KARACHI: Sindh’s governor designate Imran Ismail is likely to take charge of his office on Aug 27 after taking the oath. The chief justice of the Sindh High Court will administer the oath at the Governor House, according to sources.

The commission of his appointment was issued by the Cabinet Division in Islamabad on Thursday. It said, “The president, in exercise of the powers conferred upon him by Article 101 of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is pleased to appoint Mr Imran Ismail as governor of the province of Sindh on the advice of the prime minister.”

Mr Ismail will be the 29th governor of the province since 1947. He was born on Jan 1, 1966 in Karachi and is a businessman-turned-politician. He is also one of the founding members of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf party.

Wants to act as a bridge between federal and provincial governments

The newly-named governor received his early education from the Cantonment Public School and graduated from the Government National College in Karachi. Later, he moved to Italy for a bachelor’s degree in leather technology.

Mr Ismail was elected as a member of the provincial assembly from PS-111 Karachi (South-V) in this year’s general election and took the oath as an MPA on Aug 13. According to Article 103 of the Constitution, his provincial assembly seat shall become vacant the day he becomes the governor.

After being designated as governor by PTI chairman and the country’s Prime Minister Imran Khan, Mr Ismail has said he will serve as a bridge between the federal and Sindh governments for swift completion of major development projects in the best interest of the people of the province.

He also said that he would ensure accountability and transparency in the projects as per the policy of the federal government with zero tolerance for corruption.

He is also on record pledging that he would request the prime minister to announce special development package for Sindh that could prove beneficial for both rural and urban areas.

Mr Ismail has also said that he will discuss Sindh’s current issues with Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and formulate a joint strategy. They will then approach the prime minister together for their implementation.

He has also ensured that he will talk with all political stakeholders in Sindh, including the MQM and the GDA, to discover the solutions to the problems in the best possible way.

For better governance, the governor designate has made it clear that he will visit all cities of the province regularly without restricting himself to Karachi.

Published in Dawn, August 25th, 2018