ISLAMABAD – All heavyweights of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) are most likely to stay with their subjects in the new federal cabinet but Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira is likely to be given some other responsibility while Water and Power Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf may be shown the door.
A source in the PPP told Pakistan Today that the top leadership is looking for some promising replacement for Kaira who could be exposed equally to the local and foreign media while poor performance by Pervaiz Ashraf in mishandling the crucial water and power ministry could pay the way for his ouster from the new cabinet.
As the consultation process with coalition partners of the PPP on the formation of the new cabinet is almost in its final stages, the in-house squabbling and lobbying for ministerial slots has intensified, with many also pointing towards Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani for a change even at the top. The source said the party was facing internal conflicts and guns had been trained at the prime minister as well.
A group within the party was suggesting that “if it has to be mean and lean cabinet with above board people, the prime minister and his family were also facing allegations” and without a change at the top, a change in the cabinet would be insignificant.
“Sacking some incumbents while forming a new cabinet would make true political opponents’ allegations against the government. If the president really means business, he must overhaul the entire executive,” the source said, sharing the views being expressed within the party. He said the problems would not be resolved by making a bunch of people “scapegoats” in the exercise.
“Ignoring some people would simply mean that they were corrupt … this would not help the party in any way, rather it would become an issue for the PPP,” the source said. Another source said the federal cabinet would hold its last meeting on Wednesday (tomorrow) before its expected dissolution the same day.
“The new cabinet is likely to be announced in three phases. In the first phase, around 12-15 ministers would take oath and they will be given important portfolios to run the government,” he said. He said this would be followed with the induction of another ten ministers, while the rest would be inducted in the last phase. The source said in the first phase, the 12 ministers would be picked from the ruling PPP and one each from the coalition partners.
“Per my knowledge, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and the Awami National Party (ANP) have agreed to be a part of the cabinet, while the Jamiat-Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl) leadership has declined the offer, at least for the time being,” the source said.
