Cabinet given final shape except few portfolios
By Saad Saud

ISLAMABAD—The co-chairman PPPP, Asif Ali Zardari and newly elected Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani have finalized the name of the newly formed cabinet after meeting with coalition partners. The cabinet comprises 11 member of PPPP, nine members of PML-N, two members of ANP, one of JUI-F while one member of FATA is also expected to have one portfolio.
Sherry Rehman has been given portfolio of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Naveed Qamar as Privatization minister, Khurshid Shah, ministry of Labor, manpower and Overseas Pakistanis while Qamar uz Zaman has been given portfolio of Ministry of Kashmir and Northern Areas. While ministries of Parliamentary Affairs, interior Ministry, Health Ministry have also been awarded to PPPP.
Similarly, ministries of Science and Technology, Education, Science, Commerce, Communication, Natural Resources, food and agriculture, defense production, planning development, youth affairs have been given to PML-N. Khawaja Asif Ali will be awarded ministry of Petroleum and Natural gas, Ishaq Dar ministry of Commerce, and Ahsan Iqbal ministry of education, while among others Khawaja Saeed Rafiq, Chaudhry Nisar Ali, Rana Tanveer, and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi are also expected to have portfolios. Ghulam Ahmad Bilour of ANP to be given portfolio of Local bodies, Khawaja Muhammad Hoti ministry of social welfare and special education. From FATA the name of Hamid ullah Jan is on the top of list. The formal announcement of the name of cabinet members will be made today (Saturday).
Secretary General Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said that all the matters regarding formation of the Federal Cabinet has been finalized and the names of ministers would be announced today (Saturday). Talking to media men in the front of the Zardari House here on Friday, the Secretary General PPP said that it has been agreed among allied parties including PPP, PML-N, ANP and JUI-F that in the first stage, the number of ministers would be 22 aiming to avoid burden on the national exchequer.
Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said that the members of the Cabinet would take oath from President Pervez Musharraf and only eligible members would be inducted in the Cabinet. The names of ministers would be announced after obtained vote of confidence by Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani, he added.
He said that Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani would get vote of confidence today (Saturday) in the National Assembly session which is the constitutional requirement and expressed the hope that he(Gillani) would get majority of votes like PPP and its allied parties nominated candidates for slot of Speaker and the Deputy Speaker obtained.
Responding to a question, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said that if party assigned any responsibility upon him then he would try to fulfill that responsibility. The Secretary General PPP commenting on the challenges facing by the country said that poverty, unemployment, shortage of water and electricity load-shedding are the main challenges and effective strategy is needed to deal these problems. Expressing his views on the current political situation in the country, the veteran politician said that we want conducive environment in and outside of the Parliament so that the democratic institutions could be strengthened.