Prime Minister of Islamic Republic of Pakistan

Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani (Profile)

At the age of 56, Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani took oath of the office of the Prime Minister of Pakistan on March 25, 2008 as the country’s 22nd Prime Minister. Born on June 9, 1952 in Karachi, Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani received his early education at St. Mary’s Convent School and La Salle High School, Multan. After completing his higher school he joined Forman Christian College, Lahore from where he completed his intermediate level studies. He graduated from the renowned Government College, Lahore and got his Masters degree in Journalism from the Punjab University. Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani began his political career in 1978 as member of Central Working Committee of a leading political party PML. He served as Federal Minister for Housing and Works and later for Railways between 1985 and 1986. In 1988 he joined the Pakistan Peoples Party and became a Minister in the federal cabinet with the portfolios of Tourism and later Housing and Works till 1990. He took oath of the office of Minister for Local Government and Rural Development in 1993 during the interim government. He was elected as Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan in 1993 and held this responsibility up to 1997. Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani hails from an influential and spiritual family of Multan which enjoyed respect and recognition in the area since 1921. His father Makhudum Alamdar Hussain Gilani was a leading politician of Multan who played a significant role in Pakistan Movement. He was one of the signatories of the Pakistan resolution in 1940. Makhudum Alamdar Hussain Gilani was a member of Feroz Khan Noon’s Cabinet in 1953 in Punjab and 1958 at the Federal level. He was known for his social work and greatly contributed in establishing educational institutions in Multan. Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani is known for being polite yet firm in his dealings. It was for the same reason that he remained imprisoned for five years. He was released from Adiala jail on October 7, 2006. During the period of his incarceration he wrote a book titled ‘Chah-e-Yousuf se Sada’ (Cry from the Yousuf’s Well). He has an ear for music, reads poetry and has a desire to serve the have-nots of his motherland. Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani has widely traveled across the world in various capacities. He led Pakistani delegations to a number of international conferences. As Federal Minister for Tourism, he attended the World Tourism Organization’s meeting held in Paris, France in 1989. He also attended a meeting of Pakistan Association of Travel Agents held in New Delhi, the same year. As Speaker National Assembly of Pakistan, Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani led Pakistani parliamentarians’ delegations to several Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Conferences that include; the 91st Conference held in Paris in 1994, the 92nd Conference held in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1995, the 94th Conference held in Bucharest, Romania in 1995, the 95th Conference held in Istanbul Turkey in 1996. He addressed the United Nations on the occasion of its Golden Jubilee celebrations arranged by IPU. Earlier in 1987, as a young member of Parliamentary Delegation, he participated in the 87th meeting of the IPU held in Cameron. Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani actively participated in the Commonwealth activities. He attended the Conferences of the Speakers/Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth countries held in Papua New Guinea in 1994, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 1995, in Bali, Indonesia in 1995 and in Nicosia, Cyprus in 1996. He also visited United Kingdom to participate in the 50 years celebrations of the end of 2nd World War by Commonwealth, where he also had a meeting with the Speaker, House of Commons. As the leader of parliamentary delegations, Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani attended the 1st Conference of SAARC Countries’ Speakers in New Delhi and the 1st PAK-PAC meeting in Las Vegas. In the same capacity, he also visited Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Nepal, Maldives, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Australia, Papua New Guinea and Hungary. The other countries where he represented the country include; Hong Kong, Singapore, Netherlands, Macao, Burma, Thailand, Greece, Japan, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and UAE. He participated in Climate – the Change Conference held in Manila, Philippines in 1996. He also undertook a study visit to Johannesburg, South Africa, organized by National Democratic Institute (NDI) on accountability system in 1997. As part of the Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto’s entourage, Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani visited several countries, which include Peoples Republic of China, India, Turkmenistan and Turkey. He represented Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto in the annual International Convention of Social Democratic Party in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1990, and later the same year in Italy. He also hosted and presided over the first ever international Conference of Women Parliamentarians, held in Islamabad in 1995.

Asif Ali Zardari – President of Pakistan

Bilal Qureshi

Saturday, August 29th 2009

Every time I write something about Asif Zardari, Pakistan’s current president, I get tons of e-mail condemning me for ‘supporting’ him. So, once again, I have to clarify something from the start. I am not a supporter of Zardari.

However, if one looks at the history of President’s in Pakistan, Zardari will stand out as the most significant name in the list. But, it is impossible to make this point in this extremely polarized environment when unfortunately, Zardari’s name gives heartburn to a large group of Pakistanis, both inside and outside the country.

