Sarwar takes up Pakistan role

New Governor of Punjab Mohammed Sarwar London - Umar Farooq Britain’s first Muslim member of parliament has been installed as governor of Punjab, the largest state in Pakistan. Mohammed Sarwar, who stood down as an MP three years ago after having represented the people of Glasgow since 1997, gave up his British citizenship to take on the new role. In his first speech since being sworn-in, Sarwar highlighted education as the key to solving the country's problems. "Pakistan is surrounded by many problems - poverty, unemployment, health inequalities, an ongoing energy crisis, terrorism, and human rights violations. "I have always believed that the best route out of these problems is through education." Sarwar was born in Punjab but spent most of his life in Scotland. He became the UK's first Muslim MP when he won the Glasgow Govan seat in 1997. Punjab is home to half of Pakistan's 180 million people. A former governor of the province, Salman Taseer, was shot dead by his police bodyguard in January 2011 after voicing his support to reform the country’s controversial blasphemy laws.