January 4, 2003	Saturday	Shawwal 30, 1423

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KARACHI, Jan 3: The Sindh coalition government has finally overcome discord over the distribution of portfolios by formally notifying these for 12 out of 15 ministers. The cabinet also has two advisers with the status of minister.

The notification issued on Friday is silent about the fate of three ministers, including the only woman minister, Dr Saeeda Malik, who was tipped as the education minister. The other two ministers, Altaf Hussain Unnar and Irfanullah Marwat, who were not satisfied with their marked portfolios of Board of Revenue, and Mines and Minerals, respectively, stand ministers without portfolios till the decision by the “power brokers”, including Tariq Aziz, Principal Secretary to President Pervez Musharraf.

The education portfolio, which was initially promised to Imtiaz Ahmad Shaikh, stands withheld for the time being as he is contesting by-election from the constituency PS-118, vacated by Sardar Salim Jan Mazari.

According to the notification, Syed Sardar Ahmad have been given the portfolio of Home and Coordination; Pir Sadruddin Shah Rashdi alias Yunus Sain, Irrigation and Power; Arbab Ghulam Rahim, Services and Works; Syed Shoaib Bokhari, Planning and Development; Arif Mustafa Jatoi, Food and Agriculture; Mohammad Hussain Khan, Local Government, Kachchi Abadis and Special Development; Mohammad Adil Siddiqui, Labour, Transport, Industries and Commerce; Yaqoob Ilyas Maseeh, Culture, Sports, Tourism and Youth Affairs; Manzoor Panhwar, Livestock and Fisheries; Chaudhry Iftikhar, Law and Parliamentary Affairs and Human Rights and Shabbir Ahmed Qaimkhani, Information Technology.

According to the notification, Sardar Ahmad will be the senior minister, Aftab Ahmed Shaikh, adviser for Finance and Cooperation and Syed Aijaz Ali Shirazi, adviser for Forest and Wildlife.