Asad Umar calls Buzdar appointment ‘terrible decision’

KARACHI: Former finance minister Asad Umar has candidly admitted that the PTI government paid a heavy price for appointing Usman Buzdar as Punjab’s chief minister, describing Imran Khan’s decision to elevate Buzdar as disastrous.

These revelations came during an interview last month in which Umar described Buzdar’s appointment in this way to the interviewer: “One day, Imran Khan came to me and said: I have found a great chief minister for Punjab. I said, who? He said: Usman Buzdar. I said who is that?”

When the interviewer said that Buzdar was touted as having originated from an extremely underdeveloped part of southern Punjab, Umar interjected by saying yes, that Buzdar apparently didn’t even have electricity where he came from and in his home.

He then added laughingly: “[Buzdar] was such an incompetent tehsil nazim that he couldn’t even ensure electricity!”

Asad Umar then quipped, “Look, poor Usman Buzdar must be thinking what sort of man I am. Honestly, it’s not like it’s personal; he doesn’t owe me anything -- but [appointing Buzdar chief minister] was a terrible idea, and we suffered because of that.”