August 25, 2008	Monday	Sha'aban 22, 1429

MUZAFFARGARH, Aug 24: The PPP government will induct a few MNAs as state ministers from this district after Asif Ali Zardari will become president and Zardari himself has assured this to a MNA from this district.

MNA Jamshed Khan Dasti told Dawn that he was first MNA who nominated Zardari as candidate for presidency during his speech in the National Assembly.

He said Zardari assured him that after taking oath as president, he would select a few state ministers from this district.

He said some old politicians and landlords were conspiring against him by highlighting some fake cases against him, but, he said, they would fail in their endeavors to impede his elevation as a minister.

Sources told Dawn that Dasti’s chances of becoming a minister are brighter than anyone else after Abdul Qayyum Jatoi had refused such an offer.

Dasti said the PPP government would acknowledge his achievement of defeating PML-Q’s senior vice-president Nawabzada Iftikhar Ahmad.

He said when Engineer Shahid Jameel Qureshi defeated the candidate of Nawab group in 2002, the PML-Q had made him a state minister. Now, he said, he being a labourer was proud in breaking the power of a landlord.

Besides Dasti, MNA Mian Mohsin Ali Qureshi is also a strong candidate for ministry.

Sources said last month when PPP leaders called on Zardari and Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, Qureshi’s was being tipped as a standing committee’s chairman but Qureshi refused to accept such a slot. Now, Qureshi has also been assured a ministerial slot.

Earlier, Hina Rabbani Khar was inducted as prime minister’s adviser, holding the status of a minister, but diehard PPP workers had demanded the induction of Jatoi, Qureshi and Dasti in the federal cabinet.

Hina had joined the PPP just before the 2008 general elections.