November 29, 2002	Friday	Ramazan 23, 1423

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ISLAMABAD, Nov 28: The government is likely to allocate the portfolio of minister of state for finance to Hamid Hayat Khan Hiraj, who has already been inducted in the Jamali cabinet last week.

Informed sources told Dawn on Thursday that the move was aimed at filling the gap till the adviser for finance, Shaukat Aziz, was formally inducted as finance minister after getting elected a senator.

They said that in this way the government would allow Hiraj to answer the queries of the MNAs and represent the ministry of finance during the National assembly proceedings as Shaukat Aziz being the un-elected adviser was not entitled to sit in parliament.

According to some sources, top leadership of the PML-Q, including Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali, has accepted the continuation of Mr Aziz as a compromise reached with the military regime, otherwise the party is not happy over it.

Shaukat Aziz may meet Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali shortly to brief him on the various aspects of country’s economic and financial conditions.