Federal cabinet to be reshuffle: Dr Asim to be Sindh governor

[Naveed Yaseen]

* Raza Rabbani to be given portfolio of law
* Four ministers to get new assignments

By Zulfiqar Ghuman

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has decided to appoint Prime Minister’s Adviser on Petroleum Dr Asim Hussain in place of Dr Ishratul Ibad as the Sindh governor.

“The president has taken all coalition partners in Sindh, including the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), into confidence and the formal announcement of the appointment of Dr Asim Hussain as Sindh governor will likely be made soon,” claimed a senior MQM official on condition of anonymity. Dr Hussain is one of President Asif Ali Zardari’s close aides, and has been aspiring for this slot, sources said.

Reshuffle: They said the president and prime minister had also decided to reshuffle the federal cabinet by changing the portfolios of several federal ministers, including Raja Pervez Ashraf, Nazar Muhammad Gondal, Qayyum Jatoi and Waqar Khan. They said Investment Minister Waqar Khan would likely be appointed to the Information Technology portfolio.

New position: The first move of the cabinet reshuffle was announced on Monday, with Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani appointing Afzal Sindhu, former state minister for health, to the Law and Justice Ministry. It has also been learnt that Mian Raza Rabbani, who had resigned as minister for inter-provincial coordination, will be given the portfolio of law.

Dr Ibad was appointed the Sindh governor after the October 2002 elections under a power-sharing formula between the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid and the MQM. He is the longest-serving governor of any province in the country.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp...2009_pg1_1