April 23, 2008	Wednesday	Rabi-us-Sani 16, 1429

PESHAWAR, April 22: Five new ministers will be inducted in the provincial cabinet on Wednesday raising the number of ministers to 26.

NWFP Governor Owais Ahmad Ghani will administer oath to them at the Governor’s House the same day.

Qazi Mohammad Asad, Amjad Afridi and Hidayatullah Khan of Awami National Party, Pervez Khattak of Pakistan People’s Party-Sherpao and independent member Habibur Rehman Tanoli are tipped as new provincial ministers.

Qazi Asad and Amjad Afridi had won elections for provincial assembly as independent candidates but they joined the ruling ANP afterwards.

Presently, apart from the chief minister, there are 21 provincial ministers, 12 of them belong to ANP and nine to PPP. Among the new entrants Pervez Khattak and Habibullah Tanoli would be considered from PPP and rest of the three would be given berths in cabinet on ANP quota.

Pervez Khan Khattak, who won his seat on PPP-Sherpao ticket from Nowshera, later developed difference with his party leadership. Similarly, Habibur Tanoli is also central deputy secretary general of PPP-S, but had contested election as independent candidate. Both of them had served in the past as provincial ministers.

PPP-S suffered a setback when Mr Khattak, who was also its parliamentary leader in the House, ditched it and chose to sit on treasury benches in the NWFP Assembly early this month.

Due to differences in the ranks of party, PPP-S chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao had recently dissolved the provincial cabinet as Mr Khattak was its provincial president.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for PPP-S said that it would initiate disciplinary action against those joining the provincial government against party’s policy. He said that it amounted to deceiving masses who had voted him on PPP-S ticket.

“PPP-S is part of opposition and would support government only in the matters pertaining to public interest,” he said. Otherwise, it is the party’s stated stand that it would remain in opposition. He also criticised the provincial government for encouraging defection of MPAs, which he termed against the democratic values and norms.