Syed Murad Ali Shah - The new Shah of Sindh

Qaim Ali Shah was probably not aware of what was coming in the important meeting that happened in Dubai on Saturday convened by PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari.

But, it has been decided now that he is leaving, vacating the Sindh chief minister’s position for PPP’s Murad Ali Shah.

How well you know the junior Shah! Here is a brief look at his profile.

 

Shah’s profile

Born in the year 1962, Member of the Provincial Assembly (MPA) and Finance Minister of Sindh, Syed Murad Ali Shah is an engineer by profession.

The 53-year-old was born in Karachi and is the son of a senior leader of PPP, Syed Abdullah Shah – a key name during the famous Movement for the Restoration of Democracy (MRD) against the Zia tenure.

His father himself was the Sindh Chief Minister from 1993 to 1996 during the slain PPP leader Benazir Bhutto’s government.

An alumni of the esteemed Stanford University California, United States, Murad Ali Shah earned MSc degrees in Civil/Structure Engineering in 1987 and Economic Systems in 1993 to become a qualified and learned engineer.

Earlier, he also received BE degree in Civil Technology from NED University, Karachi in the year 1986.

Murad Ali Shah started his career as a junior engineer in the federal government with Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) in 1986.

Before he entered politics, the MPA had also been a part of Hyderabad Development Authority and Karachi Fish Harbour Authority during his professional career.

 

Shah’s politics

Like his father, he finally made an entry into politics in 2002 as a member of the Sindh Assembly.

He also performed the responsibility of adviser to the chief minister and now is going back to the Sindh Assembly from PS-73 Jamshoro following its creation in 2002 polls.

Murad Ali Shah was elected to the same seat from 2002-2007, and during by-polls in 2014.

During 2008, after being elected an MPA from Jamshoro, he served as finance minister in Sindh government.

Unfortunately, he had to face criticism and later disqualification from the 2013 general elections because of his dual citizenship at the time – a condition that barred many politicians from contesting the much-talked-about polls.

At the time, he had a Canadian citizenship which he relinquished later to contest by-polls in the following year 2014.

 

Shah’s father

Senior PPP leader Syed Abdullah Shah – a former chief minister of Sindh, was the father of Murad Ali Shah. Abdullah Shah died in 2007 after fighting cancer at the age of 73.

Abdullah Shah had to leave Pakistan in February 1997 after being implicated in scores of corruption cases during the previous tenure of Mian Nawaz Sharif. Ailing Shah returned back to Pakistan in 2007 as, the then government allowed him to return on humanitarian grounds keeping in view of his deteriorating health.

 

Expectations

A relatively young member of PPP, Murad Ali Shah has now been chosen to be Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah’s successor for which, a proper announcement would be made by the party leadership.

His nomination as the new Chief Minister Sindh has received a mixed reaction from within the party and across the political paradigm in Pakistan, particularly Sindh.

Analysts say Sindh could be a bumpy road for the new chief minister as the province is already facing a huge number of unsolved challenges.

Improving law and order situation in Sindh amid recent high-profile cases of targeted killings, implementing good governance and policing powers and reach of Sindh Rangers are few of them.