New Delhi: Pakistan's new Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has inducted the first Hindu Darshan Lal into his cabinet in more than 20 years.He has formed his cabinet by filling it with his toppled predecessor Nawaz Sharif's aides and allies. 

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.

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.