August 14, 2008	Thursday	Sha'aban 11, 1429

ISLAMABAD, Aug 13: Four ministers of the PML-N who had recently rejoined the federal cabinet did not attend its meeting on Wednesday reportedly on the advice of the PPP.

Sources said that the ministers had been asked by the government to attend meetings only after all ministers of their party returned to the ministerial posts they had earlier held.

The PPP leadership wants all nine PML-N ministers to return to the cabinet.

The four ministers were expected to take charge on Aug 9 as part of a deal with the Pakistan People’s Party, but they were still reluctant to do so for some unspecified reasons.

Ahsan Iqbal (education), Rana Tanveer Ahmed (defence production), Khawaja Saad Rafiq (culture and youth affairs) and Sardar Mahtab Abbasi (railways) had on Aug 8 rejoined the Gilani cabinet after PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif reached an agreement to impeach President Pervez Musharraf.

Ahsan Iqbal told reporters that Mr Sharif had initially agreed to allow only one minister to return to the cabinet as a gesture but he was persuaded by Mr Zardari to raise the number.

He said the PPP wanted Ishaq Dar and Khawaja Asif in the cabinet, the PML-N did not agree because it had decided to keep out of the government till reinstatement of the deposed judges.

PML-N sources said that some senior members of the party had opposed the decision to allow the ministers to rejoin the cabinet.

According to them, the PML-N had promised to the nation that it would rejoin the government only after reinstatement of all judges sacked by Gen (retd) Musharraf.

Mr Iqbal said his party maintained its principled stand that it would not become part of the government as long as the issue of judiciary was not resolved.