Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari Sworn in as Federal Minister, Likely to be Appointed Next Foreign Minister of Pakistan

Following the induction of Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the size of the federal cabinet has risen to 38.

New Delhi: Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), was on Wednesday sworn in as a federal minister and is likely to be appointed as the next Foreign Minister of Pakistan.

Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari was administered the oath by Pakistan President Arif Alvi during a ceremony held at the Aiwan-e-Sadr which was also attended by Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and former president Asif Ali Zardari, Bilawal’s father and former Pakistan president.

Federal Ministers including Rana Sanaullah, Naveed Qamar, Khurshid Shah, Sherry Rehman and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar also attended the ceremony.

Earlier, on April 19, when Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s 34-member Cabinet was sworn in by Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, Bilawal Bhutto was not among the ministers.

Initially, 31 federal ministers and three ministers of state took the oath to join Prime Minister Sharif.

Following the induction of Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the size of the federal cabinet has risen to 38. Besides the 38 ministers, PM Shahbaz sharif also appointed three lawmakers as his advisors.

After Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Bilawal, 33, would be the second member of the family who would serve the country as a foreign minister.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is a member of the politically prominent Bhutto and Zardari families and is the son of former Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto and former President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari and the maternal grandson of former President and Prime Minister of Pakistan Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

He became a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan on 13 August 2018.

(With agency inputs)