Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and opposition leader Rana Ansar of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) on Monday agreed to appoint former Sindh High Court chief justice Maqbool Baqar the caretaker chief minister.
“After three-day consultations between Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and Leader of Opposition in the dissolved provincial assembly Rana Ansar, the two have agreed on the appointment of Justice (retd.) Maqbool Baqar as caretaker chief minister,” read a brief statement issued by the Sindh Chief Minister’s House.
“The summary for the formal appointment of Justice (retd.) Baqar has immediately been forwarded to Sindh Governor Kamran Khan Tessori,” it added. Late on Monday night, the governor confirmed that he had approved the summary under Article 224(1A) of the Constitution, with the former judge expected to take oath of office today (Tuesday).
Earlier, speaking with journalists outside the Chief Minister’s House, MQM-P’s Ansar said consensus had been reached on the candidate proposed by the treasury benches after three days of deliberations. Describing the appointment as a “win-win situation” for both the former government and the opposition, she said there had been no objections to Justice (retd.) Baqar’s name from either side.
“Being the leader of the opposition, we also had to take our ally into confidence before reaching any decision,” she said, explaining the time taken to appoint the interim leader. “So the GDA’s [Grand Democratic Alliance] input was also taken under consideration and the decision was made with consensus,” she added.
A law graduate from the University of Karachi, Baqar, 66, became an advocate in May 1981 and was elevated to an additional judge of the Sindh High Court in August 2002 before being confirmed to the post in 2003. He was appointed the SHC chief justice in September 2013, from where he was elevated to Supreme Court on Feb. 17, 2015. He retired as a judge of the Supreme Court in April 2022.
Lauded for his willingness to criticize the judiciary for its failing, he told Geo News after reports of his appointment were confirmed that he hoped to use the time as caretaker chief minister to address public concerns and uphold the law and the Constitution. Stressing that conducting general elections was the responsibility of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), he said his role would be assist it in this endeavor. “It is a very important responsibility in such a difficult situation,” he acknowledged.
Balochistan interim government
Meanwhile, there has yet to be any consensus on an interim chief minister for Balochistan, despite the provincial assembly being dissolved on Saturday night. Despite the passage of three days, outgoing chief minister Abdul Quddus Bizenjo and the opposition leader have yet to meet and deliberate on an appropriate candidate, with observers believing the situation would likely end up with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). Under law, if the outgoing chief minister and the opposition leader fail to appoint an interim chief minister within three days, the matter is placed before a parliamentary committee with equal representation of both sides. If the committee also fails to achieve consensus within three days, the ECP has two days to pick a name from two names each provided by both sides.