Who’s who in the cabinet

LAHORE: The new cabinet that has taken oath consists mostly of parliamentarians elected to the assemblies more than twice or who have deep political roots in the province. Farooq Yousaf Ghurki belongs to the Arain family. He is the nephew of Wagah Town nazim and former MNA Khalid Yousaf Ghurki. Khalid’s wife Samina Ghurki was elected MNA in the February 2008 elections. Khalid is considered amongst PPP Co-Chairman Asif Zardari’s close associates. The Ghurki family has been elected to the assemblies since 1985. Mian Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman is an Arain by caste. He is not an MPA. He is the son of former Lahore mayor Mian Shujaur Rehman. He has been included in the cabinet because of his experience with politics and strong political connections. Rana Sanaullah is a Rajput from Faisalabad. He is not an MPA and is contesting the by-elections. He has been included in the cabinet because of his experience and long association with politics. Muhammad Ashraf Sohna was once considered a close associate of former defence minister Rao Sikandar Iqbal. He was elected MPA in 2002, but did not join the PPPP-Patriots despite pressure by Rao Sikandar. A Janjua by caste, his family is attached to the gold business. He is also said to have celebrated Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s hanging in 1979. Haji Ishaq, a Rajput by caste, is an old parliamentarian. He was elected MNA in 1985. He has been contesting elections since then. A transporter by profession, he is also the PPP’s Toba Tek Singh district president. Neelam Jabbar Chaudhry is also an Arain by caste. She is from Toba Tek Singh. She is the only female PPP member who was elected on a general seat. She was preferred over other female MPAs due to being elected directly and not on a reserved seat. It was difficult for the party leadership to nominate two ministers from the same district. Ahmad Ali Aulakh is also an old parliamentarian. He has been elected to the Punjab Assembly since 1985. He has been made part of the cabinet because of his age and experience. Tanveer Ashraf Kaira hails from a well-known political family of Kharian. His cousin Qamar Zaman Kaira is a federal minister. A Gujjar by caste, his family is considered the political enemies of the Chaudhries of Gujrat. Malik Nadeem Kamran has returned to the assembly for a second time. Belonging to the Kakayzai Awan family, Kamran enjoys a reputation of being a veteran parliamentarian. Chaudhry Abdul Ghafoor has been preferred because of his affinity with the elder Sharif. A Mayo by caste, he enjoys the party leader’s trust because he looked after the Sharif’s Raiwind assets in their absence. staff report

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