The Sindh Assembly was dissolved on Friday, marking an end to the PPP government in the province. This dissolution occurred after Governor Kamran Tessori signed the summary by the outgoing Chief Minister, Murad Ali Shah. According to the constitutional guidelines, once the chief minister advises the governor, the provincial assembly stands dissolved after forty-eight hours.
Despite the dissolution, Chief Minister Shah will remain in his position until a caretaker chief minister is appointed. However, his cabinet is no longer in place.
Upcoming Caretaker Set-Up and Political Tensions
The outgoing Chief Minister, Murad Ali Shah, and the Opposition Leader, Rana Ansar of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), are slated to discuss the upcoming caretaker set-up in the province. Given the political landscape, many anticipate that the PPP and MQM-P, the second largest opposition party in the assembly, will agree on the caretaker chief minister’s candidate.
Recently, Rana Ansar took the position of Leader of the Opposition, succeeding Haleem Adil Shaikh of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI). Mr. Shaikh and the majority of PTI members abstained from assembly sessions after PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s arrest relating to the events on May 9.
In the assembly’s final session, Chief Minister Shah expressed his intent to ask the governor for immediate dissolution post the last sitting. He also criticized the former PTI-led federal government, accusing them of obstructing the provincial government’s operations.
