PESHAWAR, Oct 27: Members of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal are trying to woo back the alliance’s disgruntled minor parties, indicating an expansion in the provincial cabinet in the near future to protect the Durrani government.

A two-member committee, comprising Senator Prof Ibrahim of Jamaat-i-Islami and MNA Maulana Attaur Rehman of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-F, was recently tasked in this regard.

Sources said there had been no progress in the talks the committee had held with the minor MMA component parties.

Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Samiul Haq group) and Jamiat Ulema-i- Pakistan recently developed a rift with the JUI-F and the JI over various issues, including non-allocation of sufficient development funds and cabinet slots to their members of the provincial assembly.

However, the JUI-F and the JI appeared to be optimistic about the success their recent initiatives to keep the 69-member MMA parliamentary group intact in the 124-member provincial assembly.

Maulana Lutfur Rehman, younger brother of Maulana Fazalur Rehman, however, dismissed the behind-the-scene attempts to dislodge the Durrani government, saying: “The provincial government is strong enough to face any challenge ... Conspiracies to dislodge it by making some of its members to change their loyalties cannot succeed ... The component parties of the MMA are united.”

It was learnt that MPA Ayaz Khan of the JUI-S and MPA Zakir Shah of the Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadith have been offered cabinet slots while the JUP and the PIT have been offered posts of advisers to the chief minister.

Sources said that the smaller groups are calling for inducting at least one cabinet member from their side while the JUI-F and the JI are also likely to get some of their members in the cabinet.

MMA members, Maulana Lutfur Rehman said, have stressed the need to increase the number of ministers to improve the provincial government’s working.

“Each of the ministers is taking care of more than one ministry,” said Mr Rehman.

However, he did not disclose the exact number of ministers to be added to the provincial cabinet observing that “the whole thing would be decided shortly”.