KARACHI, Jan 4: Another expansion in the Sindh cabinet may be effected in a week and at least two ministers and three advisers are likely to be inducted.

At present, the cabinet comprises 38 members, 18 of them being ministers. Among the team of advisers, six are yet to be assigned a portfolio.

On June 26, 12 ministers were inducted in the cabinet and in a further expansion on July 12, another four ministers joined in the team. Two ministers were sworn in on June 12, soon after the induction of chief minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim.

The matter of aspirants for cabinet membership will be taken up By Dr Arbab with the PML President, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, who is arriving here on Wednesday on a brief visit to the city.

The chief minister, who also heads the provincial chapter of the party, would preside over a meeting of his cabinet at 4pm at the Sindh Secretariat after his meeting with Mr Hussain at the CM's House.

Informed sources pointed out that Altaf Hussain Unnar, Dr Irfan Gul Magsi and Sadaquat Ali Jatoi were being tipped as ministers and Murtaza Jatoi and two MQM nominees as advisers.

Although an exact date for the announcement in this regard could not be confirmed, the circles close to the CM's House are expecting the expansion to take place before the upcoming Eidul Azha.

They observed frantic efforts by the quarters close to the chief minister to materialize a meeting between Chaudhry Shujaat and the PML-F chief, Pir Saheb Pagara to sort out mutual differences. Pir Pagara has no engagements for tomorrow (Wednesday) to receive Chaudhry Shujaat at the Kingri House, the sources pointed out.

The PML chief, who will be accompanying two other central leaders, Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed and Senator Tariq Azeem, is also likely to finalize the venues and schedule for the public meetings being held to drum up support for President Musharraf and his decision to keep office of the president and army chief simultaneously.

The first of such meetings was held in Gujrat, the hometown of Chaudhry Shujaat. President Musharraf has already announced that public rallies would be organized by the government in all major towns in the country to muster support for his reforms and mega projects and to mobilize public opinion in favour of starting work on big dams, including the most controversial Kalabagh Dam.

The PML campaign coincides with the anti-government drive launched by the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) and the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) which is yet to pick up momentum.

The two opposition alliances are getting closer to form a grand opposition front after MMA conceded to review its stand on the 17th amendment. MMA chief Qazi Hussain Ahmad is leaving for Saudi Arabia soon to meet PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif and discuss with him the possibility of his PML joining in the opposition's movement.

MMA Secretary General Maulana Fazlur Rehman, it is learnt, is also to leave for Dubai where he would hold a meeting with the PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto to narrow down differences, if any, vis-à-vis the joint struggle.