First Muslim UK MP renounces British
citizenship to join Pakistani govt.
First Muslim Member of the British
Parliament, MP Mohammad Sarwar has given up his UK citizenship to join his
birthplace’s governing system as governor.
Sarwar, a British citizen of Pakistani origin, is stripped of dual citizenship to serve as the governor of Punjab, Pakistan’s most populous province of more than 90 million.
A close aide of Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Sarwar is a former Labour party MP from Glasgow in Scotland.
Based on Pakistan’s law, ministers and senior authorities are prohibited to hold dual nationality, therefore Sarwar was forced to renounce his UK citizenship in order to abide the law.
“It was a difficult decision. My children were raised in Glasgow, my grandchildren are there and I’m going to miss them but sometimes you have to make difficult decisions for the greater good,” the 60-year-old MP told The Daily Telegraph.
Pakistan Muslim League (N) leader Nawaz Sharif partly owes his election victory earlier this year to Sarwar who played a key role in choosing candidates for key constituencies.
He was offered by Nawas to serve as Pakistani government’s new high commissioner in London, but Sarwar requested to return to his home country and serve his own people.
“The passion of my life has always been fighting poverty, particularly child poverty, ….”, he said.
MOL/HE
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