Ishratul Ibad Khan (, born 2 March 1963) is a

British-Pakistani British Pakistanis (; also known as Pakistani British people or Pakistani Britons) are Britons or residents of the United Kingdom whose ancestral roots lie in Pakistan. This includes people born in the UK who are of Pakistani descent, Pakist ...

doctor and politician who served as the 30th

governor of Sindh The governor of Sindh is the appointed head of the province of Sindh, Pakistan. The office of the governor as the head of the province is largely a ceremonial position; the executive powers lie with the Chief Secretary of Sindh, Chief Secretary ...

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. He took up the post of Governor of Sindh, Pakistan on 27 December 2002, becoming the youngest governor to hold the office. After a fight with his cousin Dr Mohsin (Uncle), on 16 July 2008, he became the province's longest-serving governor. He resigned on 27 June 2011, but his resignation was not accepted by the

president of Pakistan The president of Pakistan () is the head of state of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The president is the nominal head of the executive and the supreme commander of the Pakistan Armed Forces.

. He resumed his official governor duties from Tuesday, 19 July 2011. On 9 November 2016, he was removed as Governor of Sindh and replaced by

Saeeduzzaman Siddiqui Saeed Uz Zaman Siddiqui (Urdu: ; 1 December 1939 – 11 January 2017) (pronunciation 'sa'eed -uz- zam'an'; alternatively / officiallySaiduzzaman Siddiqui) was a Pakistani jurist and legislator of great prominence who formerly served as the 15t ...

Early and personal life

Ishratul Ibad was born in

North Nazimabad North Nazimabad () is a suburb of Karachi, Pakistan. North Nazimabad was developed in the late 1950s as a residential area for the employees of the federal government of Pakistan, and was named after Khawaja Nazimuddin who was the second Governor- ...

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

on 2 March 1963, with one sister and six brothers, including an elder brother who's also a doctor. He's married to Shaheena Jabeen, a former medical student, and together they have four children. A daughter is a neurosurgeon, another daughter has studied art and 3D animation, a son is a doctor while another son has graduated in

biomedical engineering Biomedical engineering (BME) or medical engineering is the application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology for healthcare applications (e.g., diagnostic or therapeutic purposes). BME also integrates the logica ...

Political career

Ibad studied in

Dow Medical College Dow Medical College is a public medical school located in the city of Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. It was founded in 1945 and named after British civil servant Sir Hugh Dow, Governor of Sindh. In 2003, it became a constituent college of the newl ...

. During his studies, he emerged as a leader of a student organisation, APMSO, a student wing of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM). After graduation, he remained the head of the Medical Aid Committee of MQM. Earlier in 1990, he was Minister of Housing and Town Planning in the

Government of Sindh The Government of Sindh () () is the provincial government of the province of Sindh, Pakistan. Its powers and structure are set out in the provisions of the 1973 Constitution, in which 30 Districts of 7 Divisions under its authority and ju ...

. Subsequently, he was assigned the additional portfolio of Environment and Public Health Engineering Departments. In 1993, he left for the United Kingdom on political asylum, where he acquired British nationality during his stay in northwest London.

Expulsion from MQM

On 22 April 2015, the chief of MQM Altaf Hussain delinked Ibad from the party and asked his party workers not to expect any relief and cooperation from Ishratul Ibad Khan. Under the

Constitution of Pakistan The Constitution of Pakistan ( ; ISO 15919, ISO: '' Āīn-ē-Pākistān''), also known as the 1973 Constitution, is the supreme law of Pakistan. The document guides Pakistan's law, political culture, and system. It sets out the state's outlin ...

, the Governor of a province, as the representative of the

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

, must remain apolitical and neutral thus cannot be associated with or be a member of any political party.

Links with Establishment

An Urdu column published in the Daily Jang claims that Ishrat ul Ibad had practically become 'Pindi Boy', alluding to the military headquarters in Rawalpindi, in 2011 and was very close with General Raheel Shareef. Ibad knew that his Governorship would be soon replaced after Raheel's retirement . He admitted in his interview that one cannot rule in Pakistan without serving the military establishment.

Achievements and developments

Ishrat-ul-Ebad played a key role in defusing tension and violence in the province by holding political talks with members of other political parties. He was also involved in securing the release of 22 hostages from Somalian pirates, with the partnership of

Ansar Burney Ansar Burney (; born 14 August 1956) is a Pakistani human and civil rights activist and former Federal Minister for Human Rights in Pakistan’s cabinet from 2007 to 2008. He graduated with a master's in law from Karachi University. He is ...

who leads a human rights organisation. A number of development projects were started during Ebad's time in the office, including Nagan Chowrangi flyover projects. He is working on a long-term project to make Karachi a greener city. The

Beach View Park Clifton Beach, also known as Sea View, is a beach in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan and is located on the Arabian Sea. It stretches from Karachi to Ormara (Balochistan). The beach is very popular in Pakistan. It is open 24/7 for the general public. ...

was constructed under his supervision. It was a part of the Grand Recreation Project. This park is spread over an area of and constructed along 3.7 km of the coastal driveway. Also, under his supervision, a park

Bagh Ibne Qasim Bagh Ibne Qasim (Urdu: ; , in reference to Muhammad bin Qasim) is a beachside park in Karachi, Pakistan. Location The park is located near the Clifton Beach, Karachi and is Karachi's largest urban park, covering . The northern edge begins at ...

(old name Jehangir Kothari Park near

Jehangir Kothari Parade Jehangir Kothari Parade () is a promenade in Karachi, Pakistan, built on land donated by Parsi businessman and philanthropist Jehangir Hormasji Kothari to the city of Karachi in 1919. It is situated on a hilltop on the Arabian Sea, in the Cl ...

) was constructed, located in Clifton, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. The park was established on 27 February 2007, and is the largest in the country, constructed under Clifton Beach Development Project on of land. This park replaced the former Toyland Theme Park. The park cost PKR 600 million and was completed in around 310 working days. It is estimated that more than 10 million people visit the park per year. Prior to the initiation of construction on Bagh Ibne Qasim, of land was acquired from property speculators.

References

External links

Official Website – Governor of Sindh
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ibad, Ishratul 1963 births Living people Pakistani emigrants to the United Kingdom Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom Governors of Sindh Muhajir people Muttahida Qaumi Movement politicians Politicians from Karachi Dow Medical College alumni