KARACHI: Acting on the directives of Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Monday announced a cabinet reshuffle a day after inducting four new ministers and two advisers.

Despite the reshuffle, no minister has been given the all-important portfolios of home affairs, finance, planning and development or education. The CM himself will look after all these departments.

Prominent cabinet members whose portfolios have been changed are Saeed Ghani, Syed Sardar Ali Shah and Murtaza Wahab, as the CM has taken back the portfolios of local government, education and information from them.

According to sources, the changes in the portfolios are largely due to induction of new cabinet members as well as the performance of the old ones. Mr Bhutto-Zardari himself monitored their performance, they said.

The CM has not assigned portfolios of finance, home and education to any minister

According to a notification, the CM has withdrawn the portfolios of information and anti-corruption from his adviser Murtaza Wahab and given him the additional portfolios of coastal development, climate change and environment.

Mr Wahab, who continues to work as the CM’s law adviser, would also act as the chief spokesperson for the Sindh government despite withdrawal of the portfolio of information.

Mr Ghani got the portfolios of information and archives and labour. The portfolio of local government has been withdrawn and given to Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, who also got the portfolios of forest and religious affairs.

The CM also took back the portfolio of education from Syed Sardar Ali Shah, who would continue to serve as the minister for culture and tourism.

The portfolio of inquiries and anti-corruption has been given to Sohail Anwar Siyal, who would also be the minister for irrigation, zakat, ushr and Auqaf.

Two new ministers, Jam Ikramullah Dharejo and Abdul Bari Pitafi, have been assigned portfolios of industries, commerce and cooperation and livestock and fisheries, respectively.

Newly appointed CM’s Adviser Nisar Khuhro got the portfolios of works and services as well as universities and boards. He had served as the senior minister and speaker of the Sindh Assembly in previous governments of the PPP.

Currently, Mr Khuhro is also the president of the party’s Sindh chapter.

Another adviser, Syed Aijaz Ali Shah Shirazi, got the portfolio of social welfare.

Other ministers whose portfolios are either changed or taken back are Hari Ram (minorities and food); Mohammad Ismail Rahu (agriculture); Shabbir Ali Bijarani (mines and minerals, public health and rural development); Faraz Dero (rehabilitation); Mohammad Taimur Talpur (information, science and technology) and Ghulam Murtaza Baloch (human settlement).

Those whose portfolios remained unchanged are Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho (health and population welfare); Imtiaz Ahmed Shaikh (energy); Awais Qadir Shah (transport and mass transit); Makhdoom Mehboob Zaman (revenue and relief), Syeda Shehla Raza (woman development) and Mukesh Kumar Chawla (excise, taxation and narcotics).

Published in Dawn, August 6th, 2019