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Shehbaz Sharif ministry
2024-present
Date formed	11 March 2024
People and organisations
Head of state	Asif Ali Zardari
Head of government	Shehbaz Sharif
No. of ministers	19
Member party	Pakistan Muslim League (N) Coalition Partners: MQM-P PML-Q IPP BAP NP PML(Z) Confidence and supply: PPP
Status in legislature	National Assembly Coalition government 230 / 336 (68%)
Opposition party	Sunni Ittehad Council
Opposition leader	Omar Ayub
History
Election	2024
Legislature terms	16th Parliament of Pakistan
Predecessor	Kakar caretaker ministry

This article is part of a series aboutShehbaz Sharif
Prime Minister of PakistanIncumbent Early life Political career Electoral history Elections 1997 2008 2013 2018 2024 Premiership First ministry and term First Shehbaz Sharif government International trips Political unrest Economic crisis Floods Special Investment Facilitation Council EXIM Bank Hazara Electric Supply Company Pakistan Sovereign Wealth Fund Pakistan Airports Authority National Commission for Personal Data Protection Land Information and Management System National Information Technology Board Pakistan Computer Emergency Response Team National Cyber Crimes Investigation Agency Bureau of Air Safety Investigation Negotiations with TTP 2023 Geneva Conference Bills Contempt of Parliament Islamabad Nature Conservation and Wildlife Management Act 2023 Pakistan Army Amendment Bill 2023 Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill 2023 Budgets 2022–23 federal budget 2023–24 federal budget 2023 Pakistan Digital Census Pakistan–Turkey Free Trade Agreement Second ministry and term Second Shehbaz Sharif government International trips Azm-e-Istehkam SCO Heads of Government Summit Constitutional Package Budgets 2024-25 Federal Budget Chief Minister of Punjab Chief Ministership of Shehbaz Sharif Provincial governments First government Second government Third government Model Town tragedy Daanish Schools Punjab Educational Endowment Fund Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park Dolphin Force Protection of Women against Violence Bill, 2015 Orange Line (Lahore Metro) Multan Metrobus Punjab Land Records Authority Punjab Food Authority Information Technology University Punjab Forensic Science Agency Lahore Waste Management Company Gallery: Picture, Sound, Video
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After the general elections in Pakistan, Shahbaz Sharif's second ministry was formed. Shehbaz Sharif from the Pakistan Muslim League-N was elected as the Prime Minister. President Asif Ali Zardari took the oath of office. The new Cabinet composition has been described as a "Lean", with its composition being influenced by the need of the new government to respond quickly to the current economic crisis. The Cabinet includes PML-N, MQM(P), PML(Q), IPP and independents.

Cabinet formation

On March 6 the Cabinet Division issued the de-notification of the caretaker cabinet. The next day PML-N leader Attaullah Tarar that the federal cabinet would be finalized within the next 48 hours. Adding that HBL President Muhammad Aurangzeb would be considered for the financial portfolio, remarking “The most important portfolio is the finance ministry as the economy has to be revived and the matters with the IMF will have to be taken forward." Shehbaz Sharif would host a dinner together with leaders of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) over Federal Cabinet finalization. PML-N would request for the PPP to join the cabinet, however Bilawal Bhutto would announce that it would support PML-N in government formation without joining cabinet, addressing PPP's CEC meeting “The PPP has decided that while we are not in a position to join the federal government ourselves, nor will we be interested in taking ministries in such a set-up, we also do not want to see political chaos in the country. We do not want to see perpetual crisis in the country,” he said. On March 9 Nawaz Sharif directed Shehbaz Sharif to implement the parties manifesto after the formation of the federal cabinet. Later Nawaz would direct the PM to keep the federal cabinet small in the initial phase. During the meeting, Shehbaz Sharif would table the proposed names of the Federal Cabinet to the PML-N leader. Four-time finance minister and Sharif family associate Ishaq Dar would drop out the race for the position of Minister of Finance & Revenue. According to the Tribune, an anonymous PML-N leader claimed that the appointment of Mohsin Naqvi as Interior Minister would "erode the government's credibility", according to another anonymous PML-N leader, Ishaq Dar was not chosen due to the PM's preference for a new Finance minister.

On March 11 President Asif Ali Zardari administered the oath to the PM's 19-member federal cabinet. The proposals for appointment was made under clause 1 of Article 92 (federal ministers and ministers of state) of the Constitution. On the same day Muhammad Aurangzeb, the new finance minister would renounce his Dutch nationality and be granted Pakistani nationality as well as resign from his position as CEO of Habib Bank Limited. The nineteen member cabinet includes many veteran politicians and newcomers. Mohsin Naqvi and Ahad Cheema, former caretaker ministers would be included amongst other PML-N stalwarts. The swearing-in ceremony was held in the President's House (Aiwan-i-Sadr). On March 12 the new Federal cabinet members assumed charge after allocation of their portfolios. The new cabinet has been criticized for sidelining some members of the newly elected coalition, seen in the absence of Ishaq Dar in the financial portfolio and Rana Sanaullah as interior ministry, traditional supporters of Nawaz Sharif. Shehbaz Sharif's position as Prime Minister has also been seen as to maintain strong relations with the military and ensuring its influence in administration. The military's backing of the new cabinet composition has also been seen as a way to send a message against the political opposition that attempts to undermine the new government will be met with force and push through reforms, such as through the SIFC.

