Qaim to be out as Sindh CM

Murad Ali Shah, Siraj Durrani, Nisar Khuhro being tipped as new CM; Bilawal to consult PPP provincial leadership and MPAs over changes in Sindh cabinet; important decisions taken in Dubai meeting

KARACHI: A much-anticipated, top-level meeting of the Pakistan People’s Party on Sunday decided to bring in a new chief minister for the party’s government in Sindh along with making some other changes in the provincial cabinet.

Syed Qaim Ali Shah, who has been serving as chief minister of the province for the third time, is going to be replaced by a new nominee of the party for the position of the chief executive of the province. 

As per reports aired by TV news channels, the incumbent Sindh Senior Minister for Finance and Energy, Syed Murad Ali Shah, is being considered as the top contender for the post. 

Syed Murad Ali Shah, besides being foreign-qualified and relatively young in age, has also gained considerable experience in politics and governance. 

Other reports also suggest that either Nisar Khuhro or Manzoor Wassan could be considered for the top slot on the basis of their rich political background and also on the basis of their being part of previous governments.

Syed Qaim Ali Shah once back in Karachi would soontender his resignation to Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan, and once the CM resigned from the position, his cabinet would automatically stand dissolved. 

A new session of the Sindh Assembly has to be convened shortly as per the Constitution for choosing a new CM among the MPAs on the treasury benches.

The meeting in Dubai on Sunday was jointly chaired by PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Co-Chairman of the party and former president Asif Ali Zardari. 

Among other matters, the meeting in Dubai was also supposed to have considered controversial issues concerning the terms of both the stay of the Sindh Rangers in the province and special policing powers of the paramilitary force in Karachi under the Anti-Terrorism Act. 

No final outcome has been learnt to have been achieved so far about the deliberations of the meeting in Dubai regarding issues concerning the Sindh Rangers. 

But reports suggest that both the chairman and the co-chairman of the party had given the go-ahead signal to PPP’s Sindh government to give a further extension in terms of both stay of the Sindh Rangers in the province in aid to the civil administration and police and also the special policing powers of the Rangers in Karachi under the ATA. 

The extension in the term of stay of the Sindh Rangers in the province would be given for one year while the term of special policing powers of the Rangers in Karachi could be extended for another three months as both the terms regarding the paramilitary force ended on 19 July 2016.

The meeting in Dubai among other issues considered the performance of the Sindh government, Opposition-government relations in the centre and progress on the issue of a proper probe into the PanamaLeaks scandal against the PML-N’s federal govt.

The meeting in Dubai was also attended by Sindh CM Qaim Ali Shah, Sindh Finance Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, Senator Rehman Malik and former Punjab Governor Sardar Latif Khosa.

The statement issued by Senator Farhatullah Babar of the PPP after the meeting in Dubai said, “The Pakistan People’s Party today decided to make changes in the Sindh cabinet, including bringing in a new chief minister.

“The decision was taken when some senior leaders of the party today called on former President Asif Ali Zardari and Chairman of Pakistan People’s Party, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, in Dubai today.  

“Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah was also present at the meeting,” said the statement. “Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is scheduled to return to Karachi early in the week starting Monday to meet the provincial party leaders and party MPAs before finalizing changes in the Sindh cabinet,” said the statement by Senator Babar.

Agencies add: Earlier, according to an INP report, PPP’s central leader and ex-governor Sardar Latif Khosa said the issue pertaining to the extension in power of the Rangers in Sindh would soon be resolved.

Addressing the media in Dubai on Sunday, Khosa said the PPP was still committed to the Charter of Democracy (CoD). He said the government’s stance was not to include the prime minister’s name in the Terms of Reference. If the government did not agree to a transparent inquiry pertaining to the Panama Leaks then the PPP would bring forth a bill into parliament, he warned.

Commenting over the issue of the extension of Ranger’s power in Sindh, he said the provincial chief minister being the chief executive had the legal right to call the paramilitary force at any time.

He also lauded the role of the paramilitary force for its impressive work in Karachi and establishing peace in the city.

Khosa said it would be unjustified to deny the role of the Sindh police in restoration of peace in the megapolis and said the credit for establishing peace in Karachi goes to both the Rangers and police.

He also criticised Interior Minister Ch Nisar and advised that he should wait for his turn and stop issuing threats. After the 18th Amendment, Nisar cannot interfere in matters of provincial autonomy, he added. Khosa said he knows that terrorists had found a safe haven in Southern Punjab.