Chaudhry Sarwar | |
|---|---|
| چوہدری سرور | |
 Sarwar in 2003 | |
| 37th and 39thGovernor of Punjab | |
| In office 5 September 2018 – 3 April 2022 | |
| President | Arif Alvi |
| Prime Minister | Imran Khan |
| Preceded by | Rafique Rajwana |
| Succeeded by | Omer Sarfraz Cheema |
| In office 15 August 2013 – 29 January 2015 | |
| President | Mamnoon Hussain |
| Prime Minister | Nawaz Sharif |
| Preceded by | Makhdoom Ahmed Mehmood |
| Succeeded by | Rafique Rajwana |
| Pakistani Senator fromPunjab | |
| In office 12 March 2018 – 4 September 2018 | |
| Constituency | General Seat |
| Member of Parliament forGlasgow Central | |
| In office 1 May 1997 – 12 April 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Ian Davidson |
| Succeeded by | Anas Sarwar |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Pirmahal,Punjab,Pakistan |
| Nationality | Pakistani (2013–2024) United Kingdom (1977–2013: 2024–present) |
| Spouse | Perveen Sarwar |
| Children | 4 (3 sons, 1 daughter), includingAnas Sarwar |
| Residence | Manchester |
| Alma mater | University of Faisalabad |
| Website | www |
Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar (Urdu:چوہدری محمد سرور) is aPakistani and former British politician who served as the 38th and 40thGovernor of Punjab,[n 1] from 2013 to 2015 and from 2018 to 2022.[1] In his first term, he represented thePakistan Muslim League (N). In his second term, he represented thePakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.[2] He was a member of theSenate of Pakistan from March 2018 until September 2018.[3] From 1997 to 2010 Sarwar was aMember of Parliament in theUnited Kingdom, representing the constituency ofGlasgow Central inGlasgow,Scotland. He is the father ofAnas Sarwar, the current leader of theScottish Labour Party.
Born inPirmahal,Punjab, Sarwar moved to Scotland in 1976 and built up a chain ofcash and carry stores.[4] Sarwar served as theScottish LabourMember of Parliament forGlasgow Central from 1997 to 2010 and retired from UK politics in 2010. During his tenure atWestminster, Sarwar served on theScottish Affairs Select Committee, and his youngest sonAnas Sarwar, who currently leads theScottish Labour Party, served as MP for the same constituency from 2010 to 2015. He was the firstMuslim Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom.[5]
He relinquished UK citizenship in July 2013[6] and became Governor of Punjab,[7] representing thePakistan Muslim League (N). He resigned from the position on 29 January 2015 after disagreeing with the government's foreign policy. He joined the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on 10 February 2015.[8]
He was a member of theSenate of Pakistan from March to September 2018.[9][10] He was appointed to a second term as Governor of Punjab in September 2018.[11]
Mohammad Sarwar was born on 1 January 1950 to aPunjabiArain family in Sain De Khuie, a village nearLyallpur (now Faisalabad), Pakistan. His family migrated from Jalandhar in 1947. In 1976 Sarwar moved to Scotland.[12] That year he married Perveen Sarwar, with whom he has three sons and one daughter.[5]
In 1982 Sarwar and his brother founded United Wholesale Grocers, awholesalecash and carry business. In 2002 the brothers split the business, with Sarwar renaming his part as United Wholesale (Scotland) while his brother retained the previous name.[13][14]
His eldest son was accused of an £850,000missing trader fraud in United Wholesale (Scotland) while he wasmanaging director in 2003. In 2011 theCourt of Criminal Appeal overturned his 2007 conviction in the case.[13][15][16] Mohammad Sarwar was a remunerated director of the company.[17][18]
Sarwar first stood as aLabour councillor forPollokshields East at the 1987Glasgow City Council election, almost overturning a largeConservative majority. In the 1992 election he won the ward.[12] Sarwar was elected as MP forGlasgow Govan at the1997 general election, becoming the firstMuslim MP in the United Kingdom and the first Asian MP elected to represent a Scottish constituency. He was the first MP to swear theOath of Allegiance on theQur'an, using the method laid out by theOaths Act 1978.[19] Sarwar was suspended from holding office within the Labour Party in 1997 when he was charged with electoral offences,[20][21] but he was acquitted in 1999 and the suspension was lifted.[22]
He was re-elected in Glasgow Govan at the2001 general election. The2005 general election saw boundary changes in Scotland, so he stood at and won the new constituency ofGlasgow Central. He faced an opponent from thefar-rightBritish National Party, with whom he refused to share a platform, and he persuaded other candidates to do the same. Thereturning officer announced the result from a platform with no candidates, and Sarwar later made a speech from the floor of the hall.
