Second meeting between Sindh CM, opposition leader remains inconclusive

KARACHI: The second meeting between the outgoing Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and Leader of the Opposition in the Sindh Assembly Rana Ansar on Sunday for choosing the incoming caretaker CM of the province remained inconclusive.

Both will consult the leadership of their respective political parties on the issue before holding a third meeting on Monday (today). If both failed to reach a consensus in their third meeting on Monday, the matter will be referred to a parliamentary committee for a decision.

In the second meeting held at the CM House, both Shah and the opposition leader presented their nominees for the slot of caretaker CM. Both agreed to consult the leadership of their respective parties before reaching a decision in this regard.

Talking to media persons after the meeting, the opposition leader said that more time was required to hold a consultation on this issue because of the large number of nominees for the post of caretaker CM. In a lighter vein, she said that the CM had proposed as many nominees as there were microphones (of TV channels for recording her media talk) present before her. All these names would be presented before the top leadership of her party (Muttahida Qaumi Movement). Any decision could be reached only after consulting the party’s leadership.

The opposition leader said she was hopeful that both sides would agree to one of the nominees as the caretaker CM by today (Monday).

PPP leader and former Sindh Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said that no name would be nominated for the post of caretaker CM from outside the province. He said that a name would be finalised in Sindh in this regard after due consultation.

He said that many credible and respectable names for the caretaker CM’s slot had come under discussion in the latest meeting between the CM and opposition leader. He, however, didn’t disclose any of the names.

The former provincial minister said he was hopeful that a decision would be reached in this regard by Monday, the Independence Day of Pakistan.

Earlier, in their first meeting on Saturday, the CM and the opposition leader didn’t exchange any name of the nominee for the post of provincial caretaker chief executive.