President Alvi administers oath to PM Shehbaz’s cabinet members 

ISLAMABAD – President Dr Arif Alvi on Friday administered oath to the members of newly formed cabinet of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, ending an environment of mistrust between the government and Presidency. 

It marks the first that President Alvi took oath from the members of the new government’s cabinet as he earlier skipped the oath-taking ceremony of Sharif and first-induction of his cabinet. In his absence Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani had taken over the responsibility. 

PML-Q’s Chaudhry Salik Hussain, PML-N leader Mian Javed Latif, ANP’s Aghan Hassan Baloch and BNP’s Hashim Notazai sworn in during the ceremony held at the Aiwan-e-Sadr where PM Shehbaz was also present. 

The development comes days after the prime minister called on President Alvi for the first time after assuming the premiership.

President's Secretariat issued a statement saying the two leaders met at President's House and exchanged views related to the evolving political and economic situation in Pakistan.

Sharif met Alvi amid a dispute over the removal of Punjab Governor Omer Sarfaraz Cheema who earlier refused to administer the oath to the newly-elected Punjab Chief Minister after calling the provincial election controversial.

Sharif used his discretionary powers to remove Cheema, who has been directed to leave the governor's house at the earliest while the PTI leader said the premier did not have the authority to dismiss him and only the president could do so.

Later, the newly appointed Information Minister said that the government was sending a summary to the president for his removal on which senior PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry tweeted that the president had denied removing Cheema.