KARACHI: With Syed Murad Ali Shah already named the next chief minister of Sindh, Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said on Tuesday that good governance and better performance would be the focus of the new provincial government as “we cannot let down the people who sent us to parliament”.

The PPP chairman said this while addressing newly elected federal and provincial lawmakers of his party from across the country here at Bilawal House.

During his speech he spoke on issues ranging from the PPP’s role as an opposition party in the National Assembly and its position on key issues.

But, it appears that he was more focused on Sindh, where his party got a majority in the provincial assembly and is set to form its government for a third straight term since 2008.

The party has already finalised Murad Ali Shah as new chief minister

“We have to focus on [service] delivery in Sindh as we are entering a new era where good governance and better performance should be the hallmark of the new provincial government,” Mr Bhutto-Zardari said. “We cannot let down the people who sent us to parliament as we are facing great challenges on international and economic fronts while other political parties are taking extreme positions on key issues.”

His ideas about the future government reflect his personal strategy in the province, as many think in the days to come the PPP chairman could be seen as more active and directly involved in the provincial government’s matters for a better performance of the party.

Party leaders believe that the young chairman, who will turn 30 in September, has already taken a lead from other parties by announcing his candidate for the office of Sindh CM, killing all speculations and conspiracies within the party.

In his first formal address to the media after the July 25 elections, the PPP chairman had announced that Mr Shah would be the next chief minister of Sindh. The PPP in July 2017 picked Mr Shah as the successor of Syed Qaim Ali Shah who remained in the office for more than eight years.

On Tuesday, Mr Bhutto-Zardari also touched upon key national issues during his address to the newly elected lawmakers of the party.

“The PPP has always struggled for strengthening of democracy and parliament and it would use the parliamentary forum to advance its ideology and ideals,” he said.

Mr Bhutto-Zardari said that despite difficulties and pre-poll pressures on candidates and workers, the PPP fared better in 2018 general elections than 2013.

Reiterating his stance on 2018 general elections, he made it clear that the PPP would not boycott the new National Assembly.

“Some opposition parties were considering boycotting the new parliament but the PPP convinced them to join the parliament and fight for democracy which is a victory for democrats although we too have reservations about the election process,” he added.

Former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, PPP women’s wing president Faryal Talpur, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Sherry Rehman, Qaim Ali Shah, Khursheed Ahmed Shah, Nisar Khuhro, Senator Raza Rabbani and Murad Ali Shah were also present.

Published in Dawn, August 1st, 2018