KARACHI, Nov 1: Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Rahim has said that changes in the departments of ministers would be on the basis of their performance. The chief minister was talking to a group of journalists at the Kingri House on Wednesday after his meeting with Pir Pagara. He said he came to pay his respect to Pir Sahib and present greetings of Eid-ul-Fitr.

He said objections of the opposition on the expansion in the cabinet were improper because expansion in the cabinet was a part of democracy. He said that the new ministers and advisers would be given departments.

The chief minister’s meeting with Pir Pagara, which lasted for half-an-hour, is being termed by analysts as a move to muster support of Pir Pagara over the twin-island issue.

Pir Pagara, whose party Pakistan Muslim League-F is a coalition partner in the government, according to analysts was also taken into confidence by the chief minister over likely appointment of parliamentary secretary to accommodate many more members for strengthening the party in the province so that in 2007 polls the PML-Q could get respectable number of seats.

The analysts pointed out that with induction of one more minister Dr Irfan Gul Magsi and seven new advisers on Monday, making the strength of the provincial cabinet to 50, the largest ever cabinet in Sindh, was aimed at placating party members and coalition partners so that the coming session of the Sindh Assembly, starting from Friday could take up legislation business as during the last 10 months the record of legislation had been unsatisfactory.

In this regard, it is learnt that a meeting of the representatives of the coalition partner was scheduled for Oct 30 but it could not materialise due to demise of Syed Safraz Ahmad, brother of Senior Minister Sardar Ahmad. The meeting is now likely to be held on Thursday to formulate a strategy for coming session to improve performance of the assembly whose parliamentary year would come to close on Dec 12.