Hectic consultations are on among the coalition partners to pick up their nominees for the federal Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani. The main scramble is between the two main partners, Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), to get “lucrative” ministries for their respective nominees. The Awami National Party (ANP) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam will also be given a couple of ministries in the federal setup. A dozen and a half lawmakers are likely to be inducted as ministers in the first phase. The lion's share will go to the PPP and PML-N because of their numerical strength in the National Assembly. All the parties have decided to send their central leaders to the Cabinet in first phase. The ministers will take oath any time, most possibly on March 29 after Gilani gets a vote of confidence from the National Assembly. Names being mentioned as Cabinet hopefuls include Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Kawaja Asif, Ishaq Dar, Ahsan Iqbal, Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan, Shahid Khaqan Abbassi, Malik Shakir Bashir Awan, Rashid Akbar Khan, Abid Sher Ali, Khurram Ghulam Dastgir, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Anjum Aqeel Khan, Chaudhry Barjees Tahir and Saad Rafiq of the PML-N. From the PPP side Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Syed Naveed Qamar, Sherry Rehman, Syed Khurshid Shah, Farooq H. Niak, Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar and Nabil Gabol would be taken in the Cabinet. Ghulam Ahmad Bilor of ANP and Senator Talah Mahmood of the JUI are other aspirants. Rehman Malik, chief security adviser to PPP co-chairman Asif Zardari, is likely to be made adviser on interior. Naik will get Law Ministry. There are differences among the coalition partners over the portfolios as they are pressing for the key ministries. The first batch of ministers would be around 20. There will be two more batches later. The coalition partners are trying their best to limit the size of the Cabinet to the minimum, but are finding it hard because of the demands and the formula they had agreed on. Important ministries that all coalition partners are eyeing included foreign affairs, interior, defense, petroleum, Kashmir and Northern Areas, water and power, religious affairs and Planning Commission. __
