ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Peoples Party's high command has resolved to expand, gradually rather than at once, the Federal Cabinet by inducting more Ministers and Advisors with focus on cementing the remaining ruling coalition after departure of major partner the PML-N. According to well-placed sources, President Asif Ali Zardari who also heads the ruling party, has been holding frequent meetings with not only Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gailani but also with the coalition partners since he returned from the US for, inter alia, the Cabinet expansion. The sources were of the view that the President had delayed his China visit chiefly because of the two burning issues including the war on terror getting into critical stage, and the much needed Cabinet expansion for both manning the affairs and strengthening the coalition. Other than the PPP chosen Advisors like the one already done for Finance, most of the party parliamentarians aspiring to be inducted in the Federal Cabinet would get the Minister of State slots. At the same time, the sources added, the Federal Ministers' slots left vacant by the PML-N would be filled up by the parliamentarians nominated by the coalition partners. The sources revealed to The Nation that the Awami National Party was getting more favourite as compared to the rest of the coalition partners including the MQM and the JUI-F for its extended role in the war on terror mostly surrounding the NWFP. The sources were of the view that the JUI-F of Fazlur Rehman was interested in the Governorship of Balochistan more than the slots in the Federal Cabinet. According to the sources, Syed Naveed Qamar would continue holding the portfolio of Finance Minister even after induction of Shaukat Tareen as Prime Minister's Advisor on Finance. Tareen is most likely to take oath on Tuesday (today). However, it is decided for sure that Tareen would look after the day-to-day affairs of Finance while Qamar would focus on Privatization besides looking after the Finance Ministry. Meanwhile sources have also thrown hints about the PPP contemplating on inducting a well-known figure from the media as Advisor to the PM on Information with the status of a Federal Minister. The sources further told The Nation that PPP Co-Chairperson Asif Ali Zardari's official spokesman Farhatullah Babar would be appointed as official spokesperson of the President with the status of a Federal Minister. Names of the PPP parliamentarians and non-parliamentary aspirants for the Cabinet scrambling around these days include Samina Gurki, Asif Ahmed Ali, Senator Babar Awan, Farzana Raja, Farahanaz Isphani, Faryal Talpur, Yousaf Talpur, Aftab Shaban Mirani, Hazar Khan Bajarani, Sardar Saleem Haider and Fardoos Ashiq Awan. Apart from new inductions in the Cabinet, the portfolios of some of the existing PPP Ministers are also likely to be reshuffled. The Ministries likely to get new faces as Federal Ministers include Interior, Defence, Water and Power, Petroleum, Information, and Information Technology and Telecom, the sources added. However, the sources insisted that the PPP would not carry out the Cabinet expansion in one go, rather it would prefer piecemeal changes as well as inductions.