'Q' dissidents denied share in cabinet

ISLAMABAD - The hopes of Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid) forward blocs in the Senate and National Assembly have dashed as PPP’s central command has flatly refused to induct its members in the federal cabinet.

A PML-Q lawmaker from the forward bloc told TheNation that PPP was already under tough time on the issue of federal cabinet’s expansion, as the number of ministerial berth hopefuls had increased than the actual available space. “There are also differences within ruling coalition over the subject of portfolios, as MQM, JUI-F, PPP and ANP are unable to reach any consensus,” he said, adding that in those circumstances, the induction of PML-Q lawmakers from the party forward blocs in the Senate and National Assembly had been put down by PPP.

He said that during presidential election, in which more than two-dozen party MNAs had voted for Asif Ali Zardari, the PPP’s leadership had pledged with the group to include it in the forthcoming cabinet expansion.