Mohammad Zubair Umar (Urdu: محمد زبیر عمر) is a Pakistani politician who served as 32nd Governor of Sindh from February 2017 to August 2018. Once a prominent leader of the Pakistan Muslim League (N), he served as the Chairman of Privatisation Commission of Pakistan with the status of State Minister from 2013 to 2017. Currently he serves as Chief Spokesperson to Nawaz Sharif's daughter Maryam Safdar.[1]

Mohammad Zubair Umar
Umar in 2017
29th Governor of Sindh
In office
2 February 2017 – 3 August 2018
PresidentMamnoon Hussain
Preceded bySaeeduzzaman Siddiqui
Agha Siraj Durrani (Acting)
Succeeded byImran Ismail
Agha Siraj Durrani (Acting)
Chairman Privatization Commission of Pakistan (Minister of State)
In office
18 December 2013 – 2 February 2017
Chairman Board of Investment
In office
12 July 2013 – 17 December 2013
Personal details
Other political
affiliations
PMLN (2012-2024)
RelativesAsad Umar (brother)
EducationMBA
Alma materInstitute of Business Administration

Early life and education

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Umar was born in Rawalpindi to Ghulam Umar.[2] Umar was raised in Rawalpindi then moved to Karachi for higher education, he belongs to a Punjabi community.[3] Zubair is elder brother to Mr. Asad Umar who was a prominent leader of Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.[2]

He received his master's degree in business administration from Institute of Business Administration (IBA)[4] in 1981.[5] At IBA, he became the member of the Board of Directors in 1980 and taught Financial Management from 1981 to 1986.[4] After completing his MBA, he joined IBM from 1981 until his resignation in 2007.[5][6]

Zubair Umar's father, Major General (retd) Ghulam Umar, was an army officer who was considered a close aide and served as first Advisor of National Security Council (NSC) created by the government of President Yahya Khan.[7]

Career

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Prior to joining politics, Umar hosted TV shows.[8]

After joining PML-N in 2012, he became part of the PML-N's Economic, Tax Reforms Media Committees.[5][8]

Umar was chairman of the Pakistan Board of Investment from 12 July 2013 to 17 December 2013.[4]

He served as Chairman of Privatisation Commission of Pakistan with the status of minister of state from December 2013 until February 2017.[9][4][6]

In January 2017, he was appointed as the 32nd Governor of Sindh.[10][4][11] He took the oath of office in February 2017.[12]

Following the 2018 Pakistani general election, he resigned from the office of Sindh Governor on 28 July 2018.[13] His resignation was accepted on 3 August 2018.[14]

He left the PML(N) on 9 June 2024. He explained that "the differences were too vast", citing examples such as the no-confidence motion against Imran Khan, the performance of the first Shehbaz Sharif ministry, and the 2024 Pakistani general election.[15]

Leaked sextape

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On 26 September 2021 sexually explicit videos were posted online by anonymous sources that allegedly show Umar with at least one unidentified woman in one of Islamabad's rest houses. The other woman was speculated to be Gharida Farooqi since the woman in the video was also wearing the same pajamas as Gharidah did on her live TV show.[16] Umar and his party (PMLN) leaders claimed the videos were doctored and fake, however, neither he or his party approached the court.[17][18]

References

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  1. ^ "Maryam Nawaz asks Zubair Umar to continue working as her spokesperson". 29 September 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Muhammad Zubair named Sindh governor - The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 31 January 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
  3. ^ "Mohammad Zubair to take oath as Sindh governor tomorrow". Pakistan Today. 1 February 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  4. ^ a b c d e "PML-N's Muhammad Zubair to take charge as governor of Sindh". DAWN.COM. 30 January 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
  5. ^ a b c "Official Website - Sindh Governor House Pakistan". www.governorsindh.gov.pk. Archived from the original on 12 December 2017. Retrieved 12 December 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  6. ^ a b "Mohammad Zubair named new Sindh governor - The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 30 January 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
  7. ^ "Brother of Sindh governor and PTI's Asad Umar passes away in Karachi". The Express Tribune. 24 June 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  8. ^ a b "Zubair brings experience of academia and corporate boardroom to Sindh Governor House". DAWN.COM. 31 January 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  9. ^ "Chairman's Profile". Privatisation Commission. 30 January 2017. Archived from the original on 30 January 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  10. ^ "Zubair to be made Sindh Governor; Karachi tops his agenda". The News. 30 January 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
  11. ^ "Zubair Umar appointed Sindh Governor Confirms decision on his appointment". www.thenews.com.pk. 1 February 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  12. ^ "PML-N's Muhammad Zubair takes oath as 32nd governor of Sindh in Karachi". DAWN.COM. 2 February 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
  13. ^ "Zubair Umar to resign as Governor Sindh". The News. 28 July 2018. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  14. ^ "President accepts resignation of Sindh governor". www.pakistantoday.com.pk. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  15. ^ "Ex-governor Sindh Mohammad Zubair formally quits PML-N". DAWN.COM. 9 June 2024. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  16. ^ "Zubair Umar's leaked video: Is Gharida Farooqi being falsely targeted?". 30 September 2021.
  17. ^ "Objectionable videos of PMLN's Zubair Umar leaked online". www.globalvillagespace.com. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  18. ^ "PML-N's Mohammad Zubair denounces 'fake and doctored' video". DAWN.COM. 27 September 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2021.