KARACHI: After weeks of controversy that arose in the wake of the provincial government’s surrender of its chief secretary, Sindh finally got its top bureaucrat on Thursday after the establishment division in Islamabad notified Mohammad Siddiq Memon as the new chief secretary of Sindh, officials said.

Officials said that Mr Memon, an officer of the district management group, who had previously been chairman of the National Shipping Corporation, met the prime minister in Islamabad in the afternoon and called on Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah in the evening to formally assume the charge.

Mr Memon had also headed the departments of fisheries and livestock, education and finance in Sindh. His appointment would settle difficulties in managing the provincial affairs caused by of a controversy after the provincial government surrendered its chief secretary Sajjad Saleem Hotiana for a host of reservations.

Meanwhile, officials said the Sindh government asked Qazi Kabir, secretary for the local government and home departments, to leave the two posts in the wake of his dismissal by the federal government over charges of corruption.

Sources said the government would pick a senior officer from among Subhan Memon, Mumtaz Shah and Naseer Jamali to fill the post of home secretary in the home department.

The sources said the home secretary’s position had become even more important after the formation of the apex committee to control security situation in Sindh.

Particularly because the home secretary had been given a key role to perform in the subcommittees of the apex committee with regard to intelligence, information and execution, said the officials.

Published in Dawn March 13th, 2015

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