The Sindh government on Thursday appointed Adviser to the Chief Minister Barrister Murtaza Wahab as Karachi administrator, according to a notification issued by the provincial local government department.
Meanwhile, the chief minister expanded his cabinet by inducting four new ministers. Governor Imran Ismail administered oath to the four ministers – Sajid Jokhio, Gianchand Israni, Zia Abbas and Jam Khan Shoro – at a simple ceremony held at the Governor House. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and several PPP and PTI members of the assembly attended the ceremony.
Wahab is currently serving as adviser to Sindh chief minister on Law, Environment, Climate Change & Coastal Development Department.
Following the appointment, Wahab thanked PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, PPP President Asif Ali Zardari and CM Shah for appointing him as the administrator, in a recent post on his official Twitter account. “I am grateful to Chairman Bilawal, President Zardari, Adi Faryal & CM Sindh for giving me the opportunity to serve my city. It is an honour for me & my entire family & Insha’Allah I will do my best to serve Karachi,” he wrote.
Moreover, CM Shah also appointed 15 PPP leaders as his special assistants. Those appointed as special assistants include Asif Khan, Iqbal Sandh, Ali Ahmed Jan, Salman Murad, Saghir Qureshi from Hyderabad and Arslan Sheikh from Sukkur and others. The Services, General Administration and Coordination Department Sindh (Cabinet Section) issued a notification containing the list of new special assistants. These officials are said to be fulfilling responsibilities in LG institutions, reports said.
Amid rumours of Wahab’s name being touted for the post, Sindh Governor Imran Ismail had said on July 10 that Wahab’s appointment as the city’s administrator will not be acceptable to him at “any cost”. He had underlined that the Karachi administrator must be appointed after mutual consultation of the PPP and the PTI. “The administrator will be the one having experience in administration,” he had said.
Later on July 24, Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah had called on the governor and insisted that it was his prerogative to choose anyone for the administrator’s post. In response to a question about the governor’s reservations over such a development, the CM had said: “The governor and PTI have no right to raise any objection to the appointment [of Murtaza Wahab] as the Karachi administrator.
