I thought era of imported presidents & pms was over?
Former MP Sarwar to quit UK for political career in Pakistan | Herald Scotland
Former Glasgow MP Mohammad Sarwar is to quit Britain and surrender his citizenship to enter public office in Pakistan.
He was due to meet Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, today to discuss possible roles.
Options under consideration include appointing Mr Sarwar as governor of Punjab, the country’s biggest province, or handing him a ministerial job in Mr Sharif’s government in Islamabad, it is understood.
The former Glasgow Govan and then Glasgow Central MP may also be asked to become presidential nominee for Mr Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party. The Pakistani government is expected to make an announcement this weekend.
The offer of a high-profile role, and Mr Sarwar’s decision to accept one , was confirmed by his son.
Tweeting his congratulations, Anas Sarwar, deputy leader of Scottish Labour, who succeeded his father as MP for Glasgow Central, said: “Wish Sarwar Snr all the best for his new challenge in Pakistan. We will miss him but know he is determined to make a difference.”
Humza Yousaf, the SNP’s Minister for External Affairs at Holyrood, said he was taking a big step.
Mr Sarwar, 60, was born in Pakistan and is well connected with the country’s political elite. He played a key role in the election campaign which returned Mr Sharif to power last month, helping deliver more than a dozen seats in Faisalabad region.
The influential role of Punjab state governor is in the gift of the Prime Minister, whose power base is in the region. Based in Lahore, it would make Mr Sarwar the figurehead for 91 million people, just over half of Pakistan’s population.
The chief minister of Punjab province is Shahbaz Sharif, the prime minister’s brother.
Mr Sarwar flew out to Pakistan yesterday. He declined to comment on his future role, but sources said after taking legal advice he accepted he would have to give up British citizenship as, under Pakistani law, dual-nationals cannot hold public office.
His expected appointment will come two months after he suffered a heart attack. He was treated in hospital in Manchester after breaking a journey back from Pakistan because he felt unwell, but made a good recovery.
It is understood Mr Sharif initially offered Mr Sarwar the role of high commissioner to the UK, based in London, before persuading him to consider public office in his native country.
Mr Sarwar, who followed his father and uncle to Scotland in 1976 after attending university in Faisalabad, became Britain’s first Muslim MP when he won the Glasgow Govan seat in 1997.
By the time he entered parliament he was a leading figure in Scotland’s Muslim community. He had also turned the cash-and-carry business he started with his brother into a substantial business empire, making him worth an estimated £16 million.
The father-of-four played a leading role in bringing the killers of Glasgow schoolboy Kriss Donald to justice after they fled to Pakistan, using his connections to help arrange their extradition.
Imran Shahid, Zeeshan Shahid and Mohammed Faisal Mushtaq were later jailed for life for their part in the kidnap, torture and murder of the teenager in 2004.
