Who will be the next governor of Sindh?

KARACHI: The federal government has started deliberations for appointment of new governor Sindh after the death of Justice (retd) Saeeduz Zaman Siddiqui who remained in the office for barely two months.

Mr. Siddiqui, 79, passed away due to respiratory problems and chest infection.

According to sources, the government has couple of names in consideration for the post of governor – Muftah Ismail and Khwaja Qutab. The names of these two candidates are currently under discussion at the President House.

However, insiders claim that a certain group in the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) is  lobbying for Mushahidullah Khan.

While one more name is going rounds in the government circles – General (retd) Tariq Wasim Ghazi.

Before being elevated as governor Sindh, Justice (retd) Siddiqui held top judicial offices during his professional career.

He was Chief Justice of Pakistan during the military coup by General (retd) Pervez Musharraf in 1999. Justice (retd) Siddiqui had defied to military ruler Musharraf who asked him to take a new oath under the Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO) following which the military regime forced him to step down from his position.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) during the 2008 presidential election of Pakistan named Siddiqui as a party candidate to replace Pervez Musharraf as President of Pakistan. He later lost the election to Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) Asif Ali Zardari.

Justice (retd) Siddiqui was once again selected for as a presidential candidate during 2013 elections, but his name was later replaced with Mamnoon Hussain.