Mohammad Sarwar

Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar is a Pakistani and former British politician who served as the Governor of Punjab during two separate terms. He held significant political roles in both the United Kingdom and Pakistan, representing various political parties throughout his career.

Early life and education

Sarwar was born in August 1952 in Sain De Khuie, which is a village near Lyallpur, Pakistan. His family belonged to a Punjabi Arain family and they migrated from Jalandhar in 1947. He moved to Scotland in 1976 to begin a new chapter of his life.

In 1982, Sarwar and his brother founded United Wholesale Grocers to operate a wholesale cash and carry business. The brothers eventually split the company in 2002. Following this split, Sarwar renamed his portion of the business as United Wholesale (Scotland).

Career

Sarwar began his political journey in the 1987 Glasgow City Council election as a Labour councillor for Pollokshields East. Although he almost overturned a large Conservative majority during that election, he successfully won the ward in 1992. He was elected as the Member of Parliament for Glasgow Govan at the 1997 general election. This achievement made him the first Muslim MP in the United Kingdom and the first Asian MP to represent a Scottish constituency.

During his time in Westminster, Sarwar became the first MP to swear the Oath of Allegiance using the Qur'an. He served on the Scottish Affairs Select Committee starting in 2004 and held the position of chairman from 2005. In 2005, he won the new constituency of Glasgow Central after boundary changes occurred in Scotland. He used his political connections to help secure a one-off extradition treaty with Pakistan for the killers of Kriss Donald. Sarwar announced in 2007 that he would not stand for re-election in the 2010 general election.

After retiring from UK politics in 2010, Sarwar focused on his work in Pakistan. He established the Sarwar Foundation in 2000 to provide healthcare, clean water, and education. He campaigned for the Pakistan Muslim League (N) during the 2013 general election. On 5 August 2013, he was sworn in as the Governor of Punjab.

Sarwar resigned from his governorship on 29 January 2015 because he disagreed with the government's foreign policy. He joined the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on 10 February 2015. In March 2018, he was elected to the Senate of Pakistan after receiving 44 first priority votes and 2 second priority votes. He took his second oath as Governor of Punjab on 5 September 2018.

The federal government removed Sarwar from his position as Governor on 3 April 2022. Following this removal, he criticized the PTI leadership and left the party. He joined the Pakistan Muslim League (Q) before leaving that group in early 2024. In January 2024, he joined the Pakistan People's Party (PPP).

Personal life

Sarwar married Perveen Sarwar in 1976, and the couple has four children consisting of three sons and one daughter. His youngest son, Anas Sarwar, currently leads the Scottish Labour Party. Anas previously served as the Member of Parliament for Glasgow Central from 2010 to 2015.