ISLAMABAD , MARCH 30 : The Cabinet Division has on Tuesday issued notifications of the appointments of Hammad Azhar as Finance Minister and Tabish Gohar as Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Power and Petroleum.

This is the third time that the PM Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has changed its Finance Minister and underwent major cabinet reshuffle in less than three years.

Hammad Azhar has replaced Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh and Tabish Gohar has succeeded Nadeem Babar. The Cabinet Division has also issued notifications of Hafeez Shaikh and Nadeem Babar’s removal. Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh had assumed charge after Asad Umar was removed as Finance Minister.

Sources familiar with the matter informed that the decisions were made by PM Imran Khan on Monday in an important meeting which was attended by Information Minister Shibli Faraz, Moeed Yousuf, Zulfi Bukhari, Malik Amin Aslam and other leaders.

Furthermore, Shibli Faraz and Fawad Chaudhry are likely to be given the portfolios of Petroleum and Information respectively. There were also consultations on dividing the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting into two, with separate Ministers of State for both Information and Broadcasting.