Pakistan Cabinet announcement on Friday: Ch. Nisar
By Fatima Raza 'Pakistan Times' Special Correspondent

ISLAMABAD: A joint committee of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N), Awami National Party (ANP) and Jamiat Ulema Islam (JUI-F) held deliberations at the Parliament House here on Wednesday on distribution of cabinet slots.

The meeting was attended from the PPP by Senator Mian Raza Rabbani, Khurshid Shah, Sherry Rehman and Syed Naveed Qamar. PML-N side included Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar and MNAs Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and Khwaja Muhammad Asif.

Talking to the media, Chaudhry Nisar said that the meeting was a part of homework for power-sharing in the Federal Cabinet among the coalition partners.

The PML-N leader said that more talks would be held to finalize matters by Friday when a cabinet would be announced.

Chaudhry Nisar said the meeting also discussed matters relating to Standing Committees and it was decided that opposition lawmakers should also be given responsibility of chairing some of these panels.

He said it would be first time in the parliamentary history of the country that opposition members would head Standing Committees.

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani was sworn into office on Tuesday and is expected to secure a vote of confidence from the National Assembly on Saturday to fulfill a constitutional requirement. The cabinet is also likely to be sworn in the same day.

'Pakistan Times' [Daily Web Newspaper] understands that the first batch of almost 20 federal ministers are likely to take oath of their office on Saturday. Central leader of PML-N Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said that the federal cabinet would take oath in three phases.

He said PML-N wants small cabinet. He criticised PML-Q for keeping a large cabinet that consisted of 80 plus ministers, state ministers and a hefty number of advisors.

Meanwhile PPP leader Syed Khurshid Shah says that coalition partners are agreed on distribution of ministries in accordance with ratio of MNAs.

The first batch of ministers will take oath this week.It can be consists of either 15 or 20 ministers in the first phase.

In case of 20 ministers, 10 would be from PPP,8 from PML-N, one each from ANP,JUI and others.●