KARACHI, Jan 1: A 12-member Sindh cabinet will take oath on Thursday at a ceremony to be held at the Governor’s House, sources said.

They said six nominees of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement would take oath in the first phase. An even number of posts would be distributed among other members of the ruling coalition. In addition, advisers would also be inducted into the cabinet. The sources said that the cabinet would be expanded after senate elections due next month.

The MQM nominees for the cabinet slots include Syed Sardar Ahmad who would be made senior minister and is expected to be given the charge of Home and Services and General Administration departments. Shoaib Bokhari may get Planning and Development, Mohammad Hussain is likely to get the ministry of local bodies, Rauf Siddiqui may get excise and taxation ministry, while culture ministry would be given to a minority member of the MQM. Health ministry is also expected to be given to the MQM.

In addition, an MQM nominee would be made adviser on financial affairs and the name of MQM’s deputy convener Aftab Shaikh is being mentioned for the slot.

Owing to small number of cabinet positions available for the non-MQM members of the ruling coalition, some bickering was reported among aspirants.

Sources close to the ruling party said that Arbab Rahim, Irfanullah Marwat, Ali Bux alias Pappoo Shah, PPP-Patriot’s Manzoor Panwhar and Arif Jatoi, son of Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi were expected to inducted into the cabinet.

Till late in the night the ruling party had not yet decided whether to include Irfan Gul Magsi or MMA deserter Sakina Bano as adviser.