March 21, 2008	Friday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 12, 1429

ISLAMABAD, March 20: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is set to head the coalition government in Balochistan after its partner JUI-F on Thursday withdrew its claim to the offices of the chief minister and speaker of the provincial assembly.

JUI-F leader Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri told Dawn that his party had decided to support the PPP’s nominees for the posts in the larger interest of the people of the province.

He said the PPP had agreed that the deputy speaker of the Balochistan Assembly would be from the JUI-F.

He said the two parties would continue their discussion on allocation of ministries. He said it had been agreed that the parties in the coalition would be given ministries in proportion to their seats in the assembly. He expressed the hope that the JUI-F would get six to seven ministries.

The two parties reached the understanding at a meeting held at the Parliament House. Syed Khursheed Shah represented the PPP and the JUI-F was represented by Maulana Haideri, Senator Rehmatullah Kakar and Abdul Wasay, its parliamentary leader-designate in the Balochistan Assembly.