ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry, who was the first information minister of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, is set to get the high-profile portfolio back, sources said on Sunday.
According to sources that Prime Minister Imran Khan has directed the federal minister to take the charge of the information ministry. Sources further disclosed that a notification in this regard would be issued on Monday.
In August 2018, Fawad was appointed as Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting in the federal cabinet. However, in April 2019, he was removed from the ministry and later made Minister for Science and Technology.
It was earlier reported that PM Imran is expected to announce a cabinet reshuffle, potentially replacing several ministers and picking up some new faces as he is reportedly not happy with some key ministers’ performance and has already conveyed that only those would stay in the cabinet who can deliver.
Recently, the Cabinet Division had issued the notification to de-notify the appointment of Nadeem Babar as Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Petroleum. Tabish Gauhar has been re-designated as the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Power and Petroleum.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by rule 15(1) (g), read with item at serial number 1A of Schedule V-A of the Rules of Business, 1973, the Prime Minister has been pleased to order to de-notify the appointment of Mr. Nadeem Babar as Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Petroleum, with immediate effect,” read the notification.
The notification further added that “in terms of rule 4(6) of the Rules of Business, 1973, the Prime Minister has been pleased to re-designate, Mr Tabish Gauhar, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Power as Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Power and Petroleum, on an honorary basis, with immediate effect.”
Meanwhile, the federal government notified Minister of Industries Hammad Azhar’s appointment as the Minister of Finance.
