KARACHI: Former Chief Justice Saeed-uz-Zaman Siddiqui sworn in as the 30th Governor Sindh on Friday (today) after he replaced Dr Ishratul Ibad from the position after 14 years.
Chief Justice Sindh High Court (SHC) Syed Sajjad Ali Shah administered the oath at a ceremony held at the Governor House.
Provincial Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah along with 15 judges of the SHC also attended the ceremony.
The decision to remove Dr Ibad from his position was taken during a meeting between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and President Mamnoon Hussain in Islamabad recently after which a formal notification for Justice (retd) Siddiqui’s appointment as Governor Sindh was issued on Thursday.
Dr Ibad has been the longest-serving governor in the history of Sindh and remained in his office from December 27, 2002.
The outgoing provincial governor spent a busy day on Thursday having farewell meetings with dignitaries and senior government officials and left for Dubai.
Who is new governor Sindh?
A prominent jurist, Justice (retd) Siddiqui held top judicial offices during his professional career.
He was Chief Justice of Pakistan during the military coup by General (retd) Pervez Musharraf in 1999.
Justice (retd) Siddiqui had defied to military ruler Musharraf who asked him to take a new oath under the Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO) following which the military regime forced him to step down from his position, a clear bid to shorten his tenure for his refusal of order.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) during the 2008 presidential election of Pakistan named Justice (retd) Siddiqui as a party candidate to replace Pervez Musharraf as President of Pakistan. He later lost the election to Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) Asif Ali Zardari.
Justice (retd) Siddiqui was once again selected for running as a presidential candidate during 2013 elections, but his name was later replaced with Mamnoon Hussain.
