KARACHI, NOV 11, (DNA) : Former Chief Justice Saeed-uz-Zaman Siddiqui was sworn in as the 31st governor of Sindh on Friday, as the outgoing one, Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan, spent a busy last day on farewell meetings with dignitaries and senior government officials.

Chief Justice of the Sindh High Court Syed Sajjad Ali Shah administered the oath of governor to Justice Siddiqui at a ceremony held at Governor House.

The new governor was sworn in days after the federal government decided to end the 14-year tenure of former Sindh governor Ishratul Ibad in a meeting held between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and President Mamnoon Hussain at the Presidency on Wednesday morning.

Justice Siddiqui, who served as chief justice of Pakistan, was also among aspiring candidates for the post of president in 2003 and 2008.

According to sources in the Presidency, President Mamnoon signed a summary for the appointment of a new governor on the request of the prime minister. Later, a notification was also issued.

However, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), which governs Sindh, expressed its dissatisfaction over the decision to appoint Justice Siddiqui, complaining it had not been taken into confidence by the centre.

Sindh government spokesperson Maula Bakhsh Chandio said in a statement that the ruling party of Sindh had not been consulted over the change.

Ibad’s removal raised many questions regarding the reasons behind this decision, amid the strong criticism and accusations levelled against him by former Karachi mayor Mustafa Kamal, who recently formed his own political party.= DNA

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