ISLAMABAD: Dec 4, Reuter: Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto appointed her first cabinet on Sunday, bringing it three seasoned outsiders to make up for the lack of experience in her Pakistan People’s party.

A group of special advisers to the Prime Minister with ministerial rank included former Central Bank President V.A. Jaffrey and retired high-flying diplomat Iqbal Akhund.

Pakistan’s Veteran Foreign Minister, Sahabzada Yaqub Khan, who served under the late President Mohammad Zia-UI-Haq, also agreed to stay on at his post.

Bhutto, 35, the Moslem world’s first woman Prime Minister, appointed 23 Ministers, Ministers of State and special advisers, all of them men. They were sworn in by acting President Ghulam Ishaq Khan and held their first Cabinet meeting.

Information Minister of State Javed Jabbar said Bhutto kept the portfolios of finance, defense, education, planning and petroleum to herself for the time being but would probably add to her cabinet.

“In the days to come I am sure she will be able to enlighten you further,” he told a news conference.

Western Analysts said the four special advisers -the two others are strong PPP men — had the look of a future, “kitchen cabinet,” an inner group close to the Prime Minister.

“The interest is in the advisers,” a diplomat commented.

“The list of Ministers does not strike one; it is not full of familiar names.”

Jaffrey was moved from the Central Bank to be Ishaq Khan’s Principal Secretary on Zia’s death a plane crash last August.

But like Akhund, Former representative at the United Nations and once tipped for the Secretary General’s post he has not been active politically.

The two others in the inner group included former policeman Rao Rashid, 62, named adviser for “establishment,” covering government appointments. He was intelligence Chief under Bhutto’s father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

Retired Major-General Nasirullah Khan Babar, appointed adviser with the title of special assistant was once PPP Governor of North West Frontier province.

The other Ministers and Ministers of State named were mainly from the politically-dominant landowning class and almost all spent time in prison during Zia’s 11 year rule.

Article extracted from this publication >> December 9, 1988