By NNN-APP
Peshawar : The select committees of the Awami National Party and Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians formed to evolve consensual power sharing formula for the future coalition government in the NWFP Wednesday agreed to keep 21 members cabinet in the first phase with PPPP to occupy the slot of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker from the ANP.
The select committees headed by President of ANP NWFP Afrasiab Khattak and Provincial Chief of PPPP Rahimdad Khan met here at the residence of Senator Ilyas Ahmed Bilour.
Veteran parliamentarian Bashir Ahmed Bilour will administer oath to the newly nominated Speaker of the NWFP Assembly as former Speaker Bakht Jehan Khan had resigned from the post after the dissolution of the NWFP Assembly by the then Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani.
Later briefly briefing the media after the meeting, Afrasiab Khattak said, there would be two senior ministers in the next cabinet one each from the coalition partners i.e. ANP and PPPP.
Moreover of the 21 members cabinet, 12 would belong to ANP and nine from the PPPP. He said the post of Speaker would be given to the PPPP nominee while the ANP would keep the slot of Deputy Speaker.
To a question about the portfolios, he said, ANP would get the ministries of Education, Auqaf, Zakat, Hajj, Agriculture and Environment, Fishries, Sports and Tourism, Local Government, Information, Law and Parliamentary Affiars, Works and Services Department.
The PPPP would get Excise and Taxation, Finance, Planning and Development, Population Welfare, Irrigation, Health, Food, Revenue, Industries and Commerce.
The power sharing formula would be finalized in five to six days. He said there was total understanding and consensus between the coalition partners and ruled the possibility of differences over any issue.
The ANP head parried the question about replacing the NWFP Governor and said “no comment at this stage as this matter has not been discussed in today’s parleys”. “I don’t think any thing that is undecided between the ANP and PPPP would be referred to the central command of the party for decision as everything settled in amicable fashion”, he told a questioner.
To a question, he expressed the confidence that session of the NWFP Assembly is most likely to be convened a day later of the National Assembly’s meeting.
When contacted President of PPPP NWFP Rahimdad Khan said, his party would consult the Co-Chariman Asif Ali Zardari about the decision taken in the meeting today.
He said since he was parliamentary leader of his party therefore, he would occupy the slot of Senior Minister in the cabinet. “We will take all forces into confidence in the formation of the government”, he added.