LAHORE, Jan 19: The Jamali government has assured the National Alliance more share in the federal as well as provincial cabinets, it is learnt.

According to sources, the alliance was not happy with the quota it had been offered in the federal, Punjab and Sindh cabinets.

Alliance leader Farooq Leghari had taken up the issue with President Pervez Musharraf at a recent meeting. The president directed him to contact Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Jamali, assuring him that the premier would accommodate NA’s demands.

Leghari was also assured that the PML-Q would support NA nominees in Senate elections, the sources said.

The NA was also not satisfied with the portfolio given to its Punjab chief, Husain Jehanian, in the provincial cabinet.

The sources said Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi had promised that Jehanian would be given a better portfolio after the bypolls.

Jehanian is currently holding the portfolio of literacy and formal education, while he is more interested in becoming the finance minister.

The NA has forwarded the names of MPAs Aleem Shah and Noman Langrial as Punjab ministers in the future expansion of the cabinet.

Meanwhile, NWFP senior minister Sirajul Haq called on Farooq Leghari.

He sought Leghari’s suggestions for improving taxation, judiciary and police departments and the district government system.

Leghari urged the NWFP government to build public opinion for constructing water reservoirs in the country to overcome water scarcity in future.

Mr Haq said as the federal government had not yet solved problems of the people affected by Tarbela Dam project, the provincial government could not favour the idea of any more big dams for the time being.