Darshan Lal becomes first Hindu to enter Pakistan cabinet in 20 years

Pakistan's new Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi formed his cabinet on Friday, filling it with his toppled predecessor Nawaz Sharif's aides and allies. It also included the first Hindu in a Pakistan government in more than 20 years, Darshan Lal.

The "reshuffle" was aimed at bolstering support for the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) ahead of the general elections in mid-2018, with President Mamnoon Hussain administering the oath of office to 47-member cabinet that included 28 federal and 19 state ministers in a televised ceremony at his official residence.

Darshan Lal would head coordination between four Pakistani provinces, a government official said. Lal, 65, is a practising doctor from Mirpur Mathelo town in Ghotki district of Sindh. In 2013, he was elected to the national assembly for the second time on PML-N ticket on a reserved seat for minorities.

Khawaja Muhammad Asif, minister for defence and power in previous cabinet, was appointed the country's new foreign minister. Pakistan was without a foreign minister since Sharif became PM in 2013. The last foreign minister was Hina Rabbani Khar.

No decision has been made yet on whether Abbasi will remain the PM till the 2018 elections or step down after Shahbaz becomes eligible to take over after winning a by-election, as previously decided.

PML-N leadership is unsure about Shahbaz's resignation as his departure from Punjab could weaken the party's grip over the country's most powerful and populated province. Pakistan's mix of political parties has often ensured that whoever wins Punjab, forms the central government.

To strengthen the party's position in Punjab, Abbasi has added five politicians from prominent families that command huge vote banks in the south of the region, seen as pivotal to the next poll.

The reshuffle saw Sharif's close aide Ishaq Dar resume his earlier role as finance minister despite a criminal investigation ordered against him by the Supreme Court in the Panama leaks.

With ex-home minister Chauddhry Nisar Ali Khan reluctant to retain his post, the interior ministry went to Ahsan Iqbal, head of a commission tasked with building the $57 billion China-Pakistan Economic corridor.

The Pakistan Supreme Court had disqualified former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif from office over Panama Papers leaks last week, following which Abbasi (former petroleum minister) took over. Abbasi, a staunch Nawaz ally, reportedly finalised the names and portfolios of the cabinet ministers after close consultation with the leader-in-exile and his younger brother Shahbaz Sharif, who is the Punjab province chief minister.