.

Khalil George will be minister for minorities while Madad Ali Sindhi will be education minister.

The cabinet will also include Air Marshal (r) Farhat Hussain Khan, Ahad Cheema and Waqar Masood as advisors.

Mushaal Hussein Mullick, the wife of Kashmiri leader Yaseen Malik, will be made a special assistant to the PM on human rights and women empowerment. A total of six special SAPMS will be appointed including Wasi Shah for tourism, Jawad Sohrab for overseas Paksitanis, Vice Admir (r) Iftikhar Rao for martime affairs, Jehanzeb Khan for SIFC and Syeda Arfa for education and national harmony.

The interim cabinet of Anwaarul Haq Kakar is scheduled to take oath on Thursday (today) at 5pm at the President’s House in Islamabad, sources in the federal capital told Aaj News.

Meanwhile, discussions were under way for the final list of the interim cabinet.

Kakar was sworn in as the 8th caretaker prime minister on August 14 to see the country through to an election due in months.

Many experts have expressed their concerns over timely elections in the country, despite claims of the former ministers. They think the Council of Common Interests’ decision to notify the digital census results has increased the likelihood of not having elections due this year.

Earlier this month, former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif confirmed to Aaj News that elections would be held under the latest census results.

Raja Riaz, former opposition leader in National Assembly, has claimed that “elders” have decided that elections would be held in February 2024.

“Elections will be held a week before or after February 15, 2024,” he said in an interview with Kashif Abbasi on his show Off The Record on ARY News on August 15. “I am giving you this breaking news. I will be responsible if there is any shortcoming.”