Alvi formally takes over as caretaker CM

Opposition parties claim that they were not taken into confidence before finalising the name.

KARACHI:

Justice (retd) Zahid Qurban Alvi was formally appointed as the Sindh caretaker chief minister on Wednesday through a joint announcement by the Pakistan Peoples Party and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement. Despite reported reservations from some of the opposition parties, both the parties claimed that all parties were on board in finalising the name for the position.

During a press briefing on Wednesday, former Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah along with the opposition leader in the Sindh Assembly, Syed Sardar Ahmed, announced Alvi’s name, saying that he was a neutral person and will be able to conduct fair and transparent elections in Sindh.

Shah said that during the meeting with Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, the chief ministers of the four provinces agreed to dissolve assemblies on March 19. It was also decided in that meeting that the elections of national and provincial assemblies would be held on the same day. “A peaceful transition is taking place according to the Constitution for the first time in the history of Pakistan,” said Shah. “We held meetings to discuss all the candidates and finally decided on Alvi’s name.”

Shah agreed that differences surfaced during the meetings but with the guidance of President Asif Ali Zardari and MQM Chief Altaf Hussain, they have smoothly transferred powers.

“We are making history with this transition - it is a victory for democracy,” said Ahmed. “It is the best decision we could have taken and we are optimistic that the caretaker setup will be able to conduct fair and transparent polls in Sindh.”

He added that despite their ups and downs, the PPP and the MQM remain committed to flourish democracy in the country. As for the new cabinet, Shah and Ahmed clarified that Alvi will choose his own  team without the interference of any political party.

Meanwhile, Sindh Assembly Speaker Nisar Ahmed Khuhro has de-notified all members of the assembly. The notification in this regard has been issued and all chairperson of the standing committees have been directed to hand over all privileges that came with their post.

Conflicting statements

Opposition parties, however, have denied the claim that all opposition parties in the provincial assembly were taken into confidence before the meeting with the PPP leadership to decide the name of the caretaker CM.

“It is against the law because all opposition parties must be consulted,” said Arif Mustafa Jatoi of the National Peoples Party. “Both the parties have made their own setup.”

Pakistan Muslim League-Functional’s Nusrat Sehar Abbasi said that it was an unjustified move by the government. “We don’t accept this caretaker chief minister. An impartial person should have been nominated.”

Abdul Razzaque Rahimoon of the Pakistan Muslim League-Arbab group alleged that MQM’s separation from the coalition set-up just before the elections was all planned for this purpose. He said that the opposition parties will convene a meeting soon to decide their future course of action.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 21^st, 2013.