April 06, 2008	Sunday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 28, 1429

LAHORE, April 5: The Pakistan People’s Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-N on Saturday agreed to follow the same power arrangement in Punjab that they had reached at the centre.

Under the formula, the PPP will get 13 ministries in a 35-member cabinet.

“One of our (PPP’s) ministers will be designated as senior minister,” Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar told Dawn after a meeting between leaders of the two parties.

“Twenty-one posts will go to the PML-N and one to the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA),” he said.

The meeting was also attended by PPP’s Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and its parliamentary leader in the Punjab Assembly, Raja Riaz.

The PML-N was represented by its president, Shahbaz Sharif, federal ministers Ishaq Dar and Chaudhry Nisar Ali, and Punjab PML-N president Sardar Zulfikar Ali Khosa. Mr Mukhtar said the two parties had resolved to overcome all hurdles and problems in the way of the coalition for the sake of democracy.

The minister said Asif Zardari and Nawaz Sharif would decide in their meeting whether the entire cabinet should be inducted in one go or in phases.

He said PPP’s candidate for the post of senior minister would also be decided by Mr Zardari.

Sources in the PPP told Dawn that PML-N had suggested a far bigger provincial cabinet than that ultimately agreed upon. “But the PPP insisted on a smaller cabinet to ensure good governance,” a source privy to the power-sharing discussion said.

The two parties have already agreed that the post of the provincial chief minister, speaker and deputy speaker in the provincial assembly would go to the PML-N.

In Punjab Assembly, the combined strength of the two parties is 271, including those elected on reserved seats for women and minorities. The house has 365 members.

The PML-N emerged as the single largest party in the province in the Feb 18 elections by winning104 seats. Its total strength rose to 165 after 27 independents joined it and with the allocation of seats out of women’s and minorities quotas.

The PPP had won 80 seats, but its tally rose to 106 after the notification of allocation of reserved seats. Two independents have also joined the PPP.

The MMA has returned two members, who are supporting the PML-PPP coalition.

The PML-Q has a total of 86 members and the PML-F four. Two members have retained their independent status.

Six seats will be up for grabs in by-elections.