ISLAMABAD/KARACHI: Sindh Governor’s House, which housed a single master for a long period of 14 years, is now preparing to welcome former chief justice of Pakistan Justice (r) Saeeduz Zaman Siddiqui as its new inhabitant following Dr Ishratul Ebad’s removal from the office.
President Mamnoon Hussain on Wednesday appointed Justice (r) Siddiqui as the governor of Sindh on the advice of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, a brief statement from the Presidency said.
The federal government’s decision to remove Ebad was made in accordance with the law, but the Sindh government said that it was not taken into confidence on the development.
According to media reports, a spokesperson of the premier, Musadiq Malik, said the stakeholders concerned had been consulted before the final decision.
Talking to the media, Justice (r) Siddiqui confirmed his appointment and said that the development took place in the backdrop of the current political situation of the city.
The new governor-designate said that Ebad had been removed from office “due to recent controversies”, while restoration of peace and law and order would be his priority after taking oath of office.
On the other hand, the Sindh chief minister’s adviser on information, Maula Baksh Chandio said in a media talk that the federal government did not consult the provincial government before the appointment, and expressed the provincial government’s reservations over the move.
Ebad was the founder member of the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) as he had started his political career from the All Pakistan Muhajir Students Organisation when he was a student of Dow Medical Collage, Karachi.
Ebad remained a provincial minister in Jam Sadiq Ali’s cabinet. As the military operation started in the city in 1992, Ebad went underground and surfaced in London after a year. He was labelled an accused in many cases pertaining to heinous crimes. In 2002, then president Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf joined hands with the MQM and Ebad was appointed the Sindh governor. He remained in the office for 14 years.
Justice (r) Siddiqui had refused to take oath under the first PCO of Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf. He had also played a vital role when former CJP Sajjad Ali Shah had summoned PM Nawaz Sharif in the court several time. The federal government had gone paralysed due to the conflict between the government and the judiciary. In the meantime, a group of judges, under Justice Saeeduz Zaman Siddiqui and Justice Irshad Hassan Khan, had turned against the former CJP.
It was for the first time in the world history that two supreme courts heard cases simultaneously. Former CJP Sajjad Ali Shah issued orders and Justice Saeeduz Zaman suspended them without any delay. Besides division among the judges, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) workers and leaders had also attacked the Supreme Court (SC). Several PML-N leaders had to face the punishment of disqualification in the SC attack case. Nawaz apparently returned the favour to Saeeduz Zaman Siddiqui and decided to induct him as the Sindh governor.
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