Sarwar’s sacking

What would have normally been massive news was relegated to related-story status after the theatrics in the National Assembly the same day. While all eyes are focused on the Supreme Court after Prime Minister Imran Khan decided to dissolve the assembly, the fate of former Punjab governor Chaudhry Sarwar is getting little mileage. Sarwar was removed just hours before the National Assembly session began, with PTI leaders accusing him of misconduct and corruption, and Sarwar accusing Imran and other PTI leaders of wanting to subvert the Constitution.

Most reports say PML-Q’s Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi demanded his sacking, accusing him of backing PML-N’s Hamza Shehbaz for the vacant position of Punjab chief minister. However, Sarwar said he was being asked to “unconstitutionally” call an assembly session to elect a new chief minister after Usman Buzdar tendered his resignation, even though the resignation had not been accepted at the time, and other related formalities were also incomplete. The implication is that Imran wanted Elahi to be elected chief minister before the no-confidence vote in the National Assembly to ensure he had the PML-Q’s backing, and did not care about following constitutional procedures and timelines.

Sarwar, who migrated to the UK in 1976, made millions after setting up a wholesale grocery business. In 1997, he became the first Muslim to be elected to the British parliament, where he had a distinguished 13-year career. He then gave up his British citizenship to be appointed governor of Punjab in 2013 by the PML-N, but he often publicly criticised the party’s governance, and in 2015 he quit the job and joined the PTI. He became a senator in 2018 before being appointed governor again after the PTI won the 2018 general elections. However, he maintained his rebellious streak, often criticising the central leadership and Buzdar.

After being unceremoniously removed, Sarwar has also accused Imran of making an enemy of America for the sake of his political career, suggesting that the ‘secret letter’ claims are false or exaggerated. However, the biggest charge may be that Imran turned a blind eye to the corruption and incompetence of the Buzdar administration, despite complaints from other party leaders. “On the one hand, there was the prime minister and on the other, it was the entire PTI,” Sarwar said.

We are slowly learning why.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 5^th, 2022.

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