Ghani loses LG portfolio in major cabinet reshuffle

Less than a year after the formation of the current Sindh government following the general elections, the Sindh cabinet was reshuffled on Monday on the directives of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

A day earlier on Sunday, four new provincial ministers and two advisers to the chief minister were inducted into the Sindh cabinet. On Monday, not only the new ministers and advisers were assigned their portfolios but also the portfolios of many other ministers were changed.

The most salient highlight of the cabinet reshuffle was taking back the important portfolio of the local government department from Saeed Ghani and handing it over to Syed Nasir Hussain Shah.

The performance of Ghani as the local government minister came under heavy criticism, especially from the opposition, after the recent spell of torrential monsoon rain in urban parts of Sindh that caused flooding in several parts of Hyderabad and Karachi due to unsatisfactory sanitation.

The other important change in the cabinet on Monday was of the education department portfolio that was taken from Syed Sardar Ali Shah. However, no new education minister was announced.

The new local government minister, Nasir, will also look after the forest and religious affairs departments. Nasir was previously serving as the provincial minister for works and services, and forest and wildlife before he resigned some weeks ago to campaign for the PPP candidate in a by-election in Ghotki. He was again inducted into the cabinet on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Ghani was given the charge of the labour, and information & archives departments. Interestingly, despite being the Sindh information minister, he would not act as the spokesperson for the provincial government as this job would remain with Barrister Murtaza Wahab who had been serving as the adviser to the CM on information before the cabinet reshuffle.

This would be first time that the Sindh information minister would not serve as the spokesperson for the provincial government as it has been a standard practice before that one who holds the portfolio of the information department serves as the government’s spokesperson.

Another newly inducted minister, Abdul Bari Pitafi, was also part of the current Sindh government a few weeks ago. He had to resign from the cabinet as he was the PPP’s covering candidate in the recent by-election in Ghotki.

Pitafi has again been given the charge of the livestock and fisheries department. Sardar, who is no longer the education minister, will continue to act as the provincial minister for culture and tourism.

The portfolio of the environment department was taken back from Muhammad Taimur Talpur who will continue as the minister for science and technology. Faraz Dero will be the Sindh rehabilitation minister, whereas, Ghulam Murtaza Baloch, who earlier held the labour portfolio, has been given the charge of the human settlement department.

Sohail Anwar Siyal, one of the newly inducted ministers, has been given the portfolios of irrigation, Zakat, Ushr, Auqaf, enquiries and Anti-Corruption Establishment. Jam Ikramullah Dharejo will be the new provincial minister for industries, commerce, and cooperation.

One of the new advisers to the CM, Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, has been given the charge of the works and services, and universities and boards departments. Syed Aijaz Shah Shirazi will be the adviser to the CM on social welfare.

Besides being the spokesperson for the Sindh government, Wahab will be the CM’s adviser on law, environment, climate change, and coastal development.

Cleanliness drive welcomed In a statement, the newly appointed Sindh local government minister welcomed the ‘Clean Karachi Campaign’ initiated by Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Haider Zaidi.

Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said the Sindh government would extend all possible support to the federal minister’s campaign. He, however, added that around 10,000 tons of municipal waste was lifted from Karachi in a single day due to which the cleanliness system of the city could not be corrected with a one-time cleanliness campaign. “We do support Ali Zaidi as we also do pray for the success of his campaign,” he said.

The local government minister also acknowledged that water supply, waste collection and sanitation were the important issues of Karachi.