Dedication doesn’t pay - the inside story of Sindh’s cabinet reshuffle

Suhail Anwar Siyal, who is facing corruption charges, has been given charge of anti-corruption establishment

KARACHI: A day after Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah inducted six new members to his team, the Sindh provincial cabinet underwent a major reshuffle on Monday.  The latest development came as a surprise to many as the government changed the portfolios of two dedicated ministers of education and local government departments, who, through their hard work and commitment, actually wanted to make a difference.



The decision to withdraw the education portfolio from Syed Sardar Shah sparked an 'outcry' on social media where educationalists, civil society activists, writers and intellectuals of Sindh demanded the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leadership to reconsider the decision. The merit of the reshuffle can be gauged from the appointment of former home minister Sohail Anwar Siyal, who has been facing serious corruption charges levelled by the National Accountability Bureau and has been given the portfolio of 'Anti-Corruption Establishment' to deal with corruption in the province.

Education dept

According to the notification issued by the services, general administration and coordination department, the education minister, Syed Sardar Ahmed Shah, who assumed the charge of the department on August 13, 2018, has now been allowed to only retain the portfolio of culture and tourism. Sources privy to the development told The Express Tribune that Shah's decision to follow 'meritocracy', his critique of past policies of the education department, refusal to transfer education officers and teachers on political grounds, award of contracts on open merit and appointments of employees and teachers through competitive exams, lead to his removal. "As education minister, he publicly admitted that around 100,000 teachers in Sindh don't know maths and science. Most of these teachers were appointed by the previous PPP governments," a cabinet member told The Express Tribune, speaking on the condition of anonymity. "This irked the PPP leadership who don't want to see any cabinet member defaming government on public forums," he added.

Sources said that Shah ordered to close around 11,000 non-viable schools [those with lower number of students] a few days ago. In these schools, teachers and other staff received salaries without going to work. "In the last 20 years, there has been no procurement of furniture in government schools. For the first time, the education department allocated Rs9 billion for the purpose and formed a central procurement committee with renowned educationalists as its members," said a senior official in the education department. "Shah decided to award tenders to well-reputed firms rather than appeasing his own party people.  He announced to induct 1,100 science teachers, 400 taluka officers and 150 assistant education officers through public service commission. This kind of decision was against the party policy, so he has been shown the door," the official added.

The official also pointed out that Shah was the first education minister who enrolled his daughter in a government school in Hyderabad. After this around 60,000 students have been transferred from private schools to government schools in Karachi alone," he said, showing the official record.

Professor Liaquat Mirani, a civil society activist who has been campaigning for the quality of education in the province, derided the decision to transfer a minister who was striving to bring reforms in the education sector. "PPP has never seen such a man in the education department," he said, adding Shah should have been allowed to complete his tenure to prove himself, rather than sending him packing within a year.

As of now, no decision has been made regarding the portfolio of education, so the chief minister will head the ministry till further orders.

Local government

Another startling move came in the local government department, which was previously headed by PPP's Karachi division president, Saeed Ghani, and has now been given to Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, who will also head the forest and religious affairs departments.

Meanwhile, Ghani has been given charge of the Information and Archives ministry, along with the Labour department. Ghani is replacing Barrister Murtaza Wahab, who was the adviser to the CM on information, archives and labour.

Wahab will now be working as the CM's adviser on law, environment, climate change and coastal development. He will also serve as the Sindh government's spokesperson. "Many people in the PPP and other parties were against Ghani for not obliging them, which is why he has been relieved from the department," said a source in the ruling party. Ghani, however, refused to comment on the issue and called it the party's decision. "I will accept whatever assignment is given to me," he said.

Anti-corruption

Perhaps the biggest shock came with the appointment of Suhail Anwar Siyal as minister for irrigation, zakat, usher and auqaf and the anti-corruption establishment.

After the last general elections, the PPP had decided not to appoint controversial MPAs facing corruption charges as ministers. After the arrest of PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari and his sister, Faryal Talpur, the party seems to have changed its policy. "PPP now seems in confrontation mode which is why it appointed Siyal, who is a close aide of Zardari and his sister, on important positions," sources said.

Siyal is currently under investigation for owning illegal assets and illegal occupation of state land for a housing society. There are also serious allegations against him for misappropriating public funds meant for development schemes in Larkana, from where he has been elected as MPA. After the NAB initiated an inquiry against him, he has secured protective bail from the Sindh High Court.

Furthermore, Nisar Khuhro, who had been disqualified from contesting the elections by the election tribunal for concealing his assets, has been appointed an adviser to the chief minister on universities, boards and the works and services department.



Meanwhile, Thatta's Syed Aijaz Shah Sherazi has been appointed an adviser to the CM for the Social Welfare Department. Sherazi is a late entry into the PPP, joining their ranks right before the last general elections in 2018. "Before the elections, PPP had struck a deal with Sherazi to give them a ministry. Looking at the government's delaying tactics, the Sherazi brothers who have won two provincial and one national assembly seat threatened to part ways which is why this post has been given to them," said one party official.

PPP's Abdul Bari Pitafi, who had to resign due to the Ghotki by-election, retained the Livestock and Fisheries Department. Meanwhile, Ismail Rahu was appointed as the Minister for Agriculture and Ikramullah Dharejo was assigned the Department of Industries and Commerce.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 6^th, 2019.