Large scale reshuffle in the Sindh bureaucracy and some changes in the portfolios of the Sindh ministers are on the card and would be finalised when President General Pervez Musharraf arrives here on Saturday, it was learnt on Thursday.
Sources said that the tiff between the chief minister and his major coalition partner was still continuing and hampering the smooth sailing PML wanted to have before the general elections of 2007.
They said that the induction of new minister and appointment of advisers was basically aimed at appeasing MPAs from other parties joining PML, coalition partners and "like minded" political friends. "But the arrangement has backfired", they added.
They said that the MQM wanted bifurcation in some of the departments and appoint a few more of its nominees against the newly created departments but the chief minister had disagreed saying that they had enough of their share in the Cabinet. However, on the assurance that in the next phase of reshuffling and expansion in the Cabinet, MQM would be given "bigger piece of the cake".
Sources said that there were differences on the assignment of jobs to many provincial secretaries and both, the PML and the MQM wanted changes. The other coalition partners in the Cabinet were also flexing their muscle and trying to take advantage of this fluid situation where the Sindh CM and the Sindh governor are not politically inclined toward each other to accommodate mutual desires to expand their respective political base.
Sources said that the Sindh chief secretary was unable to listen to the chief minister because of the pressure from the MQM and the IGP had difficulty in dealing with both the CM and the governor.
The matter pertaining to law and order situation, where all efforts to effectively check street crimes are proving counter productive; and the blame game goes on. "There is a tripod of opinion in respect of street crime-chief minister, governor and the provincial police chief. None of them is willing to agree with each other on the reasons for increase in street crimes. Sources said that the president during his stay in the city would, apart from other programmes, try to ensure that all the coalition partners function smoothly and co-operate with each other so that the PML gets a chance to organise itself. To firm up talking points for his talks with the president the chief minister held a discussion with his cabinet colleagues, advisers and party men at the Chief Minister House on Thursday afternoon.
Some of the politicians who had participated in the CM's meeting told Business Recorder at a reception Rana Saeed Ahmed Zafar, senior vice president, Sindh, had held in honour of the newly inducted advisers and minister, that there would be changes in the political and administrative set up in Sindh. It would facilitate smooth political activities and better preparation for the next general elections.
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