The provincial government appointed another adviser in the Sindh cabinet and allotted portfolios to newly inducted ministers and advisers from the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) and Pakistan Muslim league-Quaid (PML-Q) on Friday.
According to a notification issued by the government, Muhammad Ali Malkani of the PML-Q is now in charge of the tourism department. Previously, this department was dealt with by the provincial law minister Ayaz Soomro.
The environment department portfolio was given to Shaharyar Mahar of the PML-Q. Mahar, is the son of PML-Q Sindh president and MNA, Ghous Bux Mahar. The former Sindh Assembly opposition leader, Jam Madad of the PML-F is now the youth affairs minister while the Auqaf department was allotted to Rafique Banbhan of the PML-F. The new Information and Technology department adviser is Imtiaz Shaikh of the PML-F. He used to be the tourism adviser but was removed, along with 11 other advisers, after the 18th amendment restricted the number of advisors in the Sindh cabinet to five.
PML-Q secretary general Haleem Adil Sheikh and Ejaz Shirazi were appointed as advisers to the chief minister for sports and rural development respectively.
The portfolios had been vacant since the former coalition partner, Muttahida Qaumi Movement, decided to leave the coalition over the Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections. The MQM had around 14 ministries of which seven portfolios have been given to the new coalition partners. So far no decision has been made regarding the other departments, which include industries, health, bureau of supply, human rights and public health engineering.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 16th, 2011.
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