KARACHI: Syed Murad Ali Shah was re-elected as chief minister of Sindh province here on Thursday during the assembly session in which lawmakers of the far-right religious party, Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), abstained from voting.
Shah, who was chief minister in the previous government of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), polled 97 votes, while the opposition’s joint candidate, Shehryar Mehar, bagged 61 votes.
The PPP’s jailed member of the provincial assembly, Sharjeel Inam Memon, and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Muhammad Hanif, were produced from prison to attend the session to cast their votes.
The nominated governor of Sindh, Imran Ismail, who was elected as a member of the provincial assembly on the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) ticket from Karachi, did not attend the session.
Agha Siraj Durrani, the newly elected speaker of the Sindh Assembly, announced Shah’s victory to the slot.
Leaders of different political parties extended congratulations to the newly elected chief minister on the floor of the house. However, they stressed that Shah should use all resources to serve the province. The MQM lawmaker Muhammad Hussain accused Shah of discrimination and not delegating powers to the lower tier of the government.
In his victory speech, the newly elected CM extended his gratitude to the party and masses, who he said have put their trust in him.
“The rights of people were not given in 1971 so we lost half of the country,” Shah said, vowing that his provincial government will serve the people of the province and get their rights from the center.
The losing candidate, Shehryar Mehar, in his speech urged the newly elected CM to take along the opposition and not victimize the opposition party.
Syed Murad Ali Shah belongs to the political family of Jamshoro Sindh. His father Syed Abdullah Shah was chief minister of Sindh province from Oct. 21, 1993 to Nov. 6, 1996, during the PPP’s government.
Shah, however, unlike many from political families, concentrated on his studies and professional life before entering politics in 2002. He completed his matriculation from Saint Patrick’s High School and intermediate from DJ Sindh Government Science College. He did his BE in civil technology from the NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi in 1986. He moved to the US for higher studies and gained an M.Sc in civil/structural engineering from Stanford University of California in 1987. He did his M.Sc in economic systems from the same university in 1993 before returning to Pakistan.
Shah joined the Water and Power Development Authority as a junior engineer in 1998 and then moved to the Post Qasim Authority as an executive engineer in 1990.
He was the provincial minister for irrigation and finance in the government of Syed Qaim Ali Shah before he was elevated to the chief minister’s office. Shah, who was elected from PS-80 Jamshoro in the July 25 general elections, was previously elected as chief minister of Sindh on July 29, 2016 when the veteran politician Syed Qaim Ali Shah resigned.
Murad Ali Shah re-elected as Sindh chief minister
Murad Ali Shah re-elected as Sindh chief minister
- Shah bagged 97 out 158 votes to become CM of Southern Pakistani province for the second time. His contender, Shehryar Mehar, a joint candidate of the opposition parties, polled 61 votes
- The strong educational profile of Murad Ali Shah makes him distinguished from his counterparts in other provinces
Customs seize narcotics, smuggled goods, vehicles worth $4.9 million in southwest Pakistan
- Customs seize 22.14 kg narcotics, consignments of smuggled betel nuts, Hino trucks, auto parts, says FBR
- Smuggled goods enter Pakistan’s Balochistan province from neighboring countries Iran and Afghanistan
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Customs seized narcotics, smuggled goods and vehicles worth a total of Rs1.38 billion [$4.92 million] in the southwestern Balochistan province on Tuesday, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) said in a statement.
Customs Enforcement Quetta seized and recovered 22.14 kilograms of narcotics and consignments of smuggled goods comprising betel nuts, Indian medicines, Chinese salt, auto parts, a ROCO vehicle and three Hino trucks in two separate operations, the FBR said. All items cost an estimated Rs1.38 billion, it added.
Smuggled items make their way into Pakistan through southwestern Balochistan province, which borders Iran and Afghanistan.
“These operations are part of the collectorate’s intensified enforcement drive aimed at curbing smuggling and dismantling illegal trade networks,” the FBR said.
“All the seized narcotics, goods and vehicles have been taken into custody, and legal proceedings under the Customs Act 1969 have been formally initiated.”
In the first operation, customs officials intercepted three containers during routine checking at FEU Zariat Cross (ZC) area. The containers were being transported from Quetta to Pakistan’s Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, the FBR said.
The vehicles intercepted included three Hino trucks. Their detailed examination led to the recovery of the smuggled goods which were concealed in the containers.
In the second operation, the staff of the Collectorate of Enforcement Customs, Quetta, intercepted a ROCO vehicle at Zariat Cross area with the local police’s assistance.
The driver was interrogated while the vehicle was searched, the FBR said.
“During interrogation, it was disclosed that drugs were concealed inside the spare wheel at the bottom side of the vehicle,” it said.
“Upon thorough checking, suspected narcotics believed to be heroin was recovered which was packed in 41 packets, each weighing 0.54 kilograms.”
The narcotics weighed a total of 22.14 kilograms, with an estimated value of Rs1.23 billion in the international market, the FBR concluded.
“The Federal Board of Revenue has commended the Customs Enforcement Quetta team for their effective action and reiterated its firm resolve to combat smuggling, illicit trade and illegal economic activities across the country,” it said.
