Fazal-ur-Rehman takes oath as caretaker CM today

Fazal-ur-Rehman, a former Sindh chief secretary, is all set to take oath of office as the caretaker chief minister of the province on Saturday (today).

Sindh Governor Mohammad Zubair will administer the oath of office to Rehman at the Governor House. Dignitaries, politicians and senior officials of the government and the armed forces are expected to attend the ceremony.

A spokesman for the governor said on Friday that Zubair has signed the summary sent to him by the provincial government’s law department for the appointment of the caretaker chief executive.

The summary sent by the law secretary, bearing the subject ‘Appointment of caretaker chief minister Sindh’, reads: “The Provincial Assembly of Sindh was dissolved on May 28, 2018, on the expiration of its five-year term.

“The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan envisages under Article 224 (1A) that a caretaker chief minister shall be appointed by the governor in consultation with the chief minister and the leader of the opposition in the outgoing provincial assembly.

“It has been conveyed by the Chief Minister’s Secretariat that the chief minister Sindh and Leader of the Opposition Khawaja Izharul Hassan have agreed to propose the name of Fazal-ur-Rehman, former chief secretary Sindh, as the caretaker chief minister of Sindh.

“The chief minister Sindh may kindly convey the name of Fazal-ur-Rehman to the honourable governor Sindh for approval to be notified as the caretaker chief minister Sindh.” The name of the caretaker Sindh CM has been finalised after hours-long negotiations between outgoing chief executive Syed Murad Ali Shah and opposition leader Hassan at the CM House until late Thursday night.

The outgoing CM was assisted in the negotiations by his former cabinet colleagues Nasir Hussain Shah and Mukesh Kumar Chawla, while the opposition leader was assisted by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan’s (MQM-P) former MPA Faisal Ali Subzwari.

The name of the caretaker CM was announced at a late-night joint news conference at the CM House that was addressed by the outgoing chief executive and the opposition leader. Thursday was the last day of the three-day deadline for the Sindh CM and the opposition leader to reach a consensus on the name of the incoming caretaker chief executive.

Had they failed to reach an agreement, the matter would have been referred to a parliamentary committee (to be formed by the speaker of the Sindh Assembly) for deciding the issue as part of the procedure set in the Constitution.

Responding to a question regarding the names of the incoming caretaker cabinet members of the province, the outgoing CM said he and the opposition leader were supposed to finalise the name of the caretaker chief executive, adding that now it would be up to the caretaker CM of the province to choose his cabinet members.

The caretaker chief executive will remain in office for the next two months until the new elected provincial government assumes charge following the results of the general elections scheduled to be conducted on July 25.

On May 28 the first meeting between the outgoing CM and the opposition leader on the issue of the incoming caretaker chief executive had remained inconclusive. The News had learnt that the CM suggested the name of former provincial chief secretary Ghulam Ali Pasha and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Dr Qayyum Soomro for the slot of the caretaker chief executive.

The opposition leader suggested the names of former Sindh home adviser Aftab Ahmed Sheikh, former federal minister Javed Jabbar and former provincial chief secretary Fazal-ur-Rehman.

Initially, it was also learnt, the ruling PPP had suggested the names of Justice (retd) Ghulam Sarwar Korai, Engr Hameer Soomro, Dr Younus Soomro and former Sindh chief secretary Ghulam Ali Pasha for the slot of the caretaker provincial CM.

The opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Functional had suggested the name of former Sindh CM Ghous Ali Shah. The opposition MQM-P had suggested the names of former home adviser Aftab Ahmed Sheikh and former federal minister Javed Jabbar. The opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf had suggested the names of former Sindh chief secretary Fazal-ur-Rehman and Justice (retd) Amir Hani Muslim.