Pakistan cabinet to be ‘rightsized’

ISLAMABAD - The Pakistan cabinet is going to be “rightsized” and the restructuring of the cabinet will lead to some ministers being shunted out, a media report said Sunday.

The Nation reported that some ministers in the federal cabinet are being removed as part of rightsizing, apparently to meet a demand of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) to reduce expenditure.

Federal Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan said a step was being taken to “rightsize” the cabinet.

Awan said President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani had decided on rightsizing the cabinet.

He said it had been decided to reduce the number of ministers in the new cabinet with a view to cutting down government expenditures.

The decision has been taken following PML-N’s suggestions for economic reforms.

PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif had given a 10-point charter of demands to the government Jan 4 and sought that it should be met within 45 days.

The media report said that Nawaz had made it clear that if the demands were not met, the PML-N would be left with no option but to call for fresh elections.

It is not clear how many ministers will be shown the door.

Two ministers - Hamid Saeed Kazmi and Azam Khan Swati - have already been sacked. Swati had claimed that Kazmi was involved in corruption in Haj operations. The prime minister removed both of them, saying they had violated discipline.