For me, Zardari became a leader when he refused to compromise with those who wanted to sign a confession and leave the country, just like Nawaz Sharif and his family did after reaching a deal with Musharraf and fled the country.

Zardari, just like Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shahbaz Sharif could have enjoyed a plush life in Saudi Arabia and London, but Zardari refused to comprise and accepted prison over luxurious life in exile.

But, the defining moment was Zardari’s decision to stop those who were shouting anti Pakistan and anti Punjab slogans after Benazir’s body was flown to Sindh for burial. Everyone was crying, the emotions were high, but Zardari stepped forward and directly confronted people from his own province, Sindh and snubbed those who were blaming Punjabi elements in establishment for Benazir’s death. Zardair’s courageous decision to confront those angry workers told me, and millions of other skeptics that Zardari is a man of courage and conviction.

Thanks to the confession of Brig Imtiaz, which has forced other intelligence officers from the past to admit their role in destroying democracy in Pakistan, it has been established beyond a reasonable doubt that Zardari’s name has been trashed for about 20 years to force Benazir Bhutto out of politics. We now know that the attacks on Zardari were designed to destroy the credibility of Pakistan People’s Party.

In the light of stunning revelations by Brig Imtiaz as to how the army was dead against handing over power to Benazir, especially the reins of foreign policy towards Afghanistan, India and the nuclear program, it is clear that the army tasked Brig Imtiaz and other officers to come up with a long term scheme that would seriously deflate Benazir’s desire for a moderate, educated and non-hysterical Pakistan.

After carefully examining Benazir Bhutto, her family, her father’s heroic death etc, Pakistan army correctly concluded that attacking Benazir would not do any good because the entire Bhutto clan was as clean as an infant when it comes to politics. So, thinking outside the box produced targeting Zardari, and this new line of attack would not only destroy Zardari’s future role in Pakistan’s politics, but also hurt Benazir’s credibility.

At this point, I have to admit that this was a brilliant strategy. The relentless attacks on Zardari started paying off dividends from the outset. Not only was Zardari’s credibility destroyed, but these attacks also damaged the Bhutto brand in Pakistan’s politics. These attacks which came from all sides, forced Benazir Bhutto to compromise, which further cemented this image that Benazir is a power hungry woman who would do anything to get back in power.

In the end, Benazir Bhutto had to move to Dubai to rear her three small children because her own country, Pakistan was made extremely unsafe for her. Asif Zardari ended up serving little under12 years in prison on every imaginable charge under the sun, but, as horrific as it sounds, not a sing charge was proved in any court of law.

So a patriotic woman, Benazir Bhutto is separated from her husband for about 12 years, Zardari and her children can’t see each other for 12 years, Zardari spends 12 years in multiple prisons in Pakistan, but, in the end, no one is held accountable for this tragedy. Worse, in this climate of extreme hatred towards Benazir Bhutto and her husband, Benazir ends up losing her life, while literally fighting for democracy (she was shot after addressing a public rally in Pindi), and, believe it or not, this vicious rumor was spread in the country that somehow it was Zardari who has something to do with Benazir’s tragic and untimely death, even though, Zardari asked Benazir not to travel to Pakistan.

It won’t get any more tragic.

So, coming back to my original point, after all this ups and down, prisons and death threats, Zardari ends up as the president of Pakistan. And because of his sacrifices and the struggle of his entire family, Zardari realizes that the window of opportunity is limited and he roles up his sleeves, starts work to put Pakistan on the right track, but this is unacceptable to those who are interested in seeing Pakistan as the global hub for Taliban like movements and Zardair’s decision to take on the Taliban and other terrorists across Pakistan has further enraged right wing politicians, as well as former and current intelligence officers. Just listen to any television program in Pakistan and you will find people declaring Zardari as America’s agent and working on American agenda.

What? American agenda?

Yes, American agenda because apparently, working for peace, prosperity, promoting education, attracting foreign investment, solving Pakistan energy and water crisis is somehow American agenda.

In fact, the anger and hostility towards America is so high and so strong that when I wrote a piece about American efforts and investment in Pakistan, a major English daily declined to pint it because according to the editor, it was too pro America. I protested and asked him to check all the figures quoted in my piece and point out if anything was incorrect, but he insisted that the article was too pro America and not fit for publican in Pakistan.

Now, imagine, in this environment, if you declare someone an American agent, or someone as working to advance America’s agenda in the country, that person or politician can’t achieve anything, but Zardari has kept his head high and he keeps on trying to solve Pakistan’s colossal problems.

