Punjab governor rejects rumours of resignation

LAHORE: Punjab Governor Chaudhry Sarwar on Wednesday made it clear that he has no plan to resign as governor but stated that he wouldn’t have any link with the Sarwar Foundation anymore.

Addressing a press conference at the Governor’s House, he said he is serving as the patron-in-chief of the Aab-e-Pak Authority that is purely in accordance with rules and regulations. “Neither am I resigning nor I am running away from politics, no political change will be seen in Punjab,” he said while responding to a question about reports surfacing in different sections of media regarding his resignation. “Chief Minister Usman Buzdar is the only executive of the province with full mandate and powers” said Sarwar while responding to a question on who is calling the shots in Punjab. He said a lot had been stated about his political future while he was on a visit to the United States. He asserted that his visit to the US was on a purely different agenda that included pleading the case of Pakistan, raising voice before US citizens over the rights of Kashmiris as well as seeking people’s support for ensuring clean drinking water to the Punjab population.

He said the perception that he made complaints to Prime Minister Imran Khan regarding CM Usman Buzdar is false. He said: “Imran Khan is the team leader and it is his right to guide us.” He said he belongs to a middle class family and struggled as a businessman and later as a politician. He was the first British MP who took oath on Holy Quran and always remained on the forefront to plead the case of Kashmiris and Pakistan.

He said that under Imran Khan, Pakistan has made a remarkable achievement on the diplomatic front. Otherwise, India had been dominating for years. He said in the recent episode of Indo-Pak tension, Imran acted as a true statesman and people in the US lauded his gesture of returning the Indian pilot. He said he had taken oath as governor in 2013 after which he started lobbying for Pakistan in Europe to get the GSP Plus status which was a great success. He said he quit the office of governor over a principled stand. He joined the PTI to serve people of Pakistan in letter and spirit and took all steps to strengthen PTI in Punjab. He said the PTI would have won a two-thirds majority in Punjab if his advices had been followed.

“Designations were never my focus but to love and serve the humanity has always been my passion that is the reason for my enthusiasm in provision of clean drinking water to common people of this country. We have been elected by the people of Pakistan to serve the nation for five years under the leadership of Imran Khan,” he said.

The Punjab governor said he has decided to dissociate himself from the Sarwar Foundation and its fundraising including other functions until I am governor of the Punjab province. The money collected though fundraising in the United States, during my recent visit, is being handed over to the Punjab Aab-e-Pak Authority for the provision of clean drinking water. He said the Sarwar Foundation initiated functioning in Pakistan in 2000. He raised funds in the past and made hospitals and schools to serve people here. Water filtration plants installed by the Sarwar Foundation at less expense than the government’s are functional till date. The Aab-e-Pak Authority had been established with the consent of the prime minister, the speaker Punjab Assembly and the chief minister Punjab, so it isn’t fair to say that there exist differences with them.

He paid tribute to all PTI workers who contributed to the party victory in general elections 2018. “I have been given two important tasks – provision of clean drinking water and religious tourism by the prime minister,” he said. In the coming four years, not a single day would be missed and the Aab-e-Pak Authority will provide clean drinking water to people at large.