STAFF REPORTER
ISLAMABAD Prime Minister Imran Khan carried out a reshuffle of ministers in cabinet positions on Monday, appointing Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar as the Federal Minister for Economic Affairs after taking back charge of the Minister of National Food Security from him two days after his name emerged as a major beneficiary in an investigation report into recent sugar crisis. Syed Fakhar Imam has been made Federal Minister for National Food Security, Hammad Azhar as Federal Minister for Industries, Azam Sawati as Federal Minister for Narcotics Control. Meanwhile, the prime minister accepted the resignation of Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan’s Khalid Maqbool Siddique as the Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication. MQM P’s Amin ul Haq has been given the charge of IT ministry. Among other changes, Babar Awan was appointed as the adviser for Parliamentary Affairs. Mohammad Shahzad Arbab has been removed from being the adviser to PM on establishment, Hashim Popalzai was removed from being the secretary ministry of food security while Omar Hameed was transferred and appointed as secretary ministry of food security. Advisor to Prime Minister Imran Khan on Establishment, Shehzad Arbab, has been removed from his position. Mr Babar Awan has been appointed as Advisor for Parliamentary Affairs. PM Imran on Sunday had vowed not to spare those found guilty of creating and profiteering off the sugar and wheat crises once he received the detailed forensic reports of an FIA-led commission’s preliminary findings on April 25. Indistries were being overlooked by Abdul Razak Dawood, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Commerce, Textile, Industry & Production and Investment. However, no update has been issued on whether Dawood’s role has changed after Azhar’s appointment. The reshuffle comes two days after the Federal Investigation Agency team released reports on the sugar crisis and beneficiaries of subsidies obtained by the industry’s bigwigs. The report on the sugar crisis named Bakhtiar, then the minister for national food security, as a beneficiary. The report also named Jahangir Tareen, a PTI leader, as a beneficiary of the subsidy. Around the same time as news of the cabinet reshuffle emerged, former Punjab government spokesperson Shahbaz Gill tweeted that Tareen has been removed as the chairperson of the task force on agriculture “in light of findings of sugar and wheat inquiry report”. Tareen tweeted soon after, saying that he was never appointed as the chairperson of the task force. “I was never chairman of any task force. Can anyone show me a notification with me as C’man?? Pl get your facts right people,” he wrote in a tweet. Meanwhile, Punjab Food Minister Samiullah Chaudhry tendered his resignation on Monday over alleged inaction on reforms regarding the food industry. In his resignation, Chaudhry said he resigned after meeting Chief Minister Punjab, Usman Buzdar.In the letter, the provincial food minister said that he faced allegation that he could not bring reforms in the department, adding that until the clearance of accusations he would not hold any government office
