From Zeeshan Mirza
KARACHI: Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah said that his five year tenure was very difficult but the provincial government managed to survive despite all the hindrances.
Addressing a press conference in Karachi, he said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) created many problems for the provincial government but still we survived and completed our five year tenure.
“I’ll remain the Chief Minister for next three days constitutionally till the appointment of caretaker CM,” he said.
He added that the consultation process with the opposition has been started for the appointment of caretaker CM. The parliamentary committee would also be given three days and then the matter would land with the Election Commission if no consensus is made between the government and opposition.
He was of the view that the appointment of caretaker chief minister was made with consensus in 2013 and 2018.
According to Shah, undemocratic attitude was seen after 2018 when attempts were made to halt the speech of CM in Sindh Assembly.
Lashing out at the PTI, he said that the CM wasn’t even informed when Prime Minister used to visit Karachi at that time.
“The PTI Chairman had disowned the Sindh province during his tenure as prime minister,” he said.
He said that the relationship with the federal government improved significantly when Shehbaz Sharif became Prime Minister. “I am grateful to Shehbaz Sharif for his frequent visits to the province for the people of Sindh,” CM said.
The provincial government faced numerous challenges ranging from COVID-19 pandemic to devastating floods and successfully faced these challenges in cooperation with the party leadership, he added.
Meanwhile, A meeting between outgoing Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and Opposition leader Rana Ansar to deliberate on appointment of caretaker CM ended inconclusively on Sunday.
According to details, the last round of consultations between Murad Ali Shah and Leader of the Opposition Rana Ansar to select a caretaker chief minister will be held tomorrow (Monday).
During the meeting, sources told ARY News that Murad Ali Shah and Rana Ansar tabled their nominations for Sindh caretaker CM and agreed on consulting with their respective leaderships – Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), respectively.
Talking to journalists, the opposition leader said that dozens of names were tabled for caretaker chief minister’s slot during the meeting. “It will take time to deliberate on too many names,” he said.
“My leadership [MQM-P] will consult on the names of caretaker chief minister tabled by Murad Ali Shah,” Ansar said, adding that the matter will be forwarded to parliamentary committee it they failed to agree on a name.
If they fail to reach a decision, the speaker will form a committee comprising six members of the outgoing assembly with equal representation from the treasury and the opposition.
The CM and opposition leader will forward two nominees each to the body, which will have three days to evolve consensus on one name.