Composition of Cabinet

Federal Ministers

Ministers of State

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister

Future plans

The prime minister has initially decided to keep his cabinet small, but in the second phase more ministers will be inducted. The new cabinet will tackle a number of issues as Pakistan grapples with an economic crisis, regular power cuts, rising militant attacks and strained relations with neighboring Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. On March 15 Shehbaz Sharif was presented with an 'economic roadmap', briefing measures related to electricity, agriculture and livestock, export sector, medium and small scale industry, taxation, information technology, investment and privatization. Inflation reduction, poverty alleviation and employment and the digitization and innovation in revenue collection and agriculture were also included. The Prime Minister directed that actions should be taken on a priority basis to increase the capacity of various sectors, continuing on his wish that all stakeholders of different sectors of the economy to be consulted on the plan. He also added that the implementation of these plans should be ensured without wasting time and a schedule be prepared. Sharif would say that the country would have to be stabilized and put on the path of development in the next five years. The PM Shehbaz would also seek a detailed roadmap to increase the volume of Information Technology (IT) service exports to more than $3 billion. Sharif would state that the government would take steps to fully avail the potential for IT and provide young people with the required facilities for education, skills development and startups. In addition, he laid emphasis on the swift resolution of banking issues faced by start-ups, freelancers and IT companies. Other measures of the economic road-map include; setting up free Daanish Schools models nationally, setting a minimum benchmark for commercial banks to extend loans to SME-based industrial parks, direct fertilizer subsidies to farmers, providing farmers in rural areas with quality seeds from international producers, facilitating farmers in operating tube-wells on solar energy, having oil & gas companies set up subsidiaries for renewable energy projects and making available funds for students securing admissions to international universities. Musadik Malik would remark that the combination of three steps, (i) direct fertilizer subsidy, (ii) supply of quality seeds, and (iii) solar-powered tube-wells would help materialize a "green revolution" and "triple" productivity in a couple of years. Adding that every year the project would be scaled up. These agricultural policies claim to remove middlemen and monopolistic seed companies from the equation and the existing practice of providing cheap gas to manufacturers who in turn pass on only a partial amount to the farmers. The five-year roadmap has been criticized as an inflexible and an antiquated economic strategy drawn from the legacy of the 1960s and 1970s with its permits, licences, voucher schemes, nationalisation, credit allocations, government intervention, etc being likened to the new roadmap.

Shehbaz Sharif would direct Ministry of Finance (MoF) to immediately explore possibility of Panda Bonds to shore up depleting foreign exchange reserves. The new finance minister, Muhammad Aurangzeb would state that successful talks with the IMF would be vital and work to initiate a larger and longer EFF programme. He also remarked he was optimistic in an SBP policy rate decrease and set end-to-end digitisation in the FBR as a high priority to plug leakages, increase tax-to-GDP ratio and create fiscal space in the government. A public-private partnership model in the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), the fixing of SOEs and bringing in investment through the SIFC were also mentioned. He reiterated his commitment to reform with an IMF mission led by Nathan Porter and EU ambassador Dr Riina Kionka. Shehbaz Sharif discussed bilateral issues including regional security and economic reforms with US ambassador Donald Blome Minister for Privitisation, Abdul Aleem Khan would claim that due to the current circumstances of the economy, 15-20 institutions must be privatized. On March 11, Shehbaz Sharif would increase the allocation of the Ramazan Relief Package from Rs 7.5 billion to Rs 12.5 billion, the price of atta and ghee had been reduced by Rs77 kg and Rs100 per kg at the Utility Stores Corporation (USC). He also claimed that the price of other commodities such as rice and pulse had been reduced by 30%. The distribution of the Ramzan Package would be undertaken by 300 USC outlets and 1,200 mobile USC. Under the Kifalat programme families in Gilgit-Baltistan, AJK and Balochistan where to be provided with Rs 2,000. The rate of Nisab for Zakat 1444-45 A.H (2023-2024) would be fixed at Rs135,179, compared to last Ramazan's Nisab of Rs103,159. According to a plan presented to the PM, the privatization programme would occur in three phases (1 year, 1-3 year, and 3-5 year), with the following guidelines; (i) loss-making commercial SOEs to be privatized on priority, (ii) reducing footprint of Federal Govt to commercial SOES having "national and strategic" interest, (iii) profitable SOEs shall be identified to reduce federal footprint in the economy, and (iv) issues related to SOEs included in active privatization list to be resolved by concerned Ministries/Divisions on priority. A seven member committee would be constituted by the PM to present a plan for reduction in government expenditure. With the Terms of Reference (ToRs) of the committee including down-sizing the Federal government, identifying other schemes useful in reducing government expenditure, preparing austerity strategy, implementation and a timeline. The committee has sought to rationalise expenditure on pensions and development, which covers 16% of the annual budget, but has not included the defense budget or the expenditure on interest payments which consume nearly two-thirds of the total federal budget.

References

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v t e Shehbaz Sharif
Prime Minister of Pakistan (2022–2023, 2024–present) Leader of the Opposition (2018–2022) Leader of the Pakistan Muslim League (N) (2018–2024) Chief Minister of Punjab (1997–99, 2008–18) Member of Parliament (1990–93, 2018–present)
Premiership	Shehbaz Sharif ministry First Second International trips
Chief Ministership	First cabinet Second cabinet Third cabinet 16th Punjab Parliament
Life and politics	Electoral history Pakistan Muslim League (N) 2018 Pakistani general election
Family	Tehmina Durrani (second wife) Hamza Shahbaz Sharif (son) Nawaz Sharif (brother) Abbas Sharif (brother) Mian Muhammad Sharif (father)
Awards and honors	Shehbaz Speed
Related	Ramzan Sugar Mills Ittefaq Group Sharif Group Raiwind Palace
Category:Shehbaz Sharif

• Pakistani federal ministries
• 2024 establishments in Pakistan
• Cabinets established in 2024
• Shehbaz Sharif