LAHORE: The twice-postponed swearing-in ceremony was finally held at Governor House on Friday, as Chief Justice of Lahore High Court Malik Shehzad Ahmed Khan administered the oath to PPP leader Sardar Saleem Haider.

Besides PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, former governor Balighur Rehman, PPP leaders Qamar Zaman Kaira, Nadeem Afzal Chan, Makhdoom Shahabuddin, Munawwar Anjum, Nawabzada Iftikhar and others attended the meeting.

The oath-taking ceremony had been postponed twice on the request of the ruling PML-N due to the absence of then governor Balighur Rehman from the country. He was in Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah.

Mr Haider, a former MNA from Attock has also served as a former federal minister and prime minister’s aide for overseas Pakistanis in the previous tenure of the PML-N. He is also president of the Rawalpindi division chapter of the PPP.

While talking to PPP leaders and workers after the ceremony, Mr Bhutto-Zardari said that he was enjoying seeing a jiyala (PPP worker) occupying the top seat of the province. He said at a time when public spaces were being occupied by TikTokers, a political worker worked hard and reached the top office of a province.

In an indirect reference to the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, the PPP chairman regretted that a certain group promoted the politics of division in the country.

Mr Haider reached Lahore earlier on Thursday when he was accorded a warm welcome at Thokar Niaz Baig by Central Punjab PPP gen­eral secretary Syed Hasan Murtaza along with other leaders including Zul­fikar Badr, Sardar Hassan Nawaz, Chau­dhry Akhtar Ali, Ahsan Rizvi, Usman Awan, Fazal Shah, Aizazuddin and Khurram Qayyum.

Published in Dawn, May 11th, 2024