ASIF ALI ZARDARI



PPP Co-Chairman Senator Asif Ali Zardari was born on July 26, 1955 in a prominent Baloch family from Sindh. He is the son of veteran politician Mr. Hakim Ali Zardari. On his maternal side he is the great-grandson of Khan Bahadur Hassan Ali Effendi, the founder of the first educational institution for Muslims in Sindh. The founder of Pakistan, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah was among the prominent students to graduate from the Sindh Madrasa.

Mr Zardari received his primary education at the Karachi Grammar School and his secondary education at Cadet College Petaro. He pursued his further education in London where he studied Business.

He was married to Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto in 1987 and was widowed on December 27, 2007 when Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in a terrorist attack in Rawalpindi. Ms Bhutto was PPP Chairperson from 1979 until her assassination and was twice elected Prime Minister of Pakistan. They have three children, Bilawal, born in 1988, Bakhtawar, born in 1990 and Aseefa, born in 1993.


Mr Zardari served as a Member of the National Assembly twice (1990-93 and 1993-96), as Federal Minister for the Environment (1993-1996) and as Federal Minister for Investment (1995-96). He was the principal architect of the Benazir Bhutto government's efforts to transform Pakistan's energy power sector by encouraging major investment opportunities in power generation. He was also the initiator of the Iran-Pakistan natural gas pipeline project.

Mr Zardari was elected Senator in 1997 and served in that capacity until the dissolution of the Senate following the military coup of 1999. He was elected Co-Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party in January 2008 following the assassination of Shaheed Mohtarma

Muhammad Nawaz Sharif was born in Lahore on December 25, 1949. He is the eldest son of Muhammad Sharif, a joint owner of the Ittefaq Group of Industries.
Nawaz Sharif got his schooling from Saint Anthony's High School. After graduating from Government College Lahore, he obtained his Law Degree from the Punjab University.

Nawaz Sharif remained a member of the Punjab Provincial Council for some time. He joined the Punjab Cabinet as Finance Minister in 1981. He was able to raise the allocation of funds for the development of rural areas to 70 percent of the Annual Development Program in the Province. He also held the portfolio of Sports and was able to reorganize the sports activities in the Province.
Muhammad Nawaz Sharif was born in Lahore on December 25, 1949.

Graduated from Government College Lahore

Degree in Law from Punjab University

Joined the Punjab Cabinet as Finance Minister in 1981

He was able to raise allocation of funds for the development of rural areas to 70 percent of the Annual Development Program in the Province. He also held the portfolio of Sports and was able to reorganize sports activities in the Province

In the general elections of 1985, Nawaz Sharif won with an overwhelming majority, both in the National and Provincial Assemblies.

On April 9, 1985, he was sworn in as Chief Minister of Punjab.



On May 31, 1988, he was appointed caretaker Chief Minister.

Nawaz Sharif was again elected as Chief Minister after the 1988 general elections. A massive uplift of Murree and Kahuta was undertaken during his term as Chief Minister of Punjab.

On November 6, 1990, Nawaz Sharif was sworn-in as Prime Minister of the country, after his alliance, I. J. I. won the October 1990 elections. However, Nawaz Sharif could not complete his term of five years, and was dismissed by the President in April 1993. He was reinstated by the superior Judiciary, but had to resign along with the President in July 1993.

On October 12, 1999, the civilian Government headed by Nawaz Sharif was overthrown by a military coup.

During his tenure as the Prime Minister, efforts were made to strengthen the industries with help of private sector.

Projects like Ghazi Brotha and Gawadar Miniport were initiated.

Land was distributed among landless peasants in Sindh.




Relations with the Central Asian Muslim Republics were strengthened and E. C. O. was given a boost.

In an attempt to end the Afghan crisis, the "Islamabad Accord" was reached between various Afghan factions. His most important contribution was economic progress despite American sanctions on Pakistan through the Pressler Amendment.

Pakistan Muslim League again won the elections held in February 1997, and Mian Nawaz Sharif was re-elected as Prime Minister with an overwhelming majority.

Taking advantage of his absolute majority in the National Assembly, he added a landmark in the constitutional history of Pakistan by repealing the controversial Eighth Amendment. This Thirteenth Constitutional Amendment stripped the President of his powers, under Article 52(b) of the Eighth Amendment, to dismiss the Prime Minister and dissolve the National Assembly.

