Murad Ali Shah

{{Short description|Chief Minister Of Sindh and Member Of Pakistan Peoples Party}}

{{distinguish|Syed Murad Ali Shah (Naushahro Feroze politician)}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Syed Murad Ali Shah

| native_name = {{nobold|{{nq|سید مراد على شاه}}}}

| honorific-prefix =

| honorific-suffix =

| image = Syed Murad Ali Shah Cabinet.jpg

| alt =

| image name =

| smallimage =

| caption =

| constituency =

| party = PPP (2007–present)

| order = 29th Chief Minister of Sindh

| term_start = 27 February 2024

| term_end =

| predecessor = Maqbool Baqar (caretaker)

| governor = Kamran Tessori

| successor =

| term_start1 = 18 August 2018

| term_end1 = 17 August 2023

| predecessor1 = Fazal-ur-Rehman (caretaker)

| governor1 = Agha Siraj Durrani (acting)
Imran Ismail
Kamran Tessori

| successor1 = Maqbool Baqar (caretaker)

| term_start2 = 29 July 2016

| term_end2 = 28 May 2018

| governor2 = Ishratul Ibad
Saeeduzzaman Siddiqui
Muhammad Zubair

| successor2 = Fazal-ur-Rehman (caretaker)

| predecessor2 = Qaim Ali Shah

| office3 = Provincial Minister of Sindh for Finance

| term_start3 = 2013

| term_end3 = 2016

| office4 = Provincial Minister of Sindh for Irrigation

| term_start4 = 2008

| term_end4 = 2013

| office5 = Member of the Provincial Assembly of Sindh

| term_start5 = 25 February 2024

| term_end5 =

| constituency5 = PS-77 Jamshoro-I

| term_start6 = 13 August 2018

| term_end6 = 11 August 2023

| constituency6 = PS-80 Jamshoro-I

| term_start7 = 29 May 2013

| term_end7 = 28 May 2018

| constituency7 = PS-73 Jamshoro-cum-Dadu

| term_start8 = 2008

| term_end8 = 2013

| constituency8 = PS-73 Jamshoro-cum-Dadu

| term_start9 = 2002

| term_end9 = 2007

| constituency9 = PS-73 Jamshoro-cum-Dadu

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1962|11|8|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan

| death_date =

| death_place =

| citizenship = Pakistani

| father = Syed Abdullah Ali Shah{{Cite news|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1273393|title=Profile: Murad Ali Shah sets precedent in Sindh by inheriting father's mantle|date=27 July 2016|newspaper=Dawn|accessdate=31 January 2017}}

| residence = Karachi, Sindh

| alma_mater = Stanford University

| imagesize =

}}

Syed Murad Ali Shah ({{langx|ur|{{nq|سید مراد على شاه}}}}; born 8 November 1962) is a Pakistani politician and structural engineer who is currently serving as the Chief Minister of Sindh province of Pakistan and a member of the Sindh Assembly.{{cite news |author=Hafeez Tunio |title=Murad Ali Shah will be new Sindh CM |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/1150273/murad-ali-shah-will-new-sindh/ |accessdate=27 July 2016 |work=The Express Tribune}}

- {{cite news |author=Hafeez Tunio |title=Murad Ali Shah touted as next Sindh CM |url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/1149257/ppp-set-name-qaims-replacement/ |accessdate=27 July 2016 |work=The Express Tribune}}

- {{cite news |date=27 July 2016 |title=PPP names Murad Ali Shah as new Sindh chief minister |url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/1149715/ppp-names-murad-ali-shah-new-sindh-chief-minister/ |accessdate=27 July 2016 |work=The Express Tribune}} It is his third term as Chief minister. Shah earlier held portfolios such as Minister of Irrigation of Sindh and Finance Minister of Sindh.

Early life and education

Shah was born in Karachi, West Pakistan, to a Sindhi Muslim Lakyari Syed family. His father, Syed Abdullah Ali Shah also served as the chief minister of Sindh.{{Cite web |date=2007-04-15 |title=Abdullah Shah dies of cancer |url=http://beta.dawn.com/news/242461/abdullah-shah-dies-of-cancer |access-date=2024-02-26 |website=DAWN.COM |language=en}} Murad Ali Shah is the descendent of Sufi saint of Shah Sadaruddin Lakyari (Lakhi Shah Sadar) near Sehwan Sharif.{{Cite web |date=2016-07-26 |title=Who is Murad Ali Shah? |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/1150274/syed-murad-ali-shah |access-date=2024-02-27 |website=The Express Tribune |language=en}} Shah matriculated from Saint Patrick's High School, did intermediate study at D. J. Sindh Government Science College{{Cite news|date=9 December 2017|title=CM Murad recounts college days during pedestrian bridge inauguration ceremony at DJ Science College|url=https://archive.pakistantoday.com.pk/2017/12/09/cm-murad-recounts-college-days-during-pedestrian-bridge-inauguration-ceremony-at-dj-science-college/|access-date=25 April 2022|work=Pakistan Today (newspaper)}} in Karachi, and was admitted to the engineering programme at the NED University of Engineering and Technology. He graduated with a B.E. in civil engineering and was a silver medalist on his graduation from the NED. After earning the Quaid-e-Azam scholarship, he went to the United States and attended Stanford University in California where he completed his M.Sc. in structural engineering. He completed a second master's from Stanford University two years later in economic systems where again he was on an international scholarship.{{Cite web|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1273410/change-of-guard-in-sindh|title=Change of guard in Sindh|last=Hussain|first=Zahid|date=27 July 2016|accessdate=27 July 2016}}

