The provincial assembly in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province was dissolved on Friday as Pakistan prepares for a transition of power to caretaker setups in the center and provinces, ahead of general elections due in November.
The outgoing Sindh Assembly convened its inaugural session on August 13, 2018 and had been poised to conclude its five-year constitutional term today, on Saturday.
However, Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori signed a summary to dissolve the assembly on Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah’s recommendation just a day before the expiry of its tenure.
“The summary of the dissolution of the Sindh Provincial Assembly has been endorsed,” Governor Tessori said via Twitter, attaching his order and request of the chief minister.
As the province enters a period of transition, CM Shah will continue to hold the office until the appointment of a caretaker chief minister. The constitution stipulates that general elections must be held within 90 days of assembly dissolution, guiding the process of selecting a new leader of the house.
While several names have been speculated upon in the media for the top position, no decision has yet been reached. The outgoing CM and Opposition Leader Rana Ansar are expected to hold further consultations regarding the caretaker setup in the province.
During his farewell cabinet meeting, Shah expressed gratitude for the support he received during his tenure and highlighted the challenges faced by the provincial government, including the aftermath of both the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2022 floods.
The outgoing CM said Sindh was still facing losses from the pandemic and the deadly floods that inundated vast tracts of lands in the province. He praised the collective efforts that led to successful management of the crises and rejuvenation of agricultural activities in the province.
“I had almost lost hope to drain out such a deluge of water, but the cabinet members, party workers, and the leadership supported me,” he said.
In its last session, the cabinet endorsed a ban on recruitment, except for ongoing processes overseen by the Sindh Public Service Commission and essential recruitment within development projects backed by donor agencies.
The dissolution of the provincial assembly came days after the dissolution of the National Assembly, the lower house of Pakistan parliament, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the opposition leader expected to hold a final round of talks to pick a caretaker prime minister on Saturday.
