Ebad leaves for Dubai even before new governor takes oath

Former Sindh governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan left the country in the wee hours of Friday, hours before incoming Governor Justice (retd) Saeeduzzaman Siddiqui was sworn into office.

The outgoing governor did not even wait for the oath-taking ceremony of his predecessor and took a flight of Emirates Airlines for Dubai. He took flight EK 605, which departed from Karachi airport at around 5:43am and landed in Dubai at about 7:09 am. The oath taking ceremony of new governor was held at Governor’s House commenced around 10:45 am.

The outgoing governor reached the airport accompanied by his usual official protocol as he waved to journalists and police personnel deputed outside the Governor’s House while leaving his official abode.

At the Karachi airport, he briefly chatted with reporters. Ebad said the people had given him a great deal of affection and he would pray for the peace of Karachi and the well-being of its public.  The outgoing governor said he regretted in case he had offended or hurt anyone’s sentiments during his term as governor.

On Thursday night before leaving the city, the outgoing governor visited the Mazar-Quaid to offer fateha and pay homage to founder of the nation one last time in his official capacity as the governor.

There he told reporters that President Mamnoon Hussain had nominated Siddiqui the new governor. He said that as per the Constitution, the Sindh High Court chief justice would administer the oath of office to the new governor.

The former governor leaving the country before his successor assumed office has made former city nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal’s prediction last month come true when he had levelling allegations of misconduct and corruption against Ebad.

Pak Sarzameen Party chief Kamal had said he could say with complete confidence that Ebad would leave the country the moment he was removed from governorship.

He had said Ebad would not even spend a single moment in Karachi without his position as the governor.

The former city nazim had alleged that governor had first left the country and sent his resignation after landing in Dubai during all the past instances when he had been instructed to do so by the Muttahida Quami Movement chief during the tenure of the former Pakistan People’s Party-led government in the country.