Sindh, K-P governors step down

Soon after PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif was elected as the 23rd prime minister of Pakistan, governors of Sindh and K-P announced they were resigning from their gubernatorial posts, saying their conscience prohibited them from working with “culprits of corruption”.

The development came after the PTI’s decision to tender resignations en masse from the National Assembly minutes before the scheduled election of the new prime minister.

In his resignation letter submitted to President Arif Alvi on Monday, Sindh Governor Imran Ismail, who is a PTI leader, said, “I refuse to work for culprits who are the subject of an ongoing federal investigation on account of serious charges of corruption and financial misconduct of billions of rupees”.

He said that ‘conscience’ did not allow him to accord state protocol to PM-elect Shehbaz, who he said was “facing serious charges of corruption”.

He also mentioned the allegations of ousted PM Imran Khan that foreign elements hatched a conspiracy with opposition parties to remove him from power through a no-trust motion.

Ismail also held state institutions responsible for failing to take any action on “letter-gate” and "foreign-sponsored conspiracy” against former premier Imran.

“While I shall continue to strive for achieving true sovereignty of our motherland under the command of my able leader, Imran Khan, I believe that holding this office any further will be a violation of my self-respect,” he maintained.

K-P governor follows suit

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Governor Shah Farman also tendered resignation from his office, announced a governor house spokesman.

Farman had earlier announced that he would step down from his office if PML-N leader Shehbaz Sharif was elected as the country’s prime minister.

Since joining PTI in 1995, Farman was elected to the provincial assembly, while he remained a minister from 2013 to 2018.