Sardar Salim Haider’s appointment as Punjab governor surprises many in PPP

LAHORE : PPP has taken its own party stalwarts by surprise while picking Sardar Salim Haider, a former party MNA of 2008 from Potohar region, as the Punjab Governor.

There have been speculations about the expected Governor Punjab that President Asif Ali Zardari will select someone either from Southern belt of Punjab or from the Central zone. From the Southern part of Punjab, names of former Governor Punjab Makhdum Ahmad Mehmood, former Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar whereas from the Central Punjab, name of Qamar Zaman Kaira kept doing rounds in the party circles. Sources stated that party high command have even conveyed Kaira quite a few times to get ready for assuming an important role in Punjab. However, the party came up with the name of Sardar Salim Haider for this slot.

This is also quite pertinent to mention that in almost every meeting of PPP Punjab Executive chaired by President Rana Farooq Saeed Khan, Sardar Salim Haider was never seen but all of sudden the approval of his appointment for the slot of governor took everyone by surprise in the party circle. This is noteworthy that since 1988, he is the fourth person who hails from the Potohar region whom PPP has picked as its governor.

In 1988, when PPP came to power, Gen (Rtd) Tikka Khan, a former PPP National Assembly ticket holder from Rawalpindi in the 1988 general elections, was made Governor Punjab.

He held this office till 1990. In the year 1992 while PPP had developed good relationship with the then establishment, a sitting PPP MNA from Jehlum Chaudhry Altaf Hussain was picked as Governor Punjab by the then President Ghulam Ishaq Khan. Chaudhry Altaf continued as the Governor after PPP came to power in 1993. In 1995, while the sitting Governor Altaf passed away, the new nominee was also from Potohar region, who was Raja Saroop. All the three governors picked or supported by Benazir Bhutto in her life were from the region of Potohar.

Now, Sardar Salim Haider is also another figure who hails from Potohar region, district Attock.

Sardar Salim Haider got elected as the member of National Assembly in the 2008 general elections. He could not win later, however, he always sided with party.