News
Friday, March 14, 2008
PPP, PML-N to finalise govt formation on 17th
* Agree on power-sharing formula * Nisar predicts small cabinet
By Muhammad Bilal
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Thursday agreed on a power-sharing formula, which will be finalised in a formal meeting of all coalition partners scheduled for Monday, March 17. The two parties discussed matters related to the formation of a coalition government, PPP Information Secretary Sherry Rehman and senior leader Naveed Qamar told reporters after Thursday’s “informal meeting” at Parliament House. They said there had been no disagreements on any issues so far. PML-N leader Nisar Ali Khan said the two parties had “completed their homework” and the top leaders would formally announce the agreed formula on Monday. Small cabinet: Nisar said his party was not interested in getting ministries. He said the PML-N wanted the size of the cabinet to be reduced. “It will not be a 70-member cabinet of the previous government. It will be a small cabinet,” he said. To a question, he said the misunderstanding created by PML-N leader Khawaja Asif’s remarks on PPP Vice Chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim was now over. “It is a closed chapter now,” he added. He said it was the PPP’s internal matter to nominate a candidate for prime minister, and the PML-N would not interfere. Sources privy to the meeting said there was a general agreement on reducing the size of the cabinet of ministers, and the two parties had finalised the distribution of ministries among coalition partners. They said the Awami National Party (ANP) was likely to get one slot in the cabinet and the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) led by Fazlur Rehman was expected to get two. The sources said the prerogative of naming ministers for the slots allotted to each coalition partner would be left to the parties. The cabinet would be announced in two phases, they said, and about 18 members were likely to take oath in the first phase. The parties in the coalition have short-listed their candidates for ministries. Raza Rabbani, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Khursheed Shah, Sherry Rehman, Naveed Qamar and Farooq H Naek represented the PPP in Thursday’s meeting, and Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Khawaja Muhammad Asif and Ishaq Dar represented the PML-N. The PPP now has 120 seats in the National Assembly, and the PML-N 90. The ANP has 13 seats in the National Assembly and the JUI-F has 6.
Courtesy Daily Times