***One thing in Pakistani politics has changed since 2002, we have a ‘mil kar khayo’ rule now, because they have realized if they sit down and eat alone, they get stiff resistance from the opposition. This is why Zardari was so hell bent on ‘national reconcilliation’.
National reconcilliation = Mil kar khayo = More ministries for allied parties.***
20 more ministers likely to be inducted
By Asim Yasin
ISLAMABAD: The expansion in the federal cabinet has been deferred for a few more days after differences emerged within the ruling coalition on the distribution formula regarding the numerical strength and portfolios.
Earlier on Tuesday, official sources hinted that the expansion of the cabinet would be made on Wednesday and President Asif Zardari would administer oath to the new cabinet members. However on Tuesday evening, the Prime Minister House spokesman told The News that the new cabinet members would not take oath on Wednesday but after a few days, most probably after the in-camera joint session of parliament.
When contacted, Information Minister Sherry Rehman said the prime minister would announce expansion in the cabinet within the next few days. “The consultations with the allied parties have been completed and the expansion in the cabinet would be announced within the next few days,” she added.
However, according to sources, the last-minute decision to postpone the cabinet expansion was made during a meeting between the PPP leaders and President Asif Zardari at the Aiwan-e-Sadr after reservations expressed by the coalition partners on the formula for the expansion in the federal cabinet.
Sources said it was decided in the meeting to postpone the oath-taking ceremony of the cabinet till the conclusion of in-camera session of the joint sitting of parliament on the security situation in the country.
The coalition partners had expressed their ignorance about any such expansion taking place in the cabinet when the news regarding the expansion of the cabinet on Wednesday was reported. ANP Information Secretary Zahid Khan said he was not aware of the cabinet expansion, adding that his party was not contacted on the development.
**
Meanwhile, according to sources, 20 ministers will be inducted into the federal cabinet and out of them 10 would be taken from the PPP, four from the MQM, three from the ANP, two from the JUI-F and one from the PML-F.**
The sources said Haider Abbas Rizvi, Khushbakht Shujaat and Waseem Akhtar from the MQM, Farzana Raja, Mian Manzoor Wattoo, Hamid Saeed Kazmi, Ejaz Jhakrani, Hina Rabbani Khar, Rafiq Jamali, Nabeel Gabol, Tasneem Qureshi, Samina Ghurki, Senator Dr Babar Awan and Abdul Qayyum Jatoi from the PPP, Sadruddin Shah from the PML-F, Nasrullah Shah and Senator Haji Adeel from the ANP and Maulana Attaur Rehman are among the strongest candidates to seek a berth in the cabinet.
Sources said Manzoor Wattoo and Hamid Saeed Kazmi, currently officiating as advisers to the prime minister, were being elevated to the post of federal ministers. Sources further said in a major reshuffle in the cabinet, Finance Minister Syed Naveed Qamar would hold the portfolios of Ministry of Investment and Privatisation while Shaukat Tareen would be notified as Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance.
The sources further said Syed Khurshid Shah, currently holding the portfolio of Ministry for Labour, Manpower and Overseas Pakistanis, would be allotted the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources.
Qamaruzzaman Keira is likely to be given the Education ministry while Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar will be given the portfolio of Commerce Ministry. Sources said ANP’s Federal Minister Khwaja Muhammad Hoti was likely to resign from his office and another minister from the ANP would replace him.