March 31, 2008	Monday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 22, 1429

PESHAWAR, March 30: The Pakistan People’s Party, a partner in the NWFP coalition government, has finalised the names of its nine ministers.

According to sources, the legislators to be inducted in the provincial cabinet are provincial party chief Rahimdad Khan, Peshawar division chief Syed Zahir Ali Shah, Nowshera district chief Liaquat Ali Shabab, Mohammad Humayun Khan from Malakand, Salim Khan from Chitral, Syed Ahmed Hussain Shah and Mohammad Shuja Salim from Mansehra, Sher Azam Khan Wazir from Bannu and Mehmood Zeb Khan from Lower Dir.

Humayun Khan, a former nazim of Malakand, is son of former provincial assembly speaker and federal minister late Mohammad Hanif Khan.

Rahimdad Khan, a former deputy speaker of the NWFP assembly, is a senior PPP worker. He took over as the provincial PPP chief in 2004 after Khwaja Mohammad Khan Hoti resigned from the party.

Mehmood Zeb, a scion of the last ruling family of Dir, is a relative of Rahimdad Khan, and is a relative newcomer in politics.

Zahir Ali Shah represents the urban section of the party. He belongs to an old business and political family of Peshawar. His father, late Syed Zafar Ali Shah, defeated Haji Ghulam Ahmed Bilour of the Awami National Party on a National Assembly seat in the 1993 election. Mr Shah has bagged his provincial assembly seat for the second time.

Liaquat Shabab, a veteran party worker in Nowshera, hails from a middle-class family.

Salim Khan is a senior party worker and a former naib nazim of Chitral.

Sher Azam, a former government official, hails from Bannu. He joined the PPP after defeating ANP leader Baz Mohammad Khan as an independent candidate.

Shuja Salim also joined the PPP after winning the election as an independent candidate. He had been elected to the last assembly also as an independent candidate and later joined the Mutahida Majlis-i-Amal.

Ahmed Hussain is son of former provincial minister Syed Muzzamal Shah of Kaghan.

Rahimdad Khan told Dawn that although the party had finalised the names of ministers he would make a final announcement two days later because of some organisational issues.

PPP sources said party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari had approved the list after consultations with Rahimdad Khan and other leaders.

The ANP has already announced the names of its 12 ministers with their portfolios.

Former NWFP Assembly speaker Abdul Akbar Khan, who retained his provincial assembly seat although he was elected to the National Assembly as well, has not been given a berth in the cabinet. But observers believe that Mr Khan, who has the reputation of being a trouble-shooter, may not be kept out of the cabinet for a long time.

If the PPP formally adopts a policy of barring its office-bearers from holding cabinet posts, Rahimdad Khan, provincial general secretary Najmuddin Khan, Syed Zahir Shah and Liaquat Ali Shabab may have to quit their party offices.