Of course, Zardari has made terrible mistakes, and like rest of us, he too is not perfect, but if you look at Zardari’s overall performance, one has to admit that he has done great. For example, for the first time in the history of Pakistan, not even a single dime changed hands during recent Senate elections because Zardari moved in such a way that all parties got their share and there was no need to bribe people to buy their votes.

This in itself is a historic achievement, but you will never find anyone in Pakistan even mentioning this campaign. Instead, you’d hear vitriolic personal attacks against Zardari based entirely on hearsay.

Zardari has also traveled the globe to attract investment and to ensure that Pakistani goods have access to every possible market in the world, but this too is not mentioned. Finally, Zardari is the only high ranking government official who took people with him to Saudi Arabia to perform Umra and paid for their boarding and lodging from his own pocket – first time in Pakistan’s history, but this too is never mentioned, nor is Zardari given credit for this.

Whatever I have mentioned above can be verified independently, but obviously, being objective and honest about ground realities is equated with praising Zardari, which is not my job.. Zardari and people around him are capable of defending Zardari. All I am saying that we should wake up, give credit where it is due, take responsibility for our failure and actions and focus on issue, instead of personal attacks.

By speaking out openly about his horrible role in the past, Brig Imtiaz has taught us that if the country kept on focusing on personalities instead of issues, the country and the nation would continue to suffer.

