KARACHI: All assumptions that the outgoing Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and Leader of the Opposition in the Sindh Assembly Khwaja Izharul Hasan would announce a consensus candidate as the caretaker CM of the province on Tuesday proved wrong as the two sides did not even hold formal consultations or a meeting together.

The two sides held their first formal meeting on Monday — the last day of the now dissolved Sindh Assembly. The opposition leader and the CM discussed each other’s names for the caretaker CM and it was expected that there would be no problem in finalising a consensus candidate by Tuesday.

But it appeared that the consultations with their respective leaderships remained inconclusive as they did not even come into contact with each other on Tuesday.

Sindh govt notifies dissolution of provincial assembly, cabinet

Sources said that CM Shah spent a busy day on Tuesday at the Bilawal House, where interviews for aspiring candidates of the Pakistan Peoples Party for the upcoming general elections were being conducted.

Sources in the CM House said they did not receive any call from the leader of the opposition for holding a meeting with the outgoing CM for any further consultation.

As there was complete silence on the front of naming the caretaker chief minister, it was presumed that both Mr Shah and Khwaja Izhar had reached some tacit understanding on one of the names they discussed earlier.

The sources said that the name were likely to be made public on Wednesday, the last day for the CM and opposition leader for taking a consensus decision.

They said if the two sides failed to agree on one name by Wednesday, the matter would be referred to a parliamentary committee to be nominated by the outgoing speaker with each member from the treasury and opposition sides.

Dissolution of PA notified

The Sindh law department notified that the Sindh Assembly stood dissolved on finishing of its five-year term a day earlier.

“In pursuance to Article 107 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973, it is notified that the Provincial Assembly of Sindh stands dissolved on the expiration of its term of five years on Monday the 28th May, 2018,” said a notification.

The Sindh government also notified that the members of the provincial cabinet — ministers, advisers, special assistants and coordinators to the chief minister — had ceased to hold their respective offices with effect from May 28.

There were 17 ministers, eight special assistants, two advisers and three coordinators.

Prominent among the ministers were Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, Jam Mehtab Dahar, Nasir Shah, Zia Lanjar, Sohail Siyal and Saeed Ghani.

The two advisers to the CM were Shamim Mumtaz and Ghulam Murtaza Baloch.

Published in Dawn, May 30th, 2018