Quetta: Six more ministers were inducted into Balochistan’s interim cabinet on Wednesday.

Five ministers and three advisers had already been inducted in the first phase of cabinet formation.

Provincial Governor Malik Abdul Wali Khan Kakar administered oath to the new ministers at the Governor’s House.

Chief Minister Mir Ali Mardan Khan Domki, provincial ministers and senior officials were present at the ceremony.

The six new ministers are: Sh­­eikh Mehmood-ul- Has­san Man­dokhail, Ama­n­ullah Kanrani, Naw­ab­zada Jamal Khan Raisani, Sar­d­­ar Ejaz Khan Jaffar, Dr Amir Muhammad Joge­zai and Asif-ur-Rehman Dummar.

Three more expected to join after JUI-F submits its recommendations

The number of ministers in the interim cabinet has risen to 11. Sources said, however, that three more ministers were expected to take oath in a couple of days as the JUI-F, which had withdrawn its candidate for the chief minister’s slot, has recommended four individuals for appoin­t­­ment as minister.

According to an official notification, Sardar Ejaz Khan Jaffar will look after the portfolio of Public Hea­l­th Engineering and Popu­lation Welfare, Shei­­kh Mehmood-ul-Hassan Man­do­­khail will have the char­­ge of Local Govern­ment and Rural Devel­op­ment, Amanullah Kanrani will serve as law minister, the sports and culture portfolio will go to Nawabzada Jamal Khan Raisani, Dr Amir Muhammad Jogezai was named health minister, and Asif-ur-Rehman will be the minister for provincial coordination.

Nawabzada Jamal Raisani denied reports that he had initially turned down an offer to join the caretaker government. “I did not refuse to join the government as interim minister last week,” he told reporters.

“I had only requested the chief minister that since I belong to a political party, he should get in touch with its leadership.”

Jamal Raisani’s name had figured in the list of ministers who took oath in the first phase.

Sheikh Mehmood-ul-Hassan Mandokhail is a retired bureaucrat and younger brother of ex-senator Sheikh Saeed-ul-Hassan, a member of the Balochistan Awami Party.

Mr Mandokhail spent most of his career in local government and retired a few years ago as director general.

Amanullah Kanrani, a lawyer, is a founding member of the Jamhoori Watan Party. He was elected senator on the ticket of JWP. His first party was Jamaat-i-Islami.

Nawabzada Jamal Rai­s­ani belongs to a well-known political and tribal family. His father, Nawabzada Siraj Raisani, lost his life in a suicide bombing on a public meeting in Kanak area of Mastung district before the 2018 general election.

Jamal Raisani is a member of the Pakistan Peoples Party.

Dr Amir Muhammad Khan Jogezai belongs to a family which played an important role during the Pakistan Movement. His elder brother Sardar Gul Muhammad Jogezai is a former federal minister and also served as governor of Balochistan.

Dr Amir Jogezai did his MBBS from Bolan Medical College. At present he is running an NGO.

Sardar Ejaz Khan Jaffar, a retired bureaucrat, is a close relative of former Punjab chief minister Usman Buzdar.

Asif-ur-Rehman Dum­m­ar hails from Balochis­tan’s Duki area. He obtai­ned his degree in engineering from Lahore.

“I appeared twice in CSS examination and inte­­nd to make a third attempt as well,” he told Dawn.

Published in Dawn, August 31st, 2023