Muhammadmian Soomro (born August 19, 1950) is a Pakistani politician who has been the Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan since 2003. He was the caretaker Prime Minister from November 16, 2007 to March 25, 2008 and became the interim President of Pakistan upon the resignation of Pervez Musharraf on August 18, 2008, serving in that post until September 9, 2008.
Soomro comes from a renowned political family of Sindh that has been active in public life since 1923. His father, the late Ahmad Mian Soomro, was a seasoned parliamentarian who was Deputy Speaker of the West Pakistan Assembly and a member of the Senate and helped establish the Senate Committee Systems. His brother lives in Wollaton, England. with his 3 sons, and wife. Soomro's nephew Umer currently attends Bilborough College, Nottingham.
An internationally recognized professional banker, Soomro held various top positions both at home and abroad in national and international organizations.
He has also worked in important positions for major banks:
* Bank of America
* General Manager and Chief Executive Officer of International Bank of Yemen
* Faysal Islamic Bank of Bahrain
* Muslim Commercial Bank
* Agriculture Development Bank of Pakistan
* Federal Bank of Cooperatives
* National Bank of Pakistan
Soomro earned great recognition for his achievements during his time with these organizations. He was also instrumental in the establishment of micro credit banking in Pakistan.
He also held a position at the board of directors of Shell Pakistan Ltd.
Soomro's public service role started with his appointment as the Governor of Sindh on 25 May 2000.
Soomro resigned from the office of Sindh Governor on 26 December 2002 to contest the Senate elections. He was elected as a Senator on 23 February 2003 and was subsequently elected as Chairman of the Senate on 12 March 2003.
Soomro was appointed as caretaker prime minister on 15 November 2007, at the expiration of the term of the previous prime minister, Shaukat Aziz, ahead of a new parliamentary election. On 16 November, Soomro was sworn in as prime minister by President Pervez Musharraf. His term ended on 25 March 2008, when Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani was sworn in as prime minister.
As required by the constitution, Soomro (in his position as Chairman of the Senate) automatically became acting President on 18 August 2008, upon the resignation of Musharraf. The constitution also required that a new President be elected by Parliament within 30 days.
Asif Ali Zardari was elected President and subsequently sworn in on 9 September 2008, succeeding Soomro.
