KARACHI: There are a number of Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) Members of Provincial Assemblies (MPA) who have been inducted in the Sindh cabinet by Chief Minister (CM) Syed Murad Ali Shah with multiple portfolios thus, badly affecting the performance of provincial departments, Pakistan Today has learnt.
Insiders told Pakistan Today that the PPP while bypassing the party’s competent and loyal jiyalas, seems like it does not have enough competent parliamentarians to run the affairs of provincial departments.
PPP MPA from Sukkur Syed Nasir Hussain Shah has been in the good books of the chief minister as he was inducted in the provincial cabinet initially with the portfolio of a very important department i.e. Works and Services Department and was also allotted additional portfolios of Prisons, Religious Affairs, Forest and Wildlife departments later.
“MPA Syed Sardar Shah has been enjoying major portfolios that include School Education, College Education, Culture, Tourism and Antiquities Department,” sources added.
MPA Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho is the minister for Health and Population Welfare departments, sources said, adding that MPA Hari Ram has been allotted with Minorities’ Affairs, Social Welfare, and Food Departments.
MPA Saeed Ghani is also enjoying four portfolios including Local Government, Public Health Engineering, Rural Development and Katchi Abadi departments.
MPA Mukesh Kumar Chawla is enjoying two important portfolios that include Excise, Taxation and Narcotics and Parliamentary Affairs departments.
MPA Taimur Talpur enjoys two portfolios – Information, Science and Technology and Climate Change and Coastal Development. MPA Abdul Bari Pitafi is also enjoying two portfolios that included Livestock and Fisheries and Cooperation Departments. MPA Sardar Muhammad Bux Mahar is also enjoying two portfolios – Industries and Commerce and Sports and Youth Affairs.
When contacted, a senior lawmaker of the PPP who wished to remain anonymous told Pakistan Today that there are a number of senior parliamentarians who have been sidelined by the party leadership.
“The party leadership has time and again assured MPAs Nawabzada Nadir Ali Khan Magsi, Sohail Anwar Siyal, Sardar Khan Chandio, Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Tariq Masood Arain, Ghulam Qadir Chandio, Shahid Thaheem, Imdad Ali Pitafi, Jam Khan Shoro, Malik Asad Sikandar and several others that they would be facilitated in the Sindh cabinet however only a few blue-eyed are given additional portfolios,” he said.
“The allotment of multiple portfolios to a single minister is unjustified and it is badly affecting the performance of provincial departments,” he admitted.
