ISLAMABAD, April 25: Four new faces were inducted into the federal cabinet on Tuesday while some portfolios changed hands the most prominent among them being the ministry of information and broadcasting.

President Pervez Musharraf administered oath to new ministers at a ceremony, also attended by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz at the Aiwan-i-Sadr.

Salim Saifullah Khan, Khalid Lund and Kamil Ali Agha have joined the cabinet in place of outgoing ministers Dr Hafeez Sheikh and Ajmal Khan and minister of state Dr Shahzad Wasim while Prof Mushtaq Victor has been made minister of state for minorities affairs.

Sheikh Rashid Ahmed has been given the ministry of railways and Senator Mohammed Ali Durrani, previously special assistant to the prime minister, emerges as the top confident of both the president and the prime minister as the new minister for information and broadcasting.

Informed sources said that induction of PPP-Patriots’ Khalid Lund was the result of late-night consultations at the highest level. However, no member of the so-called forward bloc in the PML was considered for a cabinet post.

The reshuffle in some important ministries, like the ministry of information, points to a potential change in the approach of the government which appears to be actively preparing for 2007 elections.

Sources close to Sheikh Rashid claimed he was the first casualty of the behind-the-scene negotiations with Benazir Bhutto’s PPP which had demanded change in his position as the first step towards any understanding with the government.

Nilofar Bakhtiar, who headed the ministry of women development as adviser to the prime minister, has been elevated to minister for tourism in place of Ghazi Gulab Jamal from Fata who has been transferred to the ministry of culture.

Zahid Hamid, minister of state for defence, has been promoted and assigned the ministry of privatisation and investment. Mr Lund has been made minister of state for defence.

The ministry of inter-provincial coordination has been revived and Salim Saifullah Khan has been given this portfolio.

Sumaira Malik, a niece of former president Farooq Leghari and minister of state for tourism, has been promoted as minister for women and youth affairs.

Amir Muqam, minister of state for water and power, has been made minister for political affairs — a new portfolio which has no secretariat so far.

Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat, Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas, has been transferred to the ministry of environment so far held by Tahir Iqbal who gets Mr Hayat’s portfolio.

Shamim Haider, minister for railways, has been given the charge of the sports ministry.

Ali Asjad Malhi, minister of state for IT, has been shifted to railways swapping the portfolio with Ishaq Khakwani. Tariq Azeem, minister of state for overseas Pakistanis, has been transferred to the ministry of information in place of Anisazeb Tahirhkehli who has been made minister of state for education.

Zafar Iqbal Warriach, minister of state for local government, has been transferred to interior ministry vacated by Dr Shahzad Wasim. Ghulam Bibi Bharwana, minister of state for education, has been transferred to youth affairs ministry. Raza Hayat Hiraj becomes minister of state for overseas Pakistanis and Kamil Ali Agha takes his place as minister of state for parliamentary affairs.

Agencies add: With the expansion in the federal cabinet, the number of members now stands at 62.

Senator Durrani and Sumaira Malik belong to the National Alliance which now stands merged with the ruling PML.

Salim Saifullah Khan, Amir Muqam, Nilofar Bakhtiar and Zahid Hamid belong to the ruling PML.