Sardar Saleem Haider takes oath as 40th Punjab Governor

LAHORE – Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Sardar Saleem Haider took oath as governor of Punjab on Saturday.

Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan administered oath to Saleem Haider him at a ceremony held at Governor’s House. Several PPP leaders including party chairman Bilawal Bhutto also attended oath taking ceremony.

Earlier, the swearing-in ceremony of Sardar Saleem was delayed due to unknown reasons.

Saleem Haider, Faisal Karim Kundi and Jaffar Khan Mandokhail’s appointment for governors was okayed by President Asif Zardari on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s advice in accordance with Article 101 (1) of the Constitution.

Sardar Saleem Haider

Sardar Saleem Haider held roles of Minister of State for Defence Production and Minister of State for Defence from 2008 to 2011 and from 2012 to 2013, respectively. He was also a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from 2008 to 2013.

In his political career, PPP leader took part in the Provincial Assembly seat of Punjab in the 2002 Pakistani general election as a Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidate but failed to win seat. He tried his luck in the National Assembly from Constituency in the 2008 election and got successful.

Sardar Saleem served in the federal cabinet as Minister of State for Defence Production from November 2008 to February 2011 and as Minister of State for Defence from June 2012 to March 2013.

In the 2013 Pakistani general election, Khan ran for the National Assembly seat from Constituency NA-59 (Attock-III) as a PPP candidate but lost to Muhammad Zain Elahi.

Following the 2024 Pakistani general election, a power-sharing agreement between PPP and Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N) led to the establishment of a coalition government. As part of this agreement, Khan was appointed as the Governor of Punjab, a decision approved by President Asif Ali Zardari on 4 May 2024.