Govt likely to expand federal cabinet with 20 ministers, advisors

ISLAMABAD: The federal government is likely to expand its cabinet with the inclusion of 15 to 20 new federal ministers, state ministers, and advisors, ARY News reported citing sources.

According to sources, the oath-taking ceremony for the new ministers is scheduled to take place tomorrow at 5 pm at the (President House) Aiwan-e-Sadar.

Sources revealed that the final schedule will be announced after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif returns from his visit to Uzbekistan.

The new cabinet members will include notable figures such as Hanif Abbasi, Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, and Mustafa Kamal.

Other expected inclusions are Barrister Aqeel, Huzaifa Rehman, Senator Talal Chaudhry, Afzal Khokhar, and Abdul Rehman Kanju. The cabinet expansion comes nearly a year after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took office.

Also read: Govt to approve ‘200% hike’ in salaries of MNAs, senators

The new ministers are expected to take charge of various portfolios, including the Ministry of Railways, Ministry of National Health, and Ministry of Communications. The final list of new ministers will be announced after the prime minister’s return from Uzbekistan.

The development came after the lower house of the parliament passed the Members of Parliament Salaries and Allowances (Amendment) Bill 2025 — already approved by the Senate — with a majority vote, increasing the salary of the parliament members.

The National Assembly’s Finance Committee, headed by NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, approved the proposed increase of the monthly salary of each MNA and senator to Rs519,000. Previously, lawmakers received a monthly salary of Rs180,000.