Sarwar became a member of theScottish Affairs Select Committee from 2004, and was chairman since 2005.[23] In August 2006, he was a signatory to an open letter to then-Prime MinisterTony Blair criticising UK foreign policy.[24]
Sarwar played a crucial role in bringing to justice the killers of fifteen-year-old Glasgow schoolboy,Kriss Donald. The killers fled toPakistan, which has no extradition treaty with theUK. Through his political connections, Sarwar was able to agree a one-off, no conditions attached, extradition treaty. They then faced trial and were convicted for the murder.[25]
On 21 June 2007, Sarwar announced he would not stand for re-election at the2010 general election.[26] His son,Anas Sarwar, succeeded him as Labour MP for theGlasgow Central seat until the election of 2015 when it was taken byAlison Thewliss for theSNP.
In November 2008, Sarwar was one of 18 MPs who signed a Commons motion backing a Team GB football team at the 2012 Olympic Games, saying football "should not be any different from other competing sports and our young talent should be allowed to show their skills on the world stage".[27]
His nomination by outgoing Prime Minister,Gordon Brown for alife peerage in the2010 Dissolution Honours was blocked by theHouse of Lords Appointments Commission on the advice ofHM Revenue and Customs.[28]
In May 2021, shortly before the2021 Scottish Parliament election, Scottish Pakistani voters received campaign messages onWhatsApp, allegedly from Sarwar, urging them to vote forScottish Labour, led by his son,Anas Sarwar.[29]
Sarwar established the Sarwar Foundation in 2000, which focuses on provision of healthcare, clean water, education and women empowerment in Pakistan.[30]
He campaigned and fundraised in Britain for the centre-right conservative partyPakistan Muslim League (N) during the 2013 general election in Pakistan. Soon afterPakistan Muslim League (N) chiefNawaz Sharif was sworn in as prime minister, he showed his intentions to become governor of Pakistan's most populous provincePunjab.
On 5 August 2013, he was sworn in as the 31stGovernor of Punjab.[31]As governor he criticised the government on a number of occasions. He fought the case of overseas Pakistanis whose houses and flats were confiscated by the land mafia in Pakistan but unable to redress their grievances successfully. On the occasion ofBarack Obama's visit to India, he termed it as a failure of the government ofNawaz Sharif. These anti-government remarks led to his resignation.[citation needed]
He resigned as governor ofPunjab on 29 January 2015.[3] On 8 February 2015, Sarwar joinedPakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).[32] On 3 March 2018, Sarwar was elected to theSenate of Pakistan on a general seat fromPunjab after receiving 44 first priority and two second priority votes in thesenate elections of that year.[33]
On 5 September 2018 Sarwar took oath as 33rdGovernor of Punjab in thePTI Punjab administration.[34][35][36]
On 3 April 2022, amidst aconstitutional crisis in Punjab, Sarwar was removed from the position of Governor of Punjab by the federal government and was replaced withOmar Sarfraz Cheema.[37][38] His removal followed complaints fromParvez Elahi that he was not cooperative with PTI's allies.[39][40]
Afterward, he criticized the PTI leadership and left the party.[41] He then joined thePakistan Muslim League (Q), and left (PMLQ) in early 2024
Sarwar is a supporter of Glasgowfootball teamRangers.[42]
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help){{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help){{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forGlasgow Govan 1997–2005 | Constituency abolished |
| New constituency | Member of Parliament forGlasgow Central 2005 –2010 | Succeeded by |
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| Preceded by | Governor of Punjab 2 August 2013 – 29 January 2015 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor of Punjab 5 September 2018 – 3 April 2022 | Succeeded by |
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