With an aim to set up new elected government after the Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) gained majority in Sindh, the half-brother of President Asif Zardari – Owais Muzzaffar – has emerged as the leading candidate for the chief minister’s slot.
Moreover, per plan B, the PPP has finalised three other names of senior parliamentarians – former Sindh Local Government Minister Agha Siraj Durrani, former federal minister Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani and former chief minister Qaim Ali Shah.
However, Muzzaffar’s name stands finalised, as the party leadership wanted to introduce new and young blood for the chief executive’s seat, besides including young parliamentarians in the cabinet to overcome the past failure of deliverance in the province by the former government, insiders told Pakistan Today.
The decision came at a high-level meeting of the PPP parliamentarians presided over by President Asif Zardari at Bilawal House on Monday. PPP leaders Faryal Talpur, Aga Siraj Durrani, Qaim Ali Shah, Owais Muzzaffar, Syed Murad Ali Shah, Ayaz Soomro, Sharjeel Memon and others attended.
Sources said it was decided that new young faces be brought into the mainstream leadership so that the failure of deliverance the past government faced could be removed.
And, the people of the province would be provided with fruits of delivery and the PPP would work out strategy to make the party stronger, the sources added.
Sources said the decision of the coalition partners would be made shortly to make a smaller cabinet in the province, adding that there would be two groups that would run the government’s affairs – the old parliamentarians and the new.
The old parliamentarians in a core committee would make the decisions behind the curtain, however, young faces on the screen would ensure implementation, the sources said.
Muzzaffar contested elections from PS-88 Ghorabari against Muhammad Usman Malkani and independent candidate and social worker Mohammad Ali Shah. Owais Muzzaffar secured 27,100 votes.