# Sibtain Khan

Muhammad Sibtain Khan is a Pakistani politician who is the former Speaker of the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab, he remained in office from 29 July 2022 till 24 February 2024. He had been the Provincial Minister of Punjab for Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries, in office from 29 August 2018. In January 2019, he was arrested by the National Accountability Bureau Lahore due to corruption charges and due to this, he was removed from his post of Provincial Minister of Punjab for Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries. He remained in prison for one year and released on bail in December 2019.
He had been a member of the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab from August 2018 till January 2023. He served as Provincial Minister of Punjab for Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries from 7 January 2020 to April 2022.
Previously he was a member of the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab between 1990 and May 2018 for three non-consecutive terms.

## Early life and education

He was born on 30 August 1950 in Mianwali.
He has the degree of Master of Arts in Political Science which he obtained in 1982 from University of the Punjab.

## Political career

He was elected to the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab as an independent candidate from PP-39 (Mianwali-IV) in the 1990 Punjab provincial election. He received 29,582 votes and defeated Malik Ghulam Shabbir Joya, a candidate of Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (IJI). He served a Provincial Minister of Punjab for Prison from 1990 to 1993.
He ran for the seat of the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab as an independent candidate from PP-39 (Mianwali-IV) in the 1993 Pakistani general election, but was unsuccessful. He received 18,671 votes and lost the seat to Malik Ghulam Shabbir Joya, a candidate of the Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML(N)).
He again ran for the seat of the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab as an independent candidate from PP-39 (Mianwali-IV) in the 1997 Punjab provincial election, but was unsuccessful. He received 15,390 votes and lost the seat for the second time consecutively to Malik Ghulam Shabbir Joya, a candidate of the Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML(N)).
He was re-elected to the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab as a candidate of the Pakistan Muslim League (Q) (PML(Q)) from PP-46 (Mianwali-IV) in the 2002 Punjab provincial election. He received 36,815 votes and defeated Zafar Saeed Rana, an independent candidate. In January 2003, he was inducted into the provincial Punjab cabinet of Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi and was appointed as Provincial Minister of Punjab for Mines and Minerals where he remained until 2007.
He ran for the seat of the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab as a candidate of the PML(Q) from PP-46 (Mianwali-IV) in 2008 Punjab provincial election but was unsuccessful. He received 27,319 votes and lost the seat to Muhammad Feroz Joya, an independent candidate.
He was re-elected to the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab as a candidate of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) from PP-46 (Mianwali-IV) in the 2013 Punjab provincial election. He received 53,110 votes and defeated Muhammad Feroz Joya, a candidate of the PML(N).
He was re-elected to the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab as a candidate of the PTI from PP-88 (Mianwali-IV) in the 2018 Punjab provincial election. He received 56,016 votes and defeated Muhammad Feroz Joya, a candidate of the PML(N).
On 27 August 2018, he was inducted into the provincial Punjab cabinet of Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar without any ministerial portfolio. On 29 August 2018, he was appointed as Provincial Minister of Punjab for Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries.
In January 2019, he was arrested by the National Accountability Bureau Lahore due to corruption charges and due to this, he was removed from his post of Provincial Minister of Punjab for Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries. He remained in prison for one year and released on bail in December 2019.
In January 2020, he was reappointed as Provincial Minister of Punjab for Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries.
On 27 July 2022, the PTI nominated him for the role of Speaker of the Provincial Assembly of Punjab, which was vacated due to the election of former Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi to the chief ministership. The election for the post of Speaker was conducted on 29 July 2022, in which he was successful. He received 185 votes for the post, while his opponent, Malik Saif ul Malook Khokhar of the PML(N), received 175 votes.

## Arrest on corruption

In January 2019, he was arrested by the National Accountability Bureau Lahore due to corruption charges during the tenure of his own PTI's government and due to this, he was removed from his post of Provincial Minister of Punjab for Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries. He remained in prison for one year and released on bail in December 2019.