KARACHI, May 28: The Pakistan Peoples Party nominated on Tuesday Syed Qaim Ali Shah as leader of the house in the Sindh Assembly.

Mr Shah, who is a founding member of the party, will earn the distinction of holding the office of the Sindh chief minister for the third time.

The decision was announced by PPP Parliamentarians President Makhdoom Amin Fahim, who presided over a meeting of the newly elected PPP Parliamentary Party at the Bilawal House.President Asif Ali Zardari was also present at the meeting.

The meeting nominated Agha Siraj Durrani as a PPP candidate for the post of the speaker and Syeda Shehla Raza for deputy speaker. Nisar Ahmad Khuhro was named parliamentary party leader in the Sindh Assembly.

The meeting discussed formation of the provincial government in coalition with all other parliamentary parties, including the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.

Sources said in the first phase Nisar Ahmad Khuhro, Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani, Manzoor Hussain Wasan, Sharjeel Inam Memon and Dr Sikandar Mandhro might be inducted into the provincial cabinet.

The meeting discussed strategy for the maiden session of the assembly, which will meet on Wednesday, and budget priorities and goals for the next financial year.

President Zardari told the newly elected lawmakers that people had reposed their confidence in the PPP for continuation of Benazir Bhutto’s policies and asked them to make every effort to come up to their expectations.

Later Makhdoom Amin Fahim told newsmen that all decisions were taken with consensus. He said Syed Qaim Ali Shah was not only a senior member of the party but also the most suitable person for the office of the chief minister.

Mr Shah expressed gratitude to the party leadership and colleagues for reposing confidence in him and pledged to make every effort to fulfill their expectations.

He said his government’s priority would be to restore peace in Karachi and it would take every measure to attain this objective.