Pakistani president swears in new Cabinet members ■ GOVERNMENT

Pakistan on Friday swore in a new Cabinet, following a week of turmoil that included the election of a new prime minister after the resignation of his predecessor, who was dismissed from office by the country’s Supreme Court for concealing family assets.

Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi’s 43-member Cabinet includes Foreign Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif, who served as Defence Minister in the government of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif until Friday, when Sharif was disqualified by the court.

Since coming into power in 2013, Sharif’s government had no foreign minister, though the job was often handled by one of his advisers, Sartaj Aziz.

Abbasi named a young lawmaker, Khuram Dastgir, as defence minister.

The move was seen as an effort by Abbasi to avoid confrontation with the military.

Among those included in the Cabinet was Ishaq Dar, a close relative of Sharif who previously served as finance minister.

His inclusion came as a surprise because of a Supreme Court order that he be charged with corruption.

Sharif’s interior minister, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, was not in the new Cabinet — he had resigned earlier this month over disagreements with Sharif.

Khan was replaced by Ahsan Iqbal, who was minister for planning and development.