Sardar Usman Ahmad Khan Buzdar (; born 1 May 1969) is a Pakistani politician and previously served as Chief Minister of Punjab from 20 August 2018 to 30 April 2022. He had been a member of the Provincial Assembly of Punjab from August 2018 till January 2023 and served as the parliamentary leader for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the Provincial Assembly of Punjab. Belonging from a Baloch family, he is the Tumandar of the Baloch tribe Buzdar, since April 2019. He served as Tehsil Nazim of Tehsil Tribal Area from 2001 to 2008.
Early life and education
Buzdar was born in May 1969 in Dera Ghazi Khan to Sardar Fateh Muhammad Buzdar. He belongs to the Buzdar clan, which is a Baloch tribe settled in southern Punjab. Buzdar received his early education from Government Boys Primary School in Barthi, Punjab. He completed his Intermediate-level education from a Government College in Multan and received a bachelors degree in law from the Law College, Multan. It was there that he practiced law at consumer courts for three years during his post graduation. He received a master's degree in political science from Bahauddin Zakariya University.
Political career
In 2001, Buzdar joined Pakistan Muslim League (Q) (PML-Q). In August 2001, he was elected Tehsil Nazim of Koh e Sulieman, a tribal area where he served until 2008.
He quit the PML-Q after 2008 general election and joined a forward bloc. According to another report, he remained politically affiliated with PML-Q until 2011.
He joined the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) (PML-N) prior to the 2013 general election and ran for the seat of the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab as a candidate of PML-N from Constituency PP-241 (Dera Ghazi Khan-II), but was unsuccessful. He received 22,875 votes and lost the seat to Khawaja Muhammad Nizam-ul-Mehmood.
Prior to the 2018 general election, Buzdar along with other rogue PML-N members joined Janoobi Punjab Suba Mahaz, a bloc that advocated for the creation of South Punjab province. Janoobi Punjab Suba Mahaz merged with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in May 2018, leading to Buzdar joining the party. He was allocated a PTI ticket to contest PP-286 Dera Ghazi Khan-II.
Buzdar was elected to the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab as a candidate of the PTI from PP-286 in the 2018 Punjab provincial election. He received 26,897 votes and defeated an independent candidate, Sardar Muhammad Akram Khan.
He was running for a seat in the Provincial Assembly from PP-286 as a candidate of PTI in the 2023 Punjab provincial election, until he abruptly was removed from the party by chairman Imran Khan on the 01 August 2023.
Chief Ministership
On 17 August 2018, Imran Khan nominated Buzdar as PTI's candidate for the office of Chief Minister of Punjab. His nomination surprised many in the PTI and received widespread criticism as he was a lesser known figure in Pakistan's political spectrum. According to Khan, he chose to support Buzdar because Buzdar hailed from an economically backwards area of Punjab, so much so that he was the only member of the Punjab Assembly who "lacked electricity at his home". Other analysts claimed the selection was because Buzdar lacked an independent power base, and was thus totally reliant on Khan to hold on to office.
On 19 August 2018, he was elected as the Chief Minister. He received 186 votes against his opponent Hamza Shahbaz Sharif who secured 159 votes. He was sworn in on 20 August 2018.
Under Buzdar's watch as the Chief Minister, five Inspector Generals of the Punjab Police were changed. He was largely criticized for incompetence during his time as chief minister, and one of the worst appointments Khan made during his tenure. It was later revealed that several PTI members including Jehangir Tareen and Asad Umar were against Buzdar's appointment as Chief Minister, and it was one of the major points of disagree among Khan and other party member.
Cabinet
After assuming the office as the Chief Minister of Punjab, Buzdar held consultations with Imran Khan and formed a 23-member cabinet. The 23-member cabinet was sworn in on 27 August 2018. The second part of his cabinet, consisting of 12 provincial ministers was sworn in on 13 September 2018 increasing the size of the cabinet to 35.
On 28 March 2022, Buzdar offered his resignation as Chief Minister of Punjab to Prime Minister Imran Khan to ease the political crises surrounding no-confidence motion against Imran Khan.
On 1 April 2022, his resignation was accepted by the Governor of Punjab, but he remained in office till the appointment of the new Chief Minister. Buzdar was set to be replaced by Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, leader of PML-Q.