Imran names Buzdar as Punjab CM

ISLAMABAD: Bringing an end to long-winded speculation, Prime Minister-elect and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Friday nominated Sardar Usman Buzdar for the coveted slot of Punjab chief minister.

Buzdar would contest the election tomorrow for chief minister against the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate, Hamza Shahbaz, the son of former chief minister Shahbaz Sharif.

"I have nominated Sardar Usman as Punjab chief minister," Khan said in a video message. "And I want to tell you the reason for doing so. He belongs to an area of Punjab that is most backward. People there have no water or electricity or hospital.”

Buzdar was elected from the PP-286, Dera Ghazi Khan-II constituency. He defeated independent candidate Khawaja Muhammad Nizam, polling 26,897 votes against his rival’s 18,668 votes. He served as Tehsil Nazim during the tenure of former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf.

Khan said the “special thing” about Sardar Usman was his familiarity with the lifestyles of poor people living in those areas. "When he will assume the office of the chief minister, he will be well aware of the plight of under privileged people of Pakistan,” Khan said.

He claimed Buzdar was the only MPA living in a house without electricity. “I am confident that he will work brilliantly to bring to fruition our vision, which aims at uplifting the lower sections of society and the backward areas of Pakistan," Khan said.

Given the support enjoyed in the Punjab Assembly by the PTI, amply demonstrated by the election of Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) earlier in the week, Buzdar is poised for an easy victory.

Hasnain Qaisrani adds from DG Khan: Sardar Usman Buzdar is the son of Buzdar tribe chief Sardar Fateh Muhammad Buzdar. Sardar Fateh remained an MPA three times in 1985, 2002 and 2008.

Sardar Usman belongs to a Baloch tribe of village Barthi tribal area in the Suleman Range. He has been elected MPA for the first time from PP-286. He had contested elections in 2013 on the PML-N ticket but couldn't succeed against his rival Khawja Nizamul Mehmood of PPP. Earlier, in 2001 Usman had joined the PML-Q and was elected tehsil nazim of tribal area. This time he got the PTI ticket as he was a part of Janoobi Punjab Sooba Mahaz.

The 49-year-old Sardar Usman Buzdar got his primary education from Government Boys' Primary School, Barthi. He passed the matriculation examination from the Government Boys' High School, Taunsa Sharif.

Then he moved to Multan and did intermediate from the Government College, Boson Road, LLB from Law College, Multan, and masters degree in Political Science from Bahauddin Zakaria University, Multan.

After the nomination of Sardar Usman Buzdar as Punjab chief minister, sweets were distributed in Tuman Buzdar. The tribesmen belonging to the Buzdar tribe also performed Balochi dance in Taunsa and Barthi.