KARACHI: In yet another reshuffle in the provincial cabinet within a month, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah on Monday reallocated the portfolio of education to senior minister Nisar Ahmad Khuhro days after Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani had refused to take the charge.

The irrigation portfolio, which has been taken back from Mr Khuhro, has been passed on to Syed Murad Ali Shah who will have this additional charge along with the ministries of finance, energy, planning and development.

Mr Khuhro will continue to hold the portfolio of information along with education.

Likewise, Sharjeel Inam Memon, who had been made minister for works and services, was given additional charge of the archives department after the fresh approval from the chief minister. The portfolio of katchi abadis, which fell vacant after the resignation of Javed Nagori, has been entrusted to Tariq Arain.

After the reshuffle of the portfolios, Mr Bijarani continues to be minister without portfolio weeks after his former department of works and services had been given to Mr Memon. While he was allotted the education ministry after a meeting of Pakistan Peoples Party high command in Dubai, he refused to take the charge until Dr Fazlullah Pechuho, who was closely related to the party’s leadership, was education secretary.

According to informed sources, a meeting with PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari to sort out the differences was also held in London where Mr Bijarani and Sharjeel Inam Memon failed to resolve the issue. When another meeting, which was convened reportedly by PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari in presence of Faryal Talpur, failed to resolve the issue, the chief minister gave approval to make the above changes.

Published in Dawn August 18th, 2015

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