Expansion in Punjab cabinet after Eid

LAHORE-The PML-N has agreed to give the portfolios of health and education to the PPP, the two key cabinet slots which had been a bone of contention between the two parties since formation of Punjab cabinet in April 2008.

Senior Punjab Minister Raja Riaz informed this while talking to a select group of reporters at Lahore Press Club on Monday.

The minister said that Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has assured that PPP would get 40 per cent share in Punjab cabinet, and the portfolios of health and education would also go to it. He said the portfolio of health department would be given to PPP minister Dr. Tanvirul Islam, currently holding the charge of Culture, Sports and Youth Affairs.

It is to be noted that portfolio of Communication and Works department in Punjab is also lying vacant for the last over five months as both PPP and PML-N have laid their respective claims over control of this key department.

Talking about expansion in Punjab cabinet, the Senior Minister said that it would be undertaken after Eid following an anticipated meeting between PPP chief and President Asif Ali Zardari and Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif.

At present, 16-member Punjab cabinet is in place, out of which seven belong to the PPP.

The PPP ministers and their portfolios are: Senior Minister and Minister for Irrigation Raja Riaz, Tanveer Ashraf Kaira (finance and P&D), Neelam Jabbar (population welfare), Ashraf Sohna (labour and human resource), Tanveerul Islam (culture, sports and youth affairs) and Haji Ishaq (revenue). Farooq Yousuf Ghurki is minister without portfolio, but is eyeing on the portfolio of C&W.

The PML-N ministers and their portfolios are: Rana Sanaullah Khan (law and parliamentary affairs), Dost Muhammad Khosa (local government), Mujtaba Shaujaur Rehman (excise and taxation), Iqbal Chunnar (special education), Chaudhry Abdul Ghafoor (Prisons), Malik Nadeem Kamran (food), Ahmad Ali Oulakh (agriculture), Ehsanuddin Qureshi (religious affairs and Auqaf) and Kamran Michael (minorities).

Meanwhile, addressing a news conference on Monday, Raja Riaz said all party organisations in Punjab would be re-organised after Eid in a meeting to be chaired by party chief Asif Ali Zardari.