- 14-member cabinet will include 12 ministers, two advisers.
- Oath ceremony to be held at 11am today at Governor’s House.
- Caretaker setup remains until next GB Assembly elections.
GILGIT: Members of the caretaker cabinet of Gilgit Baltistan are set to take oath today, marking the formal start of the region’s government five weeks after the appointment of an interim chief minister.
The oath-taking ceremony will be held at 11am today at the Governor’s House in Gilgit. Speaker of the GB Legislative Assembly, Nazir Ahmed Advocate, will administer the oath to the ministers and advisers.
The 14-member caretaker cabinet comprises 12 ministers and two advisers, including one woman. Caretaker Chief Minister Justice (retd) Yar Mohammad took the oath on November 26 last year.
Following a delay of a month and seven days, the caretaker cabinet was announced on January 2 when Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, in his capacity as the Gilgit-Baltistan Council’s chairman, appointed a 14-member caretaker cabinet on the advice of the caretaker CM.
According to an official notification, Colonel (retd) Abrar Ismail has been assigned the portfolios of finance, planning and development. Engineer Altaf Hussain has been given the charge of local government and rural development.
Mehrdad has been appointed minister for food, while Maulana Sarwar Shah will oversee the portfolio of minerals and industries. Maulana Sharafat Din has been assigned the portfolio of forests, wildlife and environment.
Syed Adeel Shah has been given the portfolios of sports, culture and youth affairs. Engineer Mumtaz Hussain will head the water and power department.
Bahadur Ali has been appointed to the Ministry of Education and Law, while Dr Niaz Ali will oversee the region’s health ministry.
Raja Shahbaz Khan has been given the charge of tourism, excise and taxation, and works and communications portfolios, while Syeda Fatima has been designated the portfolios of social welfare, population welfare and women development.
Abdul Hakeem has been assigned agriculture, livestock, fisheries and water management.
The caretaker setup will remain in place until the formation of an elected government following the next GB Assembly elections.
The GB government formally de-notified all provincial cabinet members following the expiry of the assembly’s tenure on November 24 last year.
The Gilgit Baltistan Assembly held its last session, during which members from both treasury and opposition benches spoke at length, reflecting on their five-year performance and highlighting achievements as well as challenges faced during the government’s term.
The GB assembly’s last elections were held on November 15, 2020, across 24 constituencies. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had formed the government with Khalid Khurshid elected as chief minister.
However, in July 2023, the GB Chief Court disqualified CM Khurshid.
Following his removal, a coalition comprising members of the PTI’s disgruntled faction, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) formed a new government and elected Haji Gulbar Khan as the region’s chief minister.
