ISLAMABAD, May 17: President Asif Ali Zardari administered the oath to Senator Dr Asim Hussain as a federal minister at a ceremony held at the Aiwan-i-Sadr on Tuesday.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Punjab Governor Latif Khosa, Secretary General Salman Faruqui, Minister of State for Communication Chaudhry Imtiaz Safdar Waraich, Senators Syeda Sughra Imam and Faisal Raza Abadi, MNAs Fouzia Habib and Farhanaz Ispahani and other high officials attended the ceremony.

Dr Hussain, a close friend of the president, was appointed adviser to the prime minister on petroleum and natural resources in November 2008, but he resigned in August 2009.

He was elected senator in April 2011 and was again appointed the adviser to the PM on petroleum and natural resources.