Pakistan: Sindh governor administers oath to 10-member caretaker cabinet

Islamabad [Pakistan], August 20 (ANI): The Sindh’s caretaker cabinet was sworn in on Saturday at a ceremony held at Karachi’s Sindh Governor House. Sindh Caretaker Chief Minister Retired Justice Maqbool Baqar has included 10 former members of the civil-military bureaucracy, health professionals, lawyers, and businessmen in his interim cabinet, Pakistan-based Dawn reported. 

Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori administered the oath to the 10 cabinet members. The caretaker cabinet members included retired Brigadier Haris Nawaz, former bureaucrat Muhammad Younus Dagha, businessman Mubeen Jumani, Arshad Wali Muhammad, Omar Soomro, Dr Saad Khalid Niaz, Junaid Shah, Rana Hussain, Ishwar Lai and Khuda Bux Marri.

Retired Brigadier Nawaz, a security and defence analyst has been allotted the portfolio of home and prison departments of the province, according to Dawn report. Muhammad Younus Dhaga, a former Grade-22 officer of the Pakistan Administrative Services, has been given the portfolio of finance, planning and development and revenue departments.

Omar Soomro, an acclaimed lawyer, has been made Sindh’s interim Minister for law, religious affairs and human rights. Muhammad Mubeen Jumani, a businessman, has been allotted Ministry of interim local government, housing and town planning, and Rehabilitation.

The only woman in Sindh’s 10-member interim cabinet, Rana Hussain, has been given the portfolio of school education, college education and women empowerment, Dawn reported. 

Dr Saad Khalid Niaz, one of the most prominent gastroenterologists, has been allotted portfolios of health, social welfare and public engineering, Dawn reported. 

Dr Junaid Shah, the chief executive officer of the AO Clinic has been given the Ministry of youth affairs, sports, culture and human resource development, according to Dawn report. He also served as Sindh’s Caretaker Minister for Health in 2013. 

Ishwar Lal, a businessman and lone representative of minority communities in the cabinet, has been given the portfolio of irrigation. Another businessman Arshad Wali Muhammad has been given the portfolio of tourism, environment and climate change. Meanwhile, Khuda Bux Marri has been made interim Minster for mines and minerals.

On Thursday, Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar took oath as Sindh’s caretaker Chief Minister, Pakistan-based Geo News reported. Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori on Thursday administered oath to Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar. Outgoing CM Murad Ali Shah and his cabinet members were also present at the occasion.

Before attending the oath-taking ceremony, the former Sindh Chief Minister was accorded a guard of honour as he was leaving the provincial chief executive’s residence, Geo News reported.

Earlier this week, the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in the province and leader of the opposition of the dissolved assembly Rana Ansar, representing the Mutahidda Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), had agreed to appoint Justice (retd) Baqar for the post.