By Bilal QureshiSaturday, August 29th 2009     Every time I write something about Asif Zardari, Pakistan’s current president, I get tons of e-mail condemning me for ‘supporting’ him. So, once again, I have to clarify something from the start. I am not a supporter of Zardari.
However, if one looks at the history of President’s in Pakistan, Zardari will stand out as the most significant name in the list. But, it is impossible to make this point in this extremely polarized environment when unfortunately, Zardari’s name gives heartburn to a large group of Pakistanis, both inside and outside the country.
For me, Zardari became a leader when he refused to compromise with those who wanted to sign a confession and leave the country, just like Nawaz Sharif and his family did after reaching a deal with Musharraf and fled the country.
Zardari, just like Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shahbaz Sharif could have enjoyed a plush life in Saudi Arabia and London, but Zardari refused to comprise and accepted prison over luxurious life in exile.
But, the defining moment was Zardari’s decision to stop those who were shouting anti Pakistan and anti Punjab slogans after Benazir’s body was flown to Sindh for burial. Everyone was crying, the emotions were high, but Zardari stepped forward and directly confronted people from his own province, Sindh and snubbed those who were blaming Punjabi elements in establishment for Benazir’s death. Zardair’s courageous decision to confront those angry workers told me, and millions of other skeptics that Zardari is a man of courage and conviction.
Thanks to the confession of Brig Imtiaz, which has forced other intelligence officers from the past to admit their role in destroying democracy in Pakistan, it has been established beyond a reasonable doubt that Zardari’s name has been trashed for about 20 years to force Benazir Bhutto out of politics. We now know that the attacks on Zardari were designed to destroy the credibility of Pakistan People’s Party.
In the light of stunning revelations by Brig Imtiaz as to how the army was dead against handing over power to Benazir, especially the reins of foreign policy towards Afghanistan, India and the nuclear program, it is clear that the army tasked Brig Imtiaz and other officers to come up with a long term scheme that would seriously deflate Benazir’s desire for a moderate, educated and non-hysterical Pakistan.
After carefully examining Benazir Bhutto, her family, her father’s heroic death etc, Pakistan army correctly concluded that attacking Benazir would not do any good because the entire Bhutto clan was as clean as an infant when it comes to politics. So, thinking outside the box produced targeting Zardari, and this new line of attack would not only destroy Zardari’s future role in Pakistan’s politics, but also hurt Benazir’s credibility.
At this point, I have to admit that this was a brilliant strategy. The relentless attacks on Zardari started paying off dividends from the outset. Not only was Zardari’s credibility destroyed, but these attacks also damaged the Bhutto brand in Pakistan’s politics. These attacks which came from all sides, forced Benazir Bhutto to compromise, which further cemented this image that Benazir is a power hungry woman who would do anything to get back in power.
In the end, Benazir Bhutto had to move to Dubai to rear her three small children because her own country, Pakistan was made extremely unsafe for her. Asif Zardari ended up serving little under12 years in prison on every imaginable charge under the sun, but, as horrific as it sounds, not a sing charge was proved in any court of law.
So a patriotic woman, Benazir Bhutto is separated from her husband for about 12 years, Zardari and her children can’t see each other for 12 years, Zardari spends 12 years in multiple prisons in Pakistan, but, in the end, no one is held accountable for this tragedy. Worse, in this climate of extreme hatred towards Benazir Bhutto and her husband, Benazir ends up losing her life, while literally fighting for democracy (she was shot after addressing a public rally in Pindi), and, believe it or not, this vicious rumor was spread in the country that somehow it was Zardari who has something to do with Benazir’s tragic and untimely death, even though, Zardari asked Benazir not to travel to Pakistan.
It won’t get any more tragic.
So, coming back to my original point, after all this ups and down, prisons and death threats, Zardari ends up as the president of Pakistan. And because of his sacrifices and the struggle of his entire family, Zardari realizes that the window of opportunity is limited and he roles up his sleeves, starts work to put Pakistan on the right track, but this is unacceptable to those who are interested in seeing Pakistan as the global hub for Taliban like movements and Zardair’s decision to take on the Taliban and other terrorists across Pakistan has further enraged right wing politicians, as well as former and current intelligence officers. Just listen to any television program in Pakistan and you will find people declaring Zardari as America’s agent and working on American agenda.
What? American agenda?
Yes, American agenda because apparently, working for peace, prosperity, promoting education, attracting foreign investment, solving Pakistan energy and water crisis is somehow American agenda.
In fact, the anger and hostility towards America is so high and so strong that when I wrote a piece about American efforts and investment in Pakistan, a major English daily declined to pint it because according to the editor, it was too pro America. I protested and asked him to check all the figures quoted in my piece and point out if anything was incorrect, but he insisted that the article was too pro America and not fit for publican in Pakistan.
Now, imagine, in this environment, if you declare someone an American agent, or someone as working to advance America’s agenda in the country, that person or politician can’t achieve anything, but Zardari has kept his head high and he keeps on trying to solve Pakistan’s colossal problems.
Of course, Zardari has made terrible mistakes, and like rest of us, he too is not perfect, but if you look at Zardari’s overall performance, one has to admit that he has done great. For example, for the first time in the history of Pakistan, not even a single dime changed hands during recent Senate elections because Zardari moved in such a way that all parties got their share and there was no need to bribe people to buy their votes.
This in itself is a historic achievement, but you will never find anyone in Pakistan even mentioning this campaign. Instead, you’d hear vitriolic personal attacks against Zardari based entirely on hearsay.
Zardari has also traveled the globe to attract investment and to ensure that Pakistani goods have access to every possible market in the world, but this too is not mentioned. Finally, Zardari is the only high ranking government official who took people with him to Saudi Arabia to perform Umra and paid for their boarding and lodging from his own pocket – first time in Pakistan’s history, but this too is never mentioned, nor is Zardari given credit for this.
Whatever I have mentioned above can be verified independently, but obviously, being objective and honest about ground realities is equated with praising Zardari, which is not my job.. Zardari and people around him are capable of defending Zardari. All I am saying that we should wake up, give credit where it is due, take responsibility for our failure and actions and focus on issue, instead of personal attacks.
By speaking out openly about his horrible role in the past, Brig Imtiaz has taught us that if the country kept on focusing on personalities instead of issues, the country and the nation would continue to suffer.

Pervez Musharraf

(ret) Pervez Musharraf (Urdu: پرویز مشرف) (born 11 August 1943), NI(M), TBt, is a Pakistani politician and military figure who served as the 10th President of Pakistan (2001–2008) and the Chief of Army Staff of the Pakistan Army (1998–2007).[1].

He took power on 12 October 1999, following a nonviolent military coup d’état and subsequent ouster of the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The military-led government stated its intention to restructure the political, economic and electoral systems. On May 12, 2000, Pakistan’s 12 member Supreme Court unanimously validated the October 1999 coup and granted Musharraf executive and legislative authority for 3 years from the coup date[2] endorsing his governance.[3][4]

On 18 August 2008, Pervez Musharraf resigned from the post of President under impeachment pressure from the coalition government. He was succeeded on 6 September 2008 by Asif Ali Zardari duly elected as Pakistan’s 11th President.

