ISLAMABAD, April 25: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said on Tuesday that the expansion and reshuffle in the federal cabinet had been made in the best national interest.

Talking to cabinet members, who called on him on Tuesday, the prime minister said the government as well as people expected from the ministers to discharge their duties to the best of their abilities.

He said the performance of ministers was evaluated and monitored by assigning them targets progress on which was reviewed on a quarterly basis.

He asked the ministers to keep a close watch on the implementation of projects. The ministers and ministers of state, who called on the prime minister, included Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat, Liaquat Ali Jatoi, Muhammad Ali Durrani, Zahid Hamid, Neelofar Bakhtiar, Sumaira Malik, Salim Saifullah Khan, Amir Muqam, Khalid Lund, Kamil Ali Agha, Mushtaq Victor, Shahnaz Sheikh, Anisazeb Tahirkheli and Ali Asjad Malhi.