PPP picks Sardar Saleem Haider Khan ‘out of four candidates’ for Punjab governorship

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) loyalist Sardar Saleem Haider Khan has been nominated by the party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari for the governorship of Punjab, after mulling over ‘three more names’, including Qamar Zaman Kaira, Makhdoom Ahmed Mehmood and Chaudhry Riaz.

Saleem Haider — a PPP loyalist — belongs to Punjab’s Attock district who also served as a former federal minister and prime minister’s aide for overseas Pakistanis in the previous tenure of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government.

Additionally, the politician is also the president of the Bilawal-led party’s Rawalpindi division.

The former minister, speaking to Geo News, confirmed that he was informed about the “good news” personally by the PPP chairman that he would be the next Punjab governor.

He added that he was also told that the notification of his appointment for Punjab’s top slot would be issued by tonight.

Saleem is likely to replace the current Governor Baligh Ur Rehman — who is a senior leader of the ruling PML-N who assumed office on May 30, 2022, after the ouster of former prime minister Imran Khan-led government at the Centre.

Last month, it was learnt by The News that the Bilawal-led party shortlisted senior leader Qamar Zaman Kaira, Makhdoom Ahmed Mehmood and Chaudhry Riaz for the post.

It also emerged that the major ally of the ruling PML-N, which reached a power-sharing deal after the 2024 nationwide elections, also deliberated on names for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) governorship, which is currently held by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader Haji Ghulam Ali.

However, in the latest development, the PPP unveiled the name for the Punjab governorship, apparently postponing naming any personality for the KP’s top slot.

It is pertinent to mention here that the currently ruling parties — PML-N and PPP — agreed to form a coalition government at the Centre wherein the latter, with its 54 National Assembly seats, agreed to support the former in government formation after none of the two parties managed to secure a simple majority in the lower house in the February 8 general elections.

Following several rounds of talks held between both sides, it had been decided that the PPP would get various constitutional posts including Punjab and KP governors along with the office of the president, as well as the National Assembly’s deputy speakership.