From 1986 to 1990, Shah pursued his engineering career with the Government of Sindh as a water engineer at the Water and Power Development Authority in Lahore. He later went to join the Port Qasim Authority in Karachi. He was also a city engineer for Hyderabad's Development Authority. He was an engineer at Wapda, Port Qasim Authority and the Hyderabad Development Authority, before joining Citibank.{{cite news|title=Who is Murad Ali Shah?|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/1150274/syed-murad-ali-shah/|accessdate=27 July 2016|work=The Express Tribune}} Shah worked for Citibank in Sindh and in London. He also worked at the Gulf Investment Corporation in Kuwait.{{citation needed|date= October 2022}}

Political career

He became a member of the Provincial Assembly of Sindh in 2002 for the first time representing PS-73 (Dadu III).{{cite web|last1=Profile|title=Profile; Murad Ali Shah|url=http://www.pakistanherald.com/profile/syed-murad-ali-shah-669|website=www.pakistanherald.com}} He was elected to the Sindh Assembly in 2008 as a member of the Pakistan Peoples Party and was the provincial Minister for Irrigation in Syed Qaim Ali Shah's cabinet. In 2013, he was made the provincial finance minister.{{cite web|last1=Provincial Assembly of Sindh|title=Member Profile|url=http://www.pas.gov.pk/index.php/members/profile/en/19/258|website=www.pas.gov.pk|accessdate=27 July 2016}} In July 2016, Shah was elected to the chief minister's office.{{Cite web|url=https://www.geo.tv/latest/110369-Murad-Ali-Shah-elected-new-Chief-Minister-of-Sindh|title=Murad Ali Shah elected new Chief Minister of Sindh|website=www.geo.tv|accessdate=31 January 2017}}

He was minister for irrigation (Sindh) and finance minister of Sindh before his elevation to chief minister of Sindh in 2016.{{citation needed|date= October 2022}} Shah was barred from contesting in 2013 despite giving up his Canadian citizenship. After proving to the courts that he did not hold Canadian nationality, Shah was able to run in the election. He was elected to the Sindh Assembly for a third consecutive time. He was subsequently assigned the finance ministry in the provincial cabinet.

Chief Minister of Sindh (2016-present)

Murad Ali Shah became Chief Minister of Sindh on 29 July 2016 after the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) made the decision to replace Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah with Murad.{{Cite web |last=Tunio |first=Hafeez |date=2016-07-26 |title=Murad Ali Shah will be new Sindh CM |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/1150273/murad-ali-shah-will-new-sindh-cm |access-date=2024-08-13 |website=The Express Tribune |language=en}} Murad Ali Shah would become Sindh’s first and only Chief Minister to serve 3 consecutive times in a row.{{Cite web |last=Tunio |first=Hafeez |date=2024-02-27 |title=Murad’s election shows continuation of policies |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/2457742/murads-election-shows-continuation-of-policies |access-date=2024-08-13 |website=The Express Tribune |language=en}} He served as Chief Minister from 2016 until the 2018 Sindh provincial election, in which he was elected for the second time as Chief Minister as a PPP candidate. He would serve as Chief Minister for a relative full term until the 2024 Sindh provincial election in which he was elected for the third time on a PPP ticket. Opposition to Murad, primarily the Grand Democratic Alliance, Jamaat-e-Islami and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf have protested against electoral manipulation by the PPP in provincial elections several times, primarily in 2024, where Murad’s first few months in office were amid widespread protests against PPP rigging.{{Cite web |last= |date=2024-02-12 |title=JI, GDA toughen stance against poll rigging in Sindh |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/2456224/ji-gda-toughen-stance-against-poll-rigging-in-sindh |access-date=2024-08-13 |website=The Express Tribune |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Report |first=Dawn |date=2024-02-28 |title=Rallies held across Sindh against ‘massive rigging’, ‘stolen mandate’ |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1817644 |access-date=2024-08-13 |website=DAWN.COM |language=en}}

= Policies and Criticism =

Murad Ali Shah was originally appointed for the slot of Chief Minister by PPP due to his skill in distributing water and financial resources during his time in the federal government as well as his closeness to Benazir Bhutto according to PPP. However, critics and opposition to Murad accuse him and the PPP provincial government of bad governance, poor infrastructure, “ghost” schools, lack of government action, poor distribution of medicine and needs, bad management of government departments and an overall lack of development.

According to some opposition politicians, the province has seen little to no government development or action with some suggesting that Sindh’s infrastructural and medical systems have worsened since Murad took office.{{Cite web |title=Haleem sees no development in Sindh in last 15 years |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1200901-haleem-sees-no-development-in-sindh-in-last-15-years |access-date=2024-08-16 |website=www.thenews.com.pk |language=en}}{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2024-06-13 |title=No new development projects in Sindh’s budget 2024-25 |url=https://arynews.tv/no-new-development-projects-in-sindhs-budget-2024-25/ |access-date=2024-08-16 |website=ARY NEWS |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2024-07-07 |title=MQM-P rejects CM Murad Ali Shah’s claims of development in Sindh |url=https://www.nation.com.pk/07-Jul-2024/mqm-p-rejects-cm-murad-ali-shah-s-claims-of-development-in-sindh |access-date=2024-08-16 |website=The Nation |language=en-US}}