Punjab role is 'high honour' says former Glasgow MP 31 July 2013 Last updated at 15:40 Former Glasgow Govan MP Mohammad Sarwar has thanked the prime minister of Pakistan for asking him to take on the role of governor of Punjab. Mr Sarwar, who has been a prominent supporter of Nawaz Sharif, said the role was a "high honour." He said he had left Scotland with a "heavy heart" and thanked the people of Glasgow for their "warmth and respect." He added that he would approach the job with "the same values and principles I have stood up for all my life." Mr Sarwar, who left the UK parliament in 2010, will become one of the more senior figures in the government of Pakistan. Mr Sarwar said: "I am not naive about the challenges which lie ahead. This is a big job but it is one I will approach with the same values and principles I have stood up for all my life; to help lift people out of poverty and support them to fulfil their life chances. I believe the best route to meeting that goal is through education and I look forward to working with a dynamic chief minister, many friends and colleagues across Pakistan and the world to achieve that. Anas was elected deputy leader of the Scottish Labour party in 2011.