Shuffling jobs: Durrani likely to leave speaker’s post for local govt ministry

Dr Sikandar Mandhro to become new Sindh Assembly speaker.

KARACHI:

It seems that the plush new sofas and the gigantic hall of the new Sindh Assembly building has failed to keep the speaker interested in his job. Agha Siraj Durrani misses being a local government minister and is most likely becoming one again.

According to sources in the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), the Sindh cabinet will see some shuffling in the coming few days as Durrani will become the local government minister and Dr Sikandar Mandhro will take up the post of the speaker of the Sindh Assembly.

"The party leadership has decided in principle to change the speaker of the provincial assembly following Durrani's blunt refusal to carry his incumbent duty," said a senior PPP leader. "He wants the ministry and prefers to take over his favourite local government department where he served the last five years." Currently, the charge of local government lies with Sharjeel Memon, who took over the reins from Owais Muzaffar.

The PPP leader added that Dr Mandhro is all set to become the next speaker. Mandhro is currently the minister for parliamentary affairs and he also deals with law-related agenda during the Sindh Assembly proceedings.

Some influential groups within the party have been putting pressure on the government to get their people appointed in the new setup, another official said. If Mandhro becomes the speaker, the party will need someone to look after law-related issues.

"The PPP has two MPAs in the Sindh Assembly who are barristers," said a senior officer. They are former home minister Zulfiqar Mirza's son Hasnain and former education minister Pir Mazharul Haq's elder son Pir Mujeebul Haq. "Both families have shown an interest in getting the slot of the law ministry for their kids but the final decision has yet to be made by PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari who is now in Dubai," he explained, adding that the matter will be resolved once Zardari is back.

Job satisfaction

Since the day Durrani was made speaker, he had been unhappy, say officials working with him. Right after the general elections when the Sindh cabinet was being formed, Durrani reportedly conveyed his feelings to Zardari. "I cannot perform as a school teacher while sitting in the speaker's chair," he was quoted to have said. "I will go for either the home department or the local government ministry." The party leadership was, however, not convinced and he was made the speaker.

Yes or no?

For his part, Durrani neither confirmed nor denied the rumours about his new position. "The decision has yet to be made," he said. "These are merely rumours." Sources did say, however, that Durrani wanted to set the precedent of conducting the first assembly session in the new building. "This is the reason why he held the budget session in haste," said an official.

On the other hand, Dr Mandhro refused to comment on the issue. "I will take whatever responsibility is given to me," he told The Express Tribune.

After the 18th Amendment, the law restricts the provincial government to make sure that 11% of the total assembly members form the cabinet. This means that the government has to appoint only 18 ministers and five advisers. According to sources, one or two ministers may be laid off to accommodate others.

Meanwhile, finance adviser Murad Ali Shah has won the dual nationality case that led to his disqualification from contesting the by-elections in PS-73 Jamshoro. His cousin, Abdul Nabi Shah, will resign from the seat and give way to Murad. "After that, Shah will be inducted as minister in the cabinet too," said an official.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 29^th, 2014.