KARACHI: In the first phase, nine members of a 13-member new provincial cabinet, most of whom had served in the previous cabinet of Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah’s last tenure, took the oath of office at Governor House on Monday.

Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori administered the oath to the provincial ministers in a simple ceremony, which was attended among others by the chief minister and senior bureaucrats. This time round only one woman was included in the provincial cabinet.

The newly sworn-in cabinet members include Sharjeel Inam Memon, Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, Saeed Ghani, Jam Khan Shoro, Ziaul Hussain Lanjar, Sardar Muhammad Bakhsh Mahar, and Ali Hassan Zardari.

Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah could not take the oath as he was stated to be in Islamabad.

Nine ministers sworn in, three advisers notified; Minister Zulfiqar Shah to take oath later

Besides, the chief minister also appointed three advisers — Allah Dino Khan Bhayo, Ehsan ur Rehman Mazari and Syed Najmi Alam.

The chief minister also allocated portfolios of ministers and advisers.

Sources said that the chief minister would further expand his cabinet in a few days.

Sharjeel Memon was given transport and mass transit department and excise, taxation and narcotics control department. Previously, he had also held the information department along with transport and mass transit department, while the excise and taxation was held by Mukesh Kumar Chawala along with parliamentary affairs ministry.

Dr Azra Pechuho, younger sister of President Asif Zardari, was again given the portfolio of health department and population welfare department like in the previous tenure of the PPP-led provincial government.

Nasir Shah, who had held the information and local government departments previously, was given the energy department, which was previously held by Imtiaz Shaikh, and planning & development department.

Sardar Shah also retained his previous portfolio of school education and literacy department and college education department. He was given additional portfolio of mines and minerals development.

Saeed Ghani, who held different portfolios in previous tenures including information, was once again allotted the department of local government, in addition to public health engineering and rural development department.

Jam Khan Shoro, who was the irrigation minister in the previous tenure, this time retained the department. Furthermore, he was allotted food ministry as well.

Zia Lanjar, a career lawyer and former provincial law minister, was given portfolios of home, law, parliamentary affairs and criminal prosecution departments.

Muhammad Bux Mahar was allotted agriculture, supply & prices department, sports & youth affairs department, and inquiries and anti-corruption establishment.

Earlier in 2018, he was appointed as adviser to the CM on industries and commerce and later he was given additional ministerial portfolio of sports and youth affairs.

Ali Hassan Zardari, who was inducted in the provincial cabinet for the first time, was given prisons department, while Zulfiqar Shah was given culture, tourism, antiquities & archives department.

Adviser Allah Dino Bhayo was given forest and wildlife department, Ehsan Mazari inter-provincial coordination department and cooperative department.

Najmi Alam, who is also parliamentary leader of the PPP in the City Council, was appointed adviser on human settlement, spatial development, social housing development and livestock & fisheries department.

Published in Dawn, March 13th, 2024