ISLAMABAD – Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani reappointed Kamal Majidullah as special assistant to the prime minister on water resources and agriculture according to a Cabinet Division notification on Friday.
Majidullah has been appointed in Management Scale-I (MP-I) with immediate effect, under rule 4(6) of the Rules of Business, 1973. A source, however, told Pakistan Today that Majidullah had been appointed purely on political grounds and he had no professional experience or qualification to advise the chief executive on water and agriculture issues.
The source said that Majidullah had used his clout in the presidency to get reappointed. Having no educational background and expertise in water resources or agriculture, the only other qualification Majidullah has is of having served as editor of a Karachi-based evening newspaper.
Serving as assistant adviser to the prime minister on water, Majidullah was instrumental in getting Syed Jamaat Ali Shah removed on December 15 to be replaced by Sheraz Memon, an official of the Sindh Irrigation Department who reportedly had no working knowledge of the intricacies of water-related issues with India in light of the Indus Water Treaty.
The source said Shah had been replaced because of his differences with Majidullah on water-related issues. The source said that Majidullah was opposed to building dams on the Indus River and he had also developed serious differences on the issue with the former Water and Power Development Authority chairman.
Majidullah’s appointment runs contrary to the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)-led coalition government’s claims of building new dams to meet the country’s growing energy requirements and reflects the commitment of the government to resolving water-related issues.
