ISLAMABAD: For the first time, the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has endorsed the reconstitution of the Council of Common Interests (CCI), leading to the replacement of the finance minister by the foreign minister in the council.
President Asif Ali Zardari, acting on the prime minister’s recommendation, has formed the eight-member council in accordance with Article 153 of the Constitution.
Shehbaz will chair the CCI, with all four chief ministers serving as its members. The notification also includes Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, and Safron Minister Amir Muqam as CCI members.
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The CCI, the country’s primary decision-making body, resolves disputes between the central government and provinces, including matters related to resource allocation.
This is not the first instance of PM Shehbaz assigning tasks to Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar over the finance minister.
Last week, Shehbaz established six separate cabinet committees covering various sectors, with the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) retained under his purview, contrary to traditional practice where the finance minister usually led such committees.
After initial backlash, Finance Minister Aurangzeb was later appointed as the head of the ECC in a reshuffle by PM Shehbaz.
(Islamabad51_Newsdesk)
