KARACHI: Incumbent Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah arrived in Karachi on Monday after his meeting with former president and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari ended the previous night.
The Sindh chief minister had traveled to Dubai to meet Zardari and discuss important matters pertaining to the Sindh cabinet and portfolios of ministers. During the meeting, it was reportedly decided that the chief minister will hold the Home Ministry portfolio for the time being.
The protocol of the new chief minister consisted of ten to twelve cars, according to sources. It was also learned that the decision to let the Chief Minister keep the Home Ministry with himself was so that he could directly monitor the security situation of the province.
Upon his return, Murad arrived at the Sindh Secretariat on Monday morning. The Chief Minister admonished officers of the Sindh Secretariat for arriving late for work. During his talk with media personnel, Murad Ali had stated that party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari only gave the policy while selecting members of the cabinet was his job.
“I have the authority to select members of the Sindh cabinet,” he said. “The party co-chairman only gives the policy,” he stated. Murad Ali said that the issue of Rangers’ extension of stay in Sindh and their powers had been hyped up by the media.
“Several summaries like these come to the chief minister,” he said. Murad Ali Shah also said that he would try to ensure that he remained most of the time in Sindh and did not make frequent trips to Dubai.
Previously, the Home Ministry was headed by Suhail Anwar Siyal, who had to leave his post when Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah resigned as the Chief Minister of Sindh last Wednesday. Murad Ali was elected as the 27th Chief Minister of Sindh on Friday, after former CM Sindh Qaim Ali Shah resigned.