He added another milestone to the Constitution when his Parliament adopted the anti-defection Fourteenth Amendment Bill. His development venture of the Lahore-Islamabad motorway has also been appreciated by the people of Pakistan

After military takeover, the former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Shahbaz Sharif (his brother and former Chief Minister of Punjab) and five other officials were booked on charges of hijacking, kidnapping and attempted murder in the "Plane Conspiracy" case. The prosecution's case was based on a police report filed by an Army Colonel. The case was tried by an anti-terrorism court in Karachi, which sentenced him to life imprisonment. In their appeal to the High Court, Mr. Sharif's lawyers maintained that no charge of corruption was proved against the former Prime Minister, and that it was the Prime Minster's constitutional right to remove the Army Chief.

The Military Government of Pakistan exiled him to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where he lived with his close family for 7 years and then moved to United Kingdom. Once, he was deported from Pakistan to Saudi Arabia as he tried to go back to Pakistan.

He returned to Pakistan just before the 2008 General Election. Although he was not allowed to take part in the election himself but his party managed to get enough seats to get him second position in the country and an over whelming majority in the biggest province of Punjanb.


His fight for democracy, Social Justice and human cause continues and people of Pakistan see him as the future Prime Minister of their Country

Yousuf Raza Gillani

Syed Makhdoom Yousaf Raza Gilani (Urdu: ????? ???? ???? ??? ??????) (born June 9, 1952) is the 26th and current Prime Minister of Pakistan. He was previously Speaker of the National Assembly (1993-1997) and a Federal Minister (1985-1986, 1989-1990). Gilani is Vice-Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).

He was nominated as Prime Minister by the PPP, with the support of its coalition partners, Pakistan Muslim League (N), Awami National Party, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement, on 22 March 2008.[2] He took the oath of office from President Pervez Musharraf on 25 March 2008.[3] Gilani is the first elected Prime Minister of Pakistan from the Saraiki-speaking belt.[4]

Contents [hide]
1 Family and education
2 Political career
3 Imprisonment
4 Premiership
4.1 First public speech as Prime Minister
4.2 2008 assassination attempt
5 See also
6 References
7 External links



[edit] Family and education
Gilani was born in Karachi. He belongs to an influential political family from Multan. His father was a descendant of Syed Musa Pak, a spiritual figure of the Qadiri Sufism order which traces its origins to Abdul-Qadir Gilani of the Gilan province of Iran. Gilani is married and has four sons, one daughter, and one grandson.[5] His eldest son, Syed Makhdoom Abdul Qadir Gilani, started his own political career from Multan, and in 2008 he married the granddaughter of Pir Pagara, an influential political figure of Sindh. His three other sons -- Ali Qasim, Ali Musa and Ali Haider -- are currently studying abroad. His daughter is named Fiza. Gillanis are the major landowners of Multan who owned about 200 acres of land.


[edit] Political career
Gilani's political journey began during General Zia-ul-Haq's martial law in 1978. He joined the Central Working Committee of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML). He was also a cabinet member in the three-year government of Prime Minister Muhammad Khan Junejo, and served as Minister of Housing and Works from April 1985 to January 1986 and as Railways Minister from January 1986 to December 1986.

After a short stint with the Muslim League, Gilani joined the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in 1988. In the Benazir Bhutto government of 1988-1990, he was Minister of Tourism from March 1989 to January 1990 and Minister of Housing and Works from January 1990 to August 1990. Later, under another Bhutto government, he became Speaker of the National Assembly in October 1993, serving in that post until February 1997.

He has been elected various times as the Member of National Assembly from Multan. In the 2008 general election, he beat Pakistan Muslim League (Q) (PML-Q) leader Sikandar Hayat Bosan..


[edit] Imprisonment
Yousaf Raza Gilani was arrested on February 11, 2001 under the auspices of National Accountability Bureau (NAB), an anti-corruption agency set up by the military government in 1999, over charges of that he misused his authority while he was Speaker of the National Assembly. Specifically, he was accused of hiring up to 600 people from among his constituents and placing them on the government's payroll.[6] NAB claimed that Gilani inflicted a loss of Rs 30 million annually on the national exchequer.[7] He was convicted by an anti-corruption court formed by Musharraf and spent nearly six years in prison.[8]

The legal proceedings were perceived by many as politically motivated; his party, the PPP, was in opposition to Musharraf, who had embarked on a campaign to coerce party members to switch sides. Thus his conviction by Musharraf-backed courts and subsequent prison sentence are seen as marks of loyalty within the PPP. His imprisonment was widely condemned by various individuals across the country, including Mushahid Hussain Syed, a senior leader of PML-Q.[citation needed] He was released on October 7, 2006 from Adiala Jail, after spending more than five years in captivity. He subsequently denied that the release was part of a plea-bargain between PPP and the military government for having sexually abused him in jail.[9]...


