- Consultations for the formation of the provincial cabinet in Punjab have commenced following the swearing-in of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.
- In the initial phase, a 20-member cabinet is expected to be formed this week, with discussions also held with allied parties including PPP, PML-Q, and Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP) for ministries in the second phase.
- Senior PML-N leaders such as Rana Sanaullah, Pervaiz Rashid, and Marriyum Aurangzeb are likely to be accommodated in the cabinet.
- Mr Sanaullah and Mr Rashid may be inducted as special assistants or advisers to the CM due to not being members of the Punjab Assembly, with Mr Sanaullah anticipated to handle portfolios such as home and law.
- The possibility of Mr Rashid returning to the Senate remains uncertain pending a decision by Nawaz Sharif.
- Azma Bokhari is expected to be appointed as the information minister, while Ms Aurangzeb, relocated from the center, will also hold a significant ministry.
- Other potential cabinet ministers include Bilal Yasin, Faisal Ayub Khokhar, Zakiya Shahnawaz, Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman, Manshaullah Butt, Khizar Hussain Mazari, Ashiq Karmani, Ahmad Khan Leghari, Sher Ali Gorchani, Raheela Khadim Hussain, and Sibtain Bokhari.
- Lawmakers from PPP, PML-Q, and IPP, to be inducted later, may not receive prominent ministries.
- CM Maryam Nawaz visited the Civil Secretariat in Lahore, where she met with provincial bureaucracy and was briefed on departmental performance.
- Ms Sharif emphasized the importance of merit and vowed against political appointments in government departments, stressing the need for structural reforms.
- She also chaired a meeting to gather data on deserving individuals in the province and directed the initiation of road repair and maintenance, in addition to ordering the launch of similar projects in all districts by December 31 during her visit to the Punjab Safe City Authority headquarters.
