KARACHI, Dec 28: Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan, who was appointed on Dec 27, 2002, has completed nine years in office and become the longest-serving governor of the province.

Born on March 2, 1963, Dr Ibad is a Dow Medical College graduate. As a student he was said to be interested in politics and emerged as a prominent leader of the then All Pakistan Mohajir Students Organisation, a student wing of the then Mohajir Qaumi Movement (MQM).

After graduation, he headed the party’s medical aid committee and gradually became a front-rank figure of the MQM.

In the early 1990s, he was the youngest minister in the Sindh cabinet, holding the portfolios of housing and town planning.

He was also assigned the additional charge of environment and public health engineering departments.

In 1993, he left for London where he was gratned political asylum. He was appointed governor of Sindh on his return. He is the youngest and longest-serving governor the province has ever had.

He enjoyed trust and confidence of the former president general Pervez Musharraf and President Asif Ali Zardari as well as former premiers Zafarullah Khan Jamali, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Shuakat Aziz, Mohammedmian Soomro and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani besides having an excellent working relationship with former chief ministers Ali Mohammad Mehar, Ghulam Arbab Rahim, Abdul Qadir Halepoto and Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah.

He is married, with two sons and two daughters.