Murad Ali Shah pledges to deliver after being elected as Sindh CM

KARACHI: Newly-elected Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Murad Ali Shah on Monday pledged to deliver after being elected as the provincial chief executive for a record third time.

During today’s election, presided over by Sindh Assembly Speaker Owais Qadir Shah, a total of 148 votes were cast, with Murad Ali Shah obtaining 112. His opponent, MQM-P candidate Ali Khurshidi, garnered 36 votes.

The seasoned politician has served twice as Sindh’s chief minister from 2016 to 2018 and then from 2018 to 2023, and this will be his third consecutive term.

In his victory speech, Murad Ali Shah thanked Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and its top leadership for choosing him for the post. “I have been chosen for the third time for leading the province and I have been elected as the member of this House for the fifth time,” he said.

He pointed out that his father had told him and his brother that one of them should contest in the 2002 polls as he couldn’t at that time. He said that PPP leader Benazir Bhutto encouraged him to take part in the polls.

“Today, I miss Shaheed Benazir Bhutto. She was my mentor,” he said, highlighting that she always encouraged him. Murad also mentioned how he reformed himself without criticism.

Referring to the recently-held general elections, the CM-elect said that the PPP had many reservations but had decided to adopt a legal way forward. “We will not compromise on the sovereignty of the country for a handful of seats and will not allow anyone to take advantage of our weaknesses,” he said.

Talking about his priorities, Murad highlighted there have big terrorist incidents in the last six months, but the new government will have a special focus on improving the peace and security situation.

He also recalled the catastrophic floods in Sindh in 2022, saying that the PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto had tasked him to prepare a plan to house the displaced people.

Murad Ali Shah was also confident that PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari would be sworn in as the president within the next few weeks. He acknowledged the importance of not repeating any mistakes made by his administration in the past, vowing to deliver for people of Sindh.

It is to be noted that the Pakistan People’s Party is the largest single party in Sindh Assembly with 112 members.

Separately, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz nominee, Maryam Nawaz, was elected as the first female chief minister of Punjab province amid a boycott of proceedings by the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC).

The PML-N Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz, who has become the first-ever female chief minister of Punjab, won the elections after receiving 220 votes.