24 July 2004	Saturday	06 Jamadi-us-Saani 1425

PESHAWAR, July 23: Six new ministers were inducted into the NWFP cabinet on Friday raising its strength from 12 to 18 ministers. Also on Friday, the government announced the appointment of two advisers Allama Ramzan Tauqir of Pakistan Islami Tehrik and Maulana Fazlur Rehman Madani of Jamiat Ahle Hadith.

NWFP Governor Lt-Gen Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah administered the oath at the Darbar Hall. Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani, cabinet ministers, civil and police officials and a large number of MMA activists attended the ceremony.

In fact so big was the turnout at the swearing-in ceremony that guests outnumbered the chairs and extra seating arrangements had to be made to accommodate the invitees.

The six new ministers who took oath of their offices were: Kashif Azam (Jamaat-i-Islami), Amanullah Khan Haqqani (JUI-F), Malik Asmatullah (JUI-F), Shah Raz Khan (Jamaat-i-Islami), Alhaj Muhammad Ayaz Khan (JUI-S) and Akhtar Nawaz (Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan).

With the induction of two more ministers each from JUI-F and JI, the total strength of the two major allies in the MMA has risen to eight ministers each with the remaining two berths having gone to junior allies including the JUI-S and the JUP.

The long-awaited expansion in the NWFP cabinet has come in the wake of demands from junior partners within the six-party religious alliance for representation in the MMA government in the NWFP.

There have also been reports of rumbling within the alliance with some members from the two major parties within the MMA vying for ministerial berths in the cabinet. In the now-expanded cabinet, Peshawar has received the major share with two ministers, Kashif Azam and Amanullah Haqqani coming from the provincial capital.

Malik Asmatullah hails from Kohistan, while Shah Raz Khan and Ayaz Khan come from Malakand and Battagram respectively. Akhtar Nawaz belongs to Haripur district. The appointment of two advisers from the PIT and the JAH has ostensibly been made to accommodate smaller parties within the MMA.

Portfolios of the new ministers have not been announced. An official said that the chief minister was deliberating over who- gets-what. Some ministers in the hitherto cabinet have more than one portfolios and it is widely expected that they would have to shed some offices in order to accommodate the new comers.

Chief Minister Durrani holds the offices of Works and Services, Revenue and Establishment, while his Senior Minister Sirajul Haq holds the portfolios of Finance, Planning & Development and Environment (Forests). Other ministers also hold more than one portfolios and lobbying by some of them to retain key offices could not be ruled out, an official told Dawn.