By NNN-APP,
Islamabad : President Asif Ali Zardari Saturday reconstituted the Council of Common Interests (CCI) with Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani as its Chairman in terms of Article 153 of the Constitution.
Giving background to the media, spokesperson to the President, Farhatullah Babar said that the President reconstituted the Council on the advice of the Prime Minister.
Besides the Prime Minister as its Chairman the other members of the Council include the Chief Ministers of the four provinces and nominees of the federal government including Syed Naveed Qamar Privatization Minister, Dr Arbab Alamgir Khan Communications Minister and Humayun Aziz Kurd Minister for Livestock and Dairy Development as members.
According to the Constitution the chief ministers of the provinces and an equal number of members from the federal government to be nominated by the Prime Minister from time to time will be members of the Council.
He said that with the Prime Minister and three federal ministers as its members the Council had the chief ministers of the four provinces and four members from the federal government nominated by the Prime Minister.
The CCI was last reconstituted on July 6, 2006, he said.
The 2006 CCI also chaired by the Prime Minister comprised federal ministers for Inter Provincial Coordination, Narcotics Control and States and Frontier Regions as its members in addition to the four provincial chief ministers.
Under the Rules of Business of 1973 the Prime Minister may advise the President for the reconstitution of the CCI and nominate four members from the federal government, he said.