Only one woman could make it to Sindh Cabinet

In a simple ceremony held at the Governor House on Monday, nine members of the newly formed 13-member provincial cabinet of Sindh took the oath of office.

Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori presided over the ceremony, which saw the participation of Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and senior bureaucrats. Notably, only one woman was included in the provincial cabinet this time.

Among those sworn in were familiar faces from Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah’s previous tenure, including 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 was unable to attend the ceremony as he was reported to be in Islamabad.

Additionally, Chief Minister Shah appointed three advisers—Allah Dino Khan Bhayo, Ehsan ur Rehman Mazari, and Syed Najmi Alam—to assist in governance.

Sharjeel Memon was given the transport, mass transit department, excise, taxation and narcotics control department.

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

Nasir Shah was given the energy department, which was previously held by Imtiaz Shaikh, and the planning & development department.

Sardar Shah also retained his previous portfolio of school education and literacy department and college education department. He was given an 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 the 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 the additional ministerial portfolio of sports and youth affairs.

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

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

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