By IRNA
Islamabad : A 24-member Pakistani cabinet was sworn-in on Monday, which marks the completion of the transfer of power to the new government after the February 18 parliamentary elections.
President Pervez Musharraf administered the oath to the cabinet members at a special ceremony at the Presidency in Islamabad.
Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani attended the ceremony.
The ministries were distributed among the coalition partners which included 11 from Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), 9 from Pakistan Muslim League PML-N of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, 2 from the nationalist group Awami National Party, one from the Islamic group Jamiat ulema-e-Islam and one from the tribal regions.
Cabinet members from the PML-N party had black bands on their arms during the oath taking to protest against President Musharraf, PML-N spokesman Siddiqul Farooq said.
The ministers and their portfolios are:
PPP: Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi (foreign affairs), Syed Khurshid Ahmad Shah (labour, manpower and overseas Pakistanis or parliamentary affairs), Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar (defence), Raja Pervez Ashraf (water and power), Syed Naveed Qamar (ports and shipping), Sherry Rehman (information and broadcasting), Senator Farooq Naek (law and justice and human rights), Qamar Zaman Kaira (Kashmir affairs and Northern Areas), Nazar Gondal (Anti-Narcotics) Najmuddin
Khan (States and Frontier Regions), and Mir Hamayun Kurd (Population Welfare) PML-N: Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan (senior minister,
communications), Senator Ishaq Dar (finance), Khwaja Mohammad Asif (petroleum and natural resources), Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan (railways), Mrs Tehmina Daultana (women development), Shahid Khaqan Abbasi (Commerce), Ahsan Iqbal (education), Saad Rafiq (youth affairs), and Rana Tanvir (defence production).
ANP: Ghulam Ahmad Bilour (local government) and Khawaja Mohammad Khan Hoti (social welfare and special education).
JUI-F: Senator Rehmatullah Kakar (Housing).
Tribal Regions: Hamidullah Jan Afridi (environment)
Advisor: Rehman Malik will work as Advisor on Interior, with the status of central minister.