KARACHI, June 9: Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim took oath of office on Wednesday as the new chief minister of Sindh. He was administered the oath by Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad at a simple ceremony held in the lawns of the Governor's House.

Dr Arbab Rahim, the 26th chief minister of the province, was earlier in the day declared elected as leader of the house by Sindh Assembly Speaker Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah after he secured 98 votes.

Dr Rahim will take a vote of confidence from the assembly on Thursday. The oath-taking ceremony was attended by speaker Muzaffar Hussain Shah, City Nazim Naimatullah Khan, Chief Secretary Dr Mutawakkal Kazi, former ministers, advisers and special assistants, Sindh IG police, provincial secretaries, diplomats and businessmen.

After the ceremony, Governor Ibad and Dr Arbab Rahim had a brief chat with journalists. The governor said that coalition partners' decision to elect Arbab Sahib as the new chief minister had been taken in the best interest of the province and its people.

When he was asked to comment on Election Commission's decision to declare void the recently-held by-elections in two National Assembly and one provincial assembly constituencies in Karachi, he said there were over 700 polling stations in the May 12 by- elections and he had information about disturbances only in 16 of them. However, the election commission is an independent institution and is free to take decisions.

Answering a question, Dr Rahim said he would consult his coalition partners before forming his cabinet. He said that law and order would be his top priority. However, he added, it was an old problem and he would work out a line of action with law-enforcement agencies.

He pledged to ensure good governance. The governor has summoned the provincial assembly of Sindh to meet at Sindh Assembly building on Thursday at 5:30pm for obtaining vote of confidence for chief minister of Sindh. After seeking the vote of confidence, the assembly shall stand prorogued.