On Monday, outgoing Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and opposition leader Rana Ansar announced their agreement to propose the name of former Supreme Court judge Maqbool Baqar for the interim Chief Minister position. This decision came just before the deadline for Murad and Ansar to finalize a name for the caretaker Chief Minister was about to end.
In a statement on X, PPP leader Murtaza Wahab confirmed the decision, saying, “This is to inform that the consultative process between Sindh CM and the opposition leader under Article 224(1A) took place on 12th,13th and 14th of August. Both the leaders have agreed to propose the name of Justice Maqbool Baqar sahib as the caretaker Chief Minister.”
MQM-P’s Ansar also confirmed the agreement, stating that the name of Maqbool Baqar was chosen with consensus from both sides. She also mentioned that the Grand Democratic Alliance, an ally of her party in the opposition, was consulted on the matter. Baqar’s name was proposed by both parties.
According to Murtaza, the recommendations to appoint Baqar as the interim Chief Minister have been sent to the Sindh governor for approval. If Murad and Ansar had failed to agree on a name within three days after the dissolution of the Sindh Assembly, the matter would have been referred to a committee established by the assembly speaker. If the committee also failed to finalize a name within three days, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) would have decided on the appointment.
Until yesterday, there was speculation that the matter would be handled by the ECP, as Murad and Ansar had not reached a consensus after two rounds of talks. However, with the agreement on Maqbool Baqar, the interim Chief Minister position seems to be settled.