The appointment of the new chairman of Ursa Authority by Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif was met with opposition from the People’s Party, causing the notification to be withdrawn. Zafar Mehmood, a retired federal secretary of grade 22, was appointed as the chairman of Ursa Authority by Shahbaz Sharif the previous day. The Prime Minister’s Secretary, Asadur Rahman Geelani, sent the letter of approval to the Secretary of Water Resources, while a copy was sent to the Secretary of the Establishment Division.
Despite having a bad relationship with PML-N, Mehmood had previously worked with them. The Sindh government had serious reservations about this appointment, and their leader Syed Nav Yad Qamar raised this issue in the National Assembly and objected to the appointment. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah also expressed his concerns, stating that they were not allies of PML-N, but were supporting them. The chairman of
Ursa is the representative of the federation, and it was decided to protest this matter at the cabinet meeting. The federal government should have taken this matter to the National Assembly. Later, according to Sindh Irrigation Minister Jam Khan Shoro, there was communication between the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister of Sindh, during which the Prime Minister assured to withdraw the notification of the appointment of Chairman Ursa. Since funds have to be taken from the federal government, the Prime Minister needed to meet with the Chief Minister of Sindh. It should be noted that the Ursa Authority is responsible for the distribution and monitoring of water in the provinces. The formal notification of the appointment will be issued by the Ministry of Water Resources
