Arab News

Pakistani provincial governor resigns

-

LAHORE: The governor of Pakistan’s central Punjab province resigned on Thursday, saying the country’s political system had failed ordinary people and served “only the elite class.”

Mohammad Sarwar, a businessma­n who served as a British member of parliament for more than a decade, was appointed to the largely ceremonial role in Pakistan’s most populous and influentia­l province in 2013.

The 62-year-old’s resignatio­n, less than two years into the job, comes two days after he criticized the government for failing to persuade US President Barack Obama to visit.

Sarwar renounced his British citizenshi­p to take the role in Punjab but in his resignatio­n speech in Lahore voiced disappoint­ment at progress in the province.

“I am resigning because the system has failed to deliver to the masses,” Sarwar said.

“The system is serving only the elite class and the common man is deprived of justice, rights and prosperity.”

Punjab is the main power base of the center- right Pakistan Muslim League-N (PMLN) party of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, which appointed Sarwar.

Sarwar, who held elected office for Britain’s center-left Labour Party for more than 25 years in the Scottish city of Glasgow, said he was frustrated at the lack of progress in Punjab.

“Social injustice is increasing in the province. The system is not delivering,” he said.

Sarwar called Pakistan’s inability to secure a visit from Obama — who this week made his second tour of arch-rival India — a “diplomatic failure.”

One of Sarwar’s senior staff said the governor had tendered his resignatio­n Wednesday night before announcing it Thursday.

“The former governor left Governor House immediatel­y after the press conference as a house was hired for him this morning,” the staffer told AFP on condition of anonymity.

At his press conference on Thursday, Sarwar slammed the government for failing to address a widening poverty gap and doing more on crime.

“I want to see a Pakistan where the son of a farmer, a cobbler, an ironsmith can also go to the parliament and not just the sons of businessma­n and industrial­ists,” he said.

 ??  ?? Mohammad Sarwar
Mohammad Sarwar

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Saudi Arabia