KARACHI, March 3: Pakistan People’s Party on Monday named Syed Qaim Ali Shah for the post of Sindh chief minister.

Former leader of the opposition in the Sindh Assembly Nisar Khuhro will occupy the Speaker’s seat while former law and parliamentary affairs’ minister Pir Mazharul Haq has been named leader of the parliamentary party.

The party’s decisions were announced by co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari at a news conference he addressed after presiding over a meeting of the party’s legislators from Sindh at the Bilawal House. Deputy secretary general of the party Raza Rabbani, central information secretary Sherry Rehman, provincial information secretary Dr Fehmida Mirza were present at the meeting.Mr Zardari had come to Karachi after a brief visit to Dubai where he met his daughters and officials of the UAE government amid speculations that this might had been connected to the formation of a coalition government.

Mr Zardari said the PPP had not been consulted in connection with the hike in oil and power prices and advised the bureaucracy not to take any decisions in haste. He said the new government would review all the decisions taken by the caretaker government over the past three months.

He rejected reports about difficulties in power-sharing with the PML-N and said that Nawaz Sharif was like his elder brother.

Mr Zardari said the PPP was aware of the problems the people had been facing over the years and held the previous government responsible. He added that in the new democratic dispensation in which the PPP had a pivotal role, it would govern the country for the people with their support.

Mr Zardari said there was a need for addressing crucial issues being faced by the people, through parliament to make it more supreme and powerful.

He said the PPP leadership was aware of the sensitivity of geo-strategic environment of the country, adding that his party’s priority would be to strengthen democracy, combat terrorism, free the people from want and hunger and reform the country’s economy.

Mr Zardari said that if tough decisions were not taken now problems of the people would become more complicated.

Replying to a question about the future prime minister, Mr Zardari said the decision about the PM and the federal government would be taken soon in consultation with other allies. “I want that our prime minister should be a person, who enjoys support of the democratic forces in parliament.” He said he himself was not a candidate for the post.

Asked about his party’s talks with the MQM and some reservations expressed by certain quarters in the party, Mr Zardari said: “Look at me. I went through personal trauma of more than eight years of detention, I and my family and indeed the whole party had to endure the tragedy of BB’s assassination, yet we are trying to take everyone on board for strengthening democracy.”