Pak Caretaker PM Kakar Forms New Cabinet; New Appointees Show Kashmir Agenda Returns to PMO

Pakistan’s caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar on Thursday appointed a new cabinet ahead of the general elections due in early November. Pakistan’s former ambassador to US Jalil Abbas Jilani was named foreign minister and former central bank chief Shamshad Akhtar was appointed finance minister as part of the new caretaker cabinet.

In a significant move, Mashaal Malik, wife of Kashmiri separatist leader Yaseen Malik, has been appointed as the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on human rights. Yasin Malik is a Kashmiri separatist leader who was arrested in 2019 and later sentenced to life imprisonment.

He was involved in several violent attacks against Indian security forces, including the kidnapping of Rubaiya Sayeed, the daughter of the then-home minister of India. He was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on charges of terror funding and waging war against the state. Yasin Malik was later sentenced to life imprisonment in May 2022.

The inclusion of Mashaal’s name in the cabinet has indicated that the return of the Kashmir agenda within the Prime Minister’s office of Pakistan.

Following are the key appointees in the Kakar cabinet:

• Shamshad Akhtar, Finance Minister
• Ijaz Gohar, Trade Minister
• Sarfaraz Bugti, Interior Minister
• Murtaza Solagni, Information Minister
• Umar Saiof
• Aneeq Ahmed, Religious Minister
• Ahmed Irfan, Law Minister
• Jalil Abbas Jilani, Foreign Minister
• Dr Nadeem Jan, Health Minister
• Ahmed Tarrar, Communications Minister]
• Lt. Gen (Retired) Anwar Ali Haider, Defence Minister
• Mashaal Malik, SAPM on Human Rights

Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, a relatively lesser-known political figure believed to have military ties, assumed office as Pakistan’s caretaker prime minister on August 14. His appointment comes as Pakistan grapples with political and economic challenges, and he will lead until a new government is elected.

Hailing from Balochistan, Kakar will preside over the country’s affairs during this transition period. This role was formalised through a swearing-in ceremony by President Arif Alvi at the Presidency. Kakar, formerly associated with the Balochistan Awami Party, which has close ties to the military, resigned from the Senate and his party on August 13.

Pakistan’s constitution mandates a neutral caretaker administration for overseeing national elections, which are expected to take place within 90 days of the dissolution of the lower house of parliament, likely by early November.