Govt Gives Nationality to Finance Minister Hours After Taking Oath

The federal cabinet on Monday approved giving Pakistani nationality to newly appointed Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb. The newly appointed minister had previously renounced his Pakistani nationality to opt for Dutch nationality. President Asif Ali Zardari administered oath to the 19-member federal cabinet earlier in the day. After taking oath, Aurangzeb officially took over the responsibility as Finance Minister of Pakistan. On his arrival at the finance ministry, he was welcomed by the Secretary Finance and senior officials of the ministry. A preliminary meeting of senior management was also held to facilitate introductions and initial discussions. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has directed that a committee should be established immediately to control the prices of food and other daily items in the country. The prime minister also explained the roadmap of the newly elected government during the conversation with the cabinet members. He said that strict action should be taken against the unnecessary increase in the prices of essential commodities and illegal profiteering, and no negligence will be tolerated in this regard. He said that the committee together with the provincial governments will monitor the prices of food items and other daily items. The federal cabinet approved the appointment of Major General Abdul Moeed as the Director General of the Anti-Narcotics Force on the recommendation of the Ministry of Anti-Narcotics. The federal cabinet also imposed a ban on the export of onions and bananas till April 15 to keep prices of both items during stable Ramazan.