[edit] Premiership

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani in the Parliament house with MNA Chaudhry Muhammad Barjees TahirOn March 22, 2008, the PPP nominated Gilani for the post of Prime Minister. PPP completed consultations with coalition partners about the Prime Minister and its allies endorsed the nomination. The formal announcement of the name of Prime Minister was expected to be made that night.

On March 22 at 9:38 pm Islamabad, (1638 GMT), he was officially announced by PPP as its candidate for the premiership of the country. There was widespread speculation that he would be a "stand-in" for Asif Ali Zardari, Bhutto's widower. Zardari does not hold a seat in Parliament and would need to win a by-election before it would be possible for him to become Prime Minister.[10]

Many analysts said that they would not be surprised if Zardari succeeded Gilani after a few months. It was reported on March 24, 2008, that Zardari said he was not interested in the job of Prime Minister and that Gilani would serve until 2013 in the position. Speculation that Zardari might be gunning for the premiership grew stronger when he picked the less popular Gilani over Makhdoom Amin Fahim, President of the PPP. Fahmida Mirza, the newly-elected Speaker of the Assembly, insists there is no plan to replace Gilani. She added, however, that if Gilani did not do a good job, all options were open.[11]

On March 24, 2008, Gilani was elected as Prime Minister by Parliament, defeating his rival, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi of the PML-Q, by a score of 264 to 42.[12] He was sworn in by Musharraf on the next day.[3] On March 29, he won a unanimous vote of confidence in Parliament.[13]

On the same day, following the vote of confidence, Gillani announced the programme for the first 100 days of his administration. Some of the points he announced were:

Frontier Crimes Regulations and Industrial Relations Order repealed
A “truth and reconciliation commission” proposed
PM House budget cut by 40 percent
Special counters at airports for parliamentarians to be removed
No money to be spent on the renovation of government buildings and residences
A freedom of information law to be framed, while PEMRA will be made a subsidiary of the information ministry
Talks will be initiated with extremists who lay down arms and ‘adopt the path of peace’
A new package for tribal areas promised
Employment commission to be set up
Madressah authority to implement a uniform curriculum
One million housing units to be built annually for low-income groups
Irrigation channels to be bricklined.
A lifting of the bans on elected labor and students' unions.[14]
The first part of Gillani's Cabinet was sworn in on March 31. Of the 24 ministers sworn in on this occasion, 11 were members of the PPP, nine were members of the Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N), two were members of the Awami National Party, one was from Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, and one came from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. Other appointments were expected to follow.[15]

On May 13, 2008, the PML (N) ministers resigned from Gillani's government due to a disagreement related to the reinstatement of judges whom Musharraf removed from office in 2007. Zardari, hoping to preserve the coalition, told Gillani to reject the resignations.[16]

At the close of 2008, Pakistan's The Financial Daily conducted a public poll on its website; respondants entered the names of their favourite personalities for the year, and Gillani was named among the top 50.[17]


[edit] First public speech as Prime Minister
On July 19, 2008 at 11:06pm (Pakistan Standard Time), Gillani appeared on Pakistan Television (PTV) in his first address to the nation. The main points in his address were focused on the crisis of flour shortage, load-shedding, terrorism and extremism, restoration of judges, economic downslide and, above all, inflation and unemployment in the country.


[edit] 2008 assassination attempt
Gilani escaped an assassination attempt on September 3, 2008 [18] ,when unidentified gunmen fired shots at his motorcade near the garrison city of Rawalpindi, officials said. The shooting occurred shortly after Gilani was returning from an official visit to the eastern city of Lahore. His motorcade was going to Islamabad from the high-security Chaklala military airbase in Rawalpindi. A spokesman for the Prime Minister's House said Gilani and members of his staff had escaped unhurt and were safe.He said police had been put on high alert and an investigation launched into the incident. The unidentified assailants fired at Gilani's motorcade on a highway. At least two shots hit the Prime Minister's bulletproof vehicle, TV channels quoted officials as saying. State-run PTV beamed footage of the damage caused by the bullets to the window of the driver's door of the vehicle. Reports said the incident occurred at a spot where former premier and PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif's motorcade was fired at on December 27 last year, shortly before Pakistan People's Party (PPP) chairperson Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in a suicide bombing in Rawalpindi.

