The federal government has merged the Ministry of Aviation with the Ministry of Defence and integrated the Narcotics Control Division into the Ministry of Interior as part of its ongoing rightsizing initiative.
The restructuring, expected to save Rs145 million annually, was approved by the federal cabinet on January 14, 2025. A notification issued by the Cabinet Division confirmed that all matters previously handled by the Ministry of Aviation will now be managed under the Defence Division.
The directive has been circulated to federal ministries, provincial chief secretaries, the Attorney General, the Auditor General, the Director General of ISI, the Intelligence Bureau, and other relevant authorities. The move reverses the 2013 decision to separate aviation from defence oversight.
Similarly, the Narcotics Control Division has been merged into the Ministry of Interior and will now function as a wing within the ministry. The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) has been placed as an attached department under the new structure.
Following this transition, the ministry has been officially renamed the “Ministry of Interior and Narcotics Control.”
These mergers are part of a broader restructuring led by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb to streamline governance and reduce expenditures. The plan aims to cut the number of ministries from 42 and eliminate 400 attached departments by June 30, 2025, in a bid to save Rs900 billion.
Several ministries, including IT and Telecom, National Health Services, and Industries and Production, have already been affected, while Railways, Petroleum, and Communications are under review for further consolidation.
