Sindh gets home, information ministers

The Sindh governemnt on Tuesday appointed an information minister and a home minister, handing the minsitries to Nasir Hussain Shah and Suhail Anwar Siyal, respectively.

The provincial cabinet had been without an information minister since the resignation of Moula Bakhsh Chandio as the CM’s information adviser in February, in compliance with a court ruling.

The new appointee, Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, will also continue to serve as the  provincial minister for Transport and Mass Transit, as well as Labour and Human Resources.   

His other portfolio, Religious Affairs, Zakat and Ushr, has been given to provincial minister Dr Sikandar Mandhro, who will also continue to hold his existing portfolio of the provincial health department.  

Suhail Anwar Siyal, appointed as the new provincial home minsiter, will continue to hold his existing portfolios of Agriculture, Supply and Prices, and the Mines and Minerals departments. 

Siyal has earlier served as the provincial home minister in the cabinet of former CM Syed Qaim Ali Shah.

Sindh Chief Secretary Rizwan Memon has issued a formal notification regarding the reallocation of the cabinet portfolios.  

In March this year, six members of the Sindh Cabinet were allotted additional portfolios.

The six cabinet members given additional portfolios include five provincial ministers and a special assistant to the Sindh chief minister. The move comes after the provincial government was forced to de-notify three unelected advisers and eight special assistants to the CM in view of court orders.

As per the notification issued by the Sindh chief secretary, the following portfolios have been given to incumbent members of provincial cabinet:

Suhail Anwar Siyal, in addition to his existing portfolio of Agriculture, Supply and Prices Department, has been handed additional charge of the Sindh Mines and Minerals Department. 

Syed Sardar Ali Shah, the incumbent Sindh Minister for Culture, Tourism and Antiquities, has been given additional charge of the Archives Department of the Sindh government.

Muhammad Ali Malkani, the current Sindh Livestock and Fisheries Minister, has been given additional charge of the departments of Environment, Climate Change and Coastal Development. 

Mir Mumtaz Hussain Jakhrani, the Sindh Population Welfare Minister, has been given additional charge of the Sindh Rehabilitation Department. 

Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, provincial minister for Transport and Mass Transit, has been given additional charge of the Religious Affairs, Zakat and Ushr Department.

Rehana Leghari, Special Assistant to the Sindh CM on Human Rights, has been given additional charge of the Sindh Special Education Department. 

On February 2, the Sindh government issued a notification to remove from their posts three advisers and eight special assistants to the Sindh chief minister following rulings of the Sindh High Court.