Ishratul Ibad

Ishratul Ibad Khan عشرت العباد خان
29th Governor of Sindh
In office 27 December 2002 – 9 November 2016
President	Pervez Musharraf Muhammad Mian Soomro (Acting) Asif Ali Zardari Mamnoon Hussain
Prime Minister	Zafarullah Khan Jamali Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain Shaukat Aziz Muhammad Mian Soomro (Acting) Yousaf Raza Gillani Raja Pervaiz Ashraf Mir Hazar Khan Khoso(Acting) Nawaz Sharif
Preceded by	Muhammad Mian Soomro
Succeeded by	Saeeduzzaman Siddiqui
Personal details
Born	(1963-03-02) 2 March 1963
Citizenship	Pakistan  United Kingdom
Residence	Karachi
Religion	Islam
Website	governorsindh.gov.pk Official website

Ishratul Ibad Khan (Urdu: عشرت العباد خان‎, born 2 March 1963) was the 30th Governor of Sindh, Pakistan. Ishratul lbad is a Pakistan-born citizen and he also holds dual nationality as a British citizen.^[1] He took up the post of Governor of Sindh, Pakistan on 27 December 2002, becoming the youngest governor to hold the office.^[2] Since 16 July 2008, he has the distinction of becoming the province's longest-serving governor.^[2] He resigned on 27 June 2011,^[3] but his resignation was not accepted by the President of Pakistan. He resumed his official Governor duties from Tuesday, 19 July 2011.^[4] On 9 November 2016, he was removed as Governor of Sindh and replaced by Saeeduzzaman Siddiqui.^[5]

Political career

Ishrat-ul-Ebad studied in Dow Medical College, Karachi. 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. Subsequently, he was assigned the additional portfolio of Environment and Public Health Engineering Departments.^[6] In 1993, he left for the United Kingdom on political asylum, where he acquired British nationality during his stay in northwest London

Eviction from MQM

On 22 April 2015, the chief of MQM Altaf Hussain informs Ishratul Ibad Khan, saying he has no link with the party anymore and asked his party workers not to expect any relief and cooperation from Ishratul Ibad Khan.^[7][8] Under the Constitution of Pakistan, the Governor of a province, as the representative of the President, must remain apolitical and neutral thus cannot be associated with or be a member of any political party.^[9]

Achievements and Developments

Ishrat-ul-Ebad played a pivotal role in defusing tension and violence in the province by holding political talks with members of other political parties. He has played an instrumental role in getting the 22 hostages released from the Somalian pirates captivity with the partnership of Ansar Burney who leads a human rights organisation.^[10]

A number of development projects were started during Ebad's time in the office, including Nagan Chowrangi flyover. He is working on a long term project to make Karachi a greener city.^[11] The Beach View Park was constructed under his supervision. It was a part of the Grand Recreation Project. This park is spread over an area of 47 acres (19 ha) and constructed along 3.7 km of the coastal driveway.

Also, under his supervision, a park Bagh Ibne Qasim (old name Jehangir Kothari Park near Jehangir Kothari Parade) was constructed, located in Clifton, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. The park was established on 27 February 2007. The park is the country's largest park, constructed under Clifton Beach Development Project on 130 acres (0.53 km²) of land. This park replaced old Toyland Theme Park. The park cost PKR 600 million and has been completed in just about 310 working days. It is estimated that more than 10 million people visit this park per year. Prior to the initiation of construction on Bagh Ibne Qasim, 73 acres (30 ha) of land was freed from the grip of land grabbers.

References

External links

• Official Website – Governor of Sindh