According to Gillani's press secretary, Zahid Bashir, a car carrying Gillani was hit by two bullets in an attack near Islamabad on September 3, 2008; Bashir said that Gillani was unharmed.[19] The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.[20]

Benazir Bhutto

Benazir Bhutto was twice prime minister of Pakistan, and was campaigning for a return to power when she was assassinated in 2007. Bhutto was born into a political family: her father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, was Pakistan's prime minister from 1973-77. She earned undergraduate degrees from Radcliffe College (1973) and Oxford (1976) before returning to Pakistan. Her father was deposed, imprisoned, and finally executed after a 1977 military coup; Bhutto herself was imprisoned repeatedly before leaving for exile in London. She became active in her father's political party, the liberal Pakistan People's Party (PPP), and returned to Pakistan in 1986. Bhutto's political pedigree, her glamorous good looks, and her reformist attitude were a potent combination, and in 1988 she was elected prime minister. For the next decade she was one of the most prominent women in the world, and was seen in particular as a symbol of progress in women's rights. Bhutto's two terms as prime minister, from 1988-90 and from 1993-96, both ended in controversy and charges of corruption against Bhutto and her husband, Asif Ali Zardari. Bhutto was again forced into exile in 1999 before returning in October of 2007 to lead her party in upcoming national elections. Two months later she was shot and killed at a campaign rally in Rawalpindi by an attacker who then blew himself up.
Extra credit: Bhutto's books include "Foreign Policy in Perspective (1978) and the autobiography Daughter of Destiny (1989)... Bhutto and Asif Zardari were married in 1987. They had three children: Bilawal, Bakhtwar and Aseefa... Bhutto's brother Murtaza, a Pakistani politician, was assassinated in 1996; another brother, Shahnawaz, was found dead in his apartment in France in 1985... Some sources list her 1973 degree as being from Harvard; at that time Radcliffe was an all-women's college closely related to Harvard, and the two schools merged in 1999.

Benazir Bhutto, the eldest child of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, was born on June 21, 1953, at Karachi. She attended Lady Jennings Nursery School and then Convent of Jesus and Mary in Karachi. After two years of schooling at the Rawalpindi Presentation Convent, she was sent to the Jesus and Mary Convent at Murree. She passed her O-level examination at the age of 15. In April 1969, she got admission in the U. S. at Harvard University's Radcliffe College. In June 1973, Benazir graduated from Harvard University with a degree in Political Science. After graduating from Harvard, Benazir joined Oxford University in the fall of 1973. Just before graduation, Benazir was elected to the Standing Committee of the most prestigious Oxford Union Debating Society.
In 1976, she graduated in P. P. E. (Politics, Philosophy and Economics). In the autumn of 1976, Benazir returned once again to Oxford to do a one-year postgraduate course. In January 1977, she was elected the President of the Oxford Union. Benazir Bhutto returned to Pakistan in June 1977. She wanted to join the Foreign Service but her father wanted her to contest the Assembly election. As she was not yet of age, Benazir Bhutto assisted her father as an advisor.
January 1984, after spending nearly six and a half years in jail. She went into exile in England for two years.
In July 1984, her younger brother Shah Nawaz died under mysterious circumstances in Paris. She came back to Pakistan to attend his burial ceremony. A year later she came back to Pakistan to fight the elections for National and Provincial Assemblies held by General Zia-ul-Haq. When she returned on April 10, 1986, one million people welcomed her at the Lahore airport. She attended mammoth rallies all over Pakistan and kept in close touch with the Movement for Restoration of Democracy. On December 18, 1987, Benazir married Asif Ali Zardari in Karachi. She contested the elections, which were held by Ghulam Ishaq Khan, who had taken over as acting President after the death of General Zia in an air crash on August 17, 1988, at Bhawalpur.

Benazir Bhutto approached the Supreme Court of Pakistan, seeking enforcement of the fundamental rights guaranteed to the political parties under Article 17(2) of the 1973 Constitution, to hold the elections on Party basis. The Supreme Court gave its verdict in favor of the political parties. The P. P. P., without forming an alliance with any party, won 94 out of 207 seats in the National Assembly. With the cooperation of eight M. Q. M. members and 13 members of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, the P. P. P. was able to get a clear majority in the National Assemblies. Benazir Bhutto was nominated as the Prime Minister on December 2, 1988, and Ghulam Ishaq Khan was nominated the President of Pakistan.
At the age of 35, she was the youngest and the first woman Prime Minister to lead a Muslim nation in modern age. During her first term, she started Peoples Program for economic uplift of the masses. Benazir Bhutto also lifted a ban on student and trade unions. The P. P. P. Government hosted the fourth S. A. A. R. C. Summit held in Islamabad, in December 1988.
On various issues, differences between her Government and the Establishment led to her dismissal by the President Ghulam Ishaq Khan, on August 6, 1990.

Benazir returned to power, by winning the October 1993 elections. The P. P. P. had won the largest share with 86 seats and formed a new Government with the help of alliances, but her own-nominated President, Farooq Ahmad Khan Leghari, dismissed her government again in November 1996 on corruption charges.

Her publications include "Daughter of the East" and "Foreign Policