Anas Sarwar, son of Punjab’s Governor Chaudhry Sarwar, has become the first Muslim leader to lead the Scottish labour party. Following the family tradition, Anas Sarwar has gained a notable political position in Scotland.
His father, who is currently serving in Pakistan’s Punjab had become the first Muslim MP elected to Glasgow in 1997. Currently, he is the governor of Punjab and is an active member of the ruling party Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar.
Anas Sarwar beat contending MSP Monica Lennon by 57.6% to 42.4% to lead the Scottish Labour Party. He won the Scottish Labour leadership contest after a surprise resignation of Richard Leonard six weeks ago.
It is the greatest honour of my life to be elected leader of @ScottishLabour.
I will be a leader that focuses on what unites us as a country – not what divides us. pic.twitter.com/Gu08Sx0TNl
— Anas Sarwar (@AnasSarwar) February 27, 2021
Sarwar, was a former deputy leader of the Scottish Labour Party, with a majority vote from the party’s parliamentarian. Anas Sarwar, a Member of the Scottish Party for Glasgow, is the first ethnic minority leader in a leading political party in the UK.
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Sarwar after winning the election said he would focus more on what unites the party rather than what it divides. He promises to be brutally honest with the people of Scotland.
He said: “You haven’t had the Scottish Labour party you deserve – with rising injustice, inequality, and division, I’m sorry we haven’t been good enough.
Thank you for all the kind messages of support in the last 24 hours. They mean the world to me.
Together, we can and will rebuild our country. https://t.co/V4H1tVl3I1
— Anas Sarwar (@AnasSarwar) February 28, 2021
“I want to say directly to the people of Scotland, I know Labour has a lot of work to do to win back your trust. Because if we’re brutally honest, you haven’t had the Scottish Labour party you deserve.”
He added: “Today we have elected the first-ever ethnic minority leader of a political party in the UK.
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“That doesn’t say something about me. That says something great about Scotland and its people. But the fight for equality is far from over.
“And I’ll work with all our diverse communities in Scotland to rebuild the country we love,” said Sarwar in his speech.