General (ret) Pervez Musharraf (Urdu: پرویز مشرف) (born 11 August 1943), NI(M), TBt, is a Pakistani politician and military figure who served as the 10th President of Pakistan (2001–2008) and the Chief of Army Staff of the Pakistan Army (1998–2007).[1].He took power on 12 October 1999, following a nonviolent military coup d’état and subsequent ouster of the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The military-led government stated its intention to restructure the political, economic and electoral systems. On May 12, 2000, Pakistan’s 12 member Supreme Court unanimously validated the October 1999 coup and granted Musharraf executive and legislative authority for 3 years from the coup date[2] endorsing his governance.[3][4]On 18 August 2008, Pervez Musharraf resigned from the post of President under impeachment pressure from the coalition government. He was succeeded on 6 September 2008 by Asif Ali Zardari duly elected as Pakistan’s 11th President.

Benazir Bhutto

Bhutto (Sindhi: بينظير ڀٽو; Urdu: بینظیر بھٹو, pronounced [beːnəˈziːr ˈbʱʊʈːoː]; 21 June 1953 – 27 December 2007) was a Pakistani politician who chaired the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), a centre-left political party in Pakistan. Bhutto was the first woman elected to lead a Muslim state,[5] having twice been Prime Minister of Pakistan (1988–1990; 1993–1996). She was Pakistan’s first and to date only female prime minister. She was also the wife of current Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari.

Bhutto was the eldest child of former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, a Pakistani of Sindhi descent and Begum Nusrat Bhutto, a Pakistani of Kurdish descent. Her paternal grandfather was Sir Shah Nawaz Bhutto, who came to Larkana District in Sindh before the independence from his native town of Bhatto Kalan, in the Indian state of Haryana.[6][7]

Bhutto was sworn in as Prime Minister for the first time in 1988 at the age of 35, but was removed from office 20 months later under the order of then-president Ghulam Ishaq Khan on grounds of alleged corruption. In 1993 she was re-elected but was again removed in 1996 on similar charges, this time by President Farooq Leghari. She went into self-imposed exile in Dubai in 1998.

Bhutto returned to Pakistan on 18 October 2007, after reaching an understanding with President Pervez Musharraf by which she was granted amnesty and all corruption charges were withdrawn. She was assassinated on 27 December 2007, after departing a PPP rally in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi, two weeks before the scheduled Pakistani general election of 2008 where she was a leading opposition candidate. The following year she was named one of seven winners of the United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights.[8

Benazir Bhutto (Sindhi: بينظير ڀٽو; Urdu: بینظیر بھٹو, pronounced [beːnəˈziːr ˈbʱʊʈːoː]; 21 June 1953 – 27 December 2007) was a Pakistani politician who chaired the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), a centre-left political party in Pakistan. Bhutto was the first woman elected to lead a Muslim state,[5] having twice been Prime Minister of Pakistan (1988–1990; 1993–1996). She was Pakistan’s first and to date only female prime minister. She was also the wife of current Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari.Bhutto was the eldest child of former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, a Pakistani of Sindhi descent and Begum Nusrat Bhutto, a Pakistani of Kurdish descent. Her paternal grandfather was Sir Shah Nawaz Bhutto, who came to Larkana District in Sindh before the independence from his native town of Bhatto Kalan, in the Indian state of Haryana.[6][7]Bhutto was sworn in as Prime Minister for the first time in 1988 at the age of 35, but was removed from office 20 months later under the order of then-president Ghulam Ishaq Khan on grounds of alleged corruption. In 1993 she was re-elected but was again removed in 1996 on similar charges, this time by President Farooq Leghari. She went into self-imposed exile in Dubai in 1998.Bhutto returned to Pakistan on 18 October 2007, after reaching an understanding with President Pervez Musharraf by which she was granted amnesty and all corruption charges were withdrawn. She was assassinated on 27 December 2007, after departing a PPP rally in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi, two weeks before the scheduled Pakistani general election of 2008 where she was a leading opposition candidate. The following year she was named one of seven winners of the United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights.[8

pakistani politics life,

Mohammad Nawaz Sharif, also known as Nawaz Sharif, (Punjabi, Urdu: میاں محمد نواز شریف) (born December 25, 1949 in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan) is a Pakistani politician and businessman. He was twice elected as Prime Minister of Pakistan, serving two non-consecutive terms, the first from November 1, 1990 to July 18, 1993 and the second from February 17, 1997 to October 12, 1999. His party is the Pakistan Muslim League (N) (Nawaz group). He is best known internationally for ordering Pakistan’s 1998 nuclear tests in response to India’s nuclear tests,[1] and the abrupt end of his final term in a dramatic coup d’état by the Pakistan military. Nawaz Sharif is currently a political leader in Pakistan.