PM withdraws IRSA chairman’s appointment order

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has retracted the appointment orders of Zafar Mahmood as chairman of the Indus River System Authority (IRSA) following strong objections from the Sindh government.

The Prime Minister’s Office has issued a directive to withdraw the notification for the appointment of the IRSA chairman.

Previously, the prime minister had appointed the retired grade-22 officer, Zafar Mahmood, as the IRSA chairman, a decision that was met with protest and reservations by Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah.

It was reported earlier that there had been communication between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah.

Earlier, Sindh Minister for Irrigation Jam Khan Shoro had said that the prime minister has assured the withdrawal of the notification for the appointment of the IRSA chairman.

The Sindh chief minister had taken a stance that, as agreed upon in the Council of Common Interests (CCI), the appointment of the IRSA chairman should be on a rotational basis from the members of the provinces, a position that the prime minister has agreed to uphold.

The Sindh government had rejected the appointment of the IRSA chairman and demanded the withdrawal of the notification.

Murad Ali Shah had expressed objections not only to the appointment but also to the individual appointed, emphasizing that the purpose of IRSA was to ensure that the federal government did not have undue influence.

The caretaker federal government introduced numerous amendments to the IRSA Act through an ordinance shortly before its tenure concluded.

A key amendment stripped the provinces of their authority to appoint the IRSA chairman, granting the prime minister the power to directly appoint retired grade 21/22 officers instead of provincial nominees.

Previously, the chairman of IRSA was appointed through rotational selection from the five-member board comprising representatives from all four provinces and the federal government.