After the dissolution of the National Assembly earlier this week, Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori on Friday signed a summary moved by Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah for the dissolution of the provincial assembly, while the Balochistan chief minister forwarded a summary for dissolution of the assembly to the governor on Saturday morning.
“The summary of dissolution of Sindh Provincial Assembly has been signed,” Tessori posted on Twitter. “As advised by the chief minister and in exercise of the powers conferred upon me under clause (1) of Article-112 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973, and other provisions enabling me in this behalf, I, Muhammad Kamran Khan Tessori, Governor of Sindh, hereby dissolve the provincial assembly of Sindh on Friday the 11th day of August, 2023 at 9 p.m.,” read an official notification.
Following the dissolution of the Sindh Assembly, the provincial cabinet automatically stands dissolved, while C.M. Shah would continue to hold his post until the appointment of a caretaker chief minister.
The Sindh Assembly was dissolved a day before the completion of its 5-year constitutional term, having held its first session on Aug. 13, 2018. Reportedly, consultations are ongoing between the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and opposition parties for the appointment of a caretaker chief minister.
Balochistan Assembly
Meanwhile, local media reported on Saturday morning that Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Qudduz Bizenjo had signed the summary for the dissolution of the provincial assembly and would be forwarding it to the governor for final approval. The Balochistan Assembly had held its first session on Aug. 13, 2018 and would be dissolved on the completion of its five-year constitutional tenure.
Following the dissolution of both the Sindh and Balochistan assemblies, all provinces and the center would be without elected governments. Appointment of their caretaker setups would set the stage for general elections, which are due by November but are likely to be delayed by up to 4 months following the Council of Common Interests approval of census results, requiring the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to conduct fresh delimitation for constituencies.
Both assemblies have now started the process to appoint the caretaker chief minister, which follows the same pattern established for the center. The opposition leaders and outgoing chief ministers would have three days to achieve consensus on a caretaker candidate, failing which the matter would be placed before a parliamentary committee with equal representation of opposition and treasury benches. If the committee also fails to achieve consensus within three days, the matter would be placed before the ECP, which would have two days to announce a name.