The interim cabinet of caretaker Prime Minister Justice Nasirul Mulk (Retd) is likely to be formed in coming two to three days as he has started consultations with his close aides to form a cabinet consisting of people with unblemished track record.
Well-placed sources at the PM House told Business Recorder that the formation of the interim cabinet will be completed by upcoming week, as the Prime Minister is considering keeping a neutral caretaker cabinet to oversee the conduct of elections and serve until the formation of the elected government.
"The cabinet as indicated by the [caretaker] Prime Minister will be short and concise, as the interim setup is meant to run the day-to-day affairs of the interim government," said a source at the PM House. The sources said that a few names for the coveted slot of caretaker foreign minister are being considered and top of which are: former Pakistan Ambassador to US Jalil Abbas Jilani and Pakistan's permanent representative to UN Dr Maleeha Lodhi.
"Most probably Jilani will be picked up as he is one of top diplomats who served his country very well during his posting in Washington. Besides, he has also served as foreign secretary, so he is the best choice to deal with challenges faced by the country particularly Pakistan's critical case before FATF [Financial Action Task Force]," said a senior official privy to the development. "With the start of June, we've automatically been on the FATF grey list, for which we need an effective diplomacy to present Pakistan's case before the FATF member states, especially the US," he added.
The FATF next meeting is scheduled for June 23 in Paris, where the international organization would decide whether Pakistan should be removed from the grey list or it should be placed on blacklist after evaluating the steps taken by Pakistan to curb money laundering and terror financing.
For that purpose, the sources said that the country needs a competent finance minister who together with the foreign minister can fight Pakistan's case effectively. They said that the Prime Minister is well aware of the issue, and hopefully he will pick a suitable person as his finance minister to plead Pakistan's case at FATF.
The sources said that former State Bank Governors Dr Ishrat Hussain and Dr Shamshad Akhtar, prominent economist Dr Hafeez Pasha and some other names are reportedly being considered for the slot of the finance minister. For the key ministries of interior, law and justice, energy and information, the sources added, intense deliberations are under way and the process is likely to be completed by the end of next week.
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