Minister for Human Rights and Minorities Khalil Tahir Sindhu’s name came up for a draw for the allotment of residences for provincial ministers in the GOR-I, 3-Club Road.
The house which had previously served as an office of the chief minister’s secretariat includes a mosque.
But Sindhu said considering a lot of minority people would be visiting him it might be more appropriate for him to get another residence instead so that there was no question of perceived disrespect for the mosque.
The request to switch houses was granted and the human rights and minorities minister was given a house on I-A Upper Mall instead.
Of the 25 provincial ministers, advisor and special assistants, 10 have been allotted houses in the GOR-I with the approval of the chief minister.
The houses were allotted through a ballot supervised by Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal. Two houses have been allotted to the speaker and deputy speaker. The ministers not getting official residences would be paid house rent and utility bills. The special assistant and advisor would get Rs20,000 per month as rent and provincial ministers Rs50,000 per month. The S&GAD’s welfare wing would provide furnishings for all ministers’ houses. Up to Rs100,000 would be spent on each house, an official said.
Cabinet members who have been given official residences are Rana Sanaullah Khan, Raja Ashfaq Sarwar, Rana Mashood Ahmad Khan, Malik Muhammad Iqbal Channar, Tanveer Aslam Malik, Sher Ali Khan, Khalil Tahir Sindhu, Abdul Waheed Choudhary, Muhammad Asif Malik and Chaudhry Muhammad Shafique.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 16th, 2013.