Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani has administered the oath to federal ministers and ministers of state, who will form the cabinet of newly elected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The oath-taking ceremony began with the recitation of the Holy Quran at the President House. Thirty-one federal ministers and three ministers of state took the oath.

Shehbaz has also appointed three advisers, taking the total strength of the cabinet to 37 members.

In a tweet, PM Shehbaz said that the federal cabinet was formed after "thorough consultations" with PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and the government's coalition allies.

"It is my fervent hope that federal ministers, ministers of state and advisers will provide leadership, and resolve the problems of the people. Work, work and only work is our motto," he said.

According to Radio Pakistan, PML-N's Marriyum Aurangzeb and Azam Nazir Tarar have been appointed the information and law minister, respectively.

Ahsan Iqbal, also from the PML-N, has been appointed the planning and development minister.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan's (MQM-P) Aminul Haque has taken charge as the information technology and telecommunications minister, APP reports. Haque had also held the same portfolio under the previous PTI government.

Further, PPP's Hina Rabbani Khar was appointed the state minister for foreign affairs while PML-N's Rana Sanaullah was given the interior ministry. PML-N's Miftah Ismail and Aisha Ghaus Pasha were appointed as finance minister and state minister for finance, respectively.

Federal ministers

• Khawaja Muhammad Asif (PML-N)
• Ahsan Iqbal (PML-N)
• Rana Sanaullah (PML-N)
• Sardar Ayaz Sadiq (PML-N)
• Rana Tanveer Hussain (PML-N)
• Khurram Dastgir Khan (PML-N)
• Marriyum Aurangzeb (PML-N)
• Khawaja Saad Rafique (PML-N)
• Miftah Ismail (PML-N)
• Javed Latif (PML-N)
• Riaz Hussain Pirzada (PML-N)
• Murtaza Javed Abbasi (PML-N)
• Azam Nazeer Tarar (PML-N)
• Syed Khursheed Shah (PPP)
• Syed Naveed Qamar (PPP)
• Sherry Rehman (PPP)
• Abdul Qadir Patel (PPP)
• Shazia Marri (PPP)
• Syed Murtaza Mahmud (PPP)
• Sajid Hussain Turi (PPP)
• Ehsan Ur Rehman Mazari (PPP)
• Abid Hussain (PPP)
• Asad Mahmood (MMA)
• Abdul Wasay (MMA)
• Abdul Shakoor (MMA)
• Muhammad Talha Mahmood (JUI)
• Aminul Haque (MQM-P)
• Faisal Sabzwari (MQM-P)
• Muhammad Israr Tareen (BAP)
• Shahzain Bugti (JWP)
• Tariq Bashir Cheema (PML-Q)

Ministers of state

• Aisha Ghaus Pasha (PML-N)
• Abdul Rehman Khan Kanju (PML-N)
• Hina Rabbani Khar (PPP)

Advisers to the PM

• Qamar Zaman Kaira (PPP)
• Amir Muqam (PML-N)
• Awn Chaudhry (PTI's Tareen group)

The ceremony was scheduled to be held on Monday, but it transpired that President Arif Alvi had refused to administer the oath to the lawmakers, compelling the government to postpone the ceremony to Tuesday (today).

Earlier, a Dawn report, citing sources, had said President Arif Alvi was expected to go on leave on Tuesday over reported illness so that Sanjrani could administer the oath. Previously, the president had also excused himself to administer the oath to Sharif on health grounds after which Sanjrani had taken over the responsibility.

On the other hand, some government allies were said to be “unsatisfied” over the demands they had extended to the government regarding distribution of ministries and other lucrative positions.

It was learnt that the Balochistan National Party (BNP) and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) would not join the cabinet on Tuesday, as the BNP has accused the government of not preventing violent incidents in the province, such as the recent firing on protesters in Chagai.

Similarly, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has demanded immediate general elections after being annoyed over the non-fulfillment of his demands regarding distribution of ministries and some constitutional posts like the offices of the president and Senate chairman.