June 2, 2003	Monday	Rabi-us-Sani 1, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, June 1: In the first expansion of Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali’s cabinet, two more ministers are to take oath at the President’s House on Monday.

President Gen Pervez Musharraf will administer the oath of office to MNA Syed Safwanullah and Senator Ahmed Ali of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).

The cabinet expansion, which was on the cards after the induction of the first batch of some 24 ministers and ministers of state in November, got delayed for a variety of reasons.

First it was delayed due to the Senate elections. Since then the political wrangling among the government and the opposition on the contentious LFO issue did not allow the prime minister to expand his cabinet to fulfil the demand of his coalition partners.

The sudden decision of cabinet expansion with the induction of two MQM ministers while leaving other aspirants behind has reportedly been taken on the intervention of President Musharraf, sources said.

While the MQM, under a package deal with the power brokers, got the slot of Sindh governor and a few key ministries in the provincial cabinet, its share in the federal cabinet was yet to be filled in.

In the second phase of expansion, which has been put off till the holding of a joint session of parliament, at least seven more ministers will be inducted in the federal cabinet.

Three of the aspirants, whose names have been finalized by Prime Minister Jamali, and endorsed by the president, are Dr Sher Afgan of the PPP Patriots, Riaz Hussain Pirzada of the National Alliance and Amir Muqam, an MMA renegade.

Besides, one more minister each from the ruling PML(Q), the NA, the MQM, and the independents group is likely to be inducted later, the sources said.