Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Fawad Chaudhry, on Monday refuted reports regarding reshuffle of portfolios of federal ministers.
Fawad Chaudhry, in his latest Twitter message, clarified, “There is no truth in reports regarding any reshuffle in portfolios of government ministers.”
“Prime Minister [Imran Khan] has discretionary powers to change ministers and media should exhibit its responsibility in this regards,” he added.
He said that Pakistan was passing through an important phase at the time and such speculations could have resulted in anxiousness [among the nationals] which went against the national interests.
حکومتی وزراء کے قلمدان تبدیل کئے جانے کے حوالے سے خبروں میں کوئ صداقت نہیں، وزراء کی تبدیلی وزیر اعظم کا صوابدیدی اختیار ہے میڈیا اس ضمن میں ذمہ داری کا مظاہرہ کرے۔ اس وقت پاکستان اہم مرحلے سے گزر رہا ہے اور اس نوعیت کی قیاس آرائیوں سے ہیجان جنم لیتا ہے، جو ملک کے مفاد میں نہیں
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) April 15, 2019
The information minister further added that Pakistan has held dialogues with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and [Finance Minister] Asad Umar will give a statement regarding the development shortly.
Earlier in the day, it has emerged that Prime Minister Imran Khan was mulling over reshuffling his cabinet in light of the performance of federal ministers.
Sources privy to this development say the prime minister will reshuffle the portfolios of five ministers, including Finance Minister Asad Umar, Petroleum Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan and State Minister for Interior Shehryar Afridi.
Asad Umar will be removed as finance minister and entrusted the portfolio of petroleum minister, whereas Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Brigadier (retd) Ijaz Shah will replace Shehryar Afridi.
Minister for Pakistan Railways Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed, Minister of Energy Umar Ayoub Khan, and Federal Minister for Communications and Postal Services Murad Saeed fared better than other ministers and won’t be reshuffled.
