Born to Syed Ramzan Ali Shah in Sindh’s Khairpur region, Syed Qaim Ali Shah is among the most senior members of Pakistan Peoples Party. He received his early education at a primary school in his home district of Khairpur and then graduated from the University of Karachi with a BA degree. He also obtained an LLB degree from S.M. Law College. Having married three times, Shah has four sons and seven daughters. He enjoys considerable support even from some of PPP’s bitterest rivals, for instance, Pir Pagara, mostly on account of his caste.

Though he was initially elected as the chairman of Khairpur district council during Ayub Khan’s regime, he later joined PPP. Shah was a close confidante of PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and was awarded a party ticket from Khairpur by the latter for the 1970 and 1977 National Assembly elections and was elected MNA both times. He also served as Federal Minister for Industries during Bhutto’s government.

After Ziaul Haq sacked Bhutto’s government and imposed martial law, Shah remained loyal to PPP. He survived the repressive years of the military regime that left the party almost crippled. Shah took over the party’s reins in Sindh after frontline leaders in the province either left the party or became inactive. During Zia’s martial law, Shah remained absconding for a long time during and was arrested during late Jam Sadiq Ali’s tenure.

With Zia’s death and subsequent arrival of Benazir Bhutto, Shah won a Sindh Assembly seat in 1988 and was appointed the province’s chief minister. However, he was replaced after about a year of his appointment. He also won in the Sindh Assembly in the 1990 and 1993 elections. However, in the 1997 election, he lost to Syed Ghaus Ali Shah and as a result the party had him elected to the Senate. He was re-elected to the Sindh Assembly in 2002 as well as in the 2008 polls. After his 2008 win from PS-29 (Khairpur – I), he was elected Sindh’s chief minister.

Shah was chosen chief minister in 2008 over two other hopefuls, Nisar Ahmed Khuhro and Pir Mazhar ul Haq, reportedly on account of his track record of keeping a low profile and avoiding a collision with difficult coalition partners. He is also not known to grumble when removed from office. For instance, when Shah lost his post to Aftab Shah Mirani in the early 1990s, he did not stage a public protest over his fall from grace.

— Research and text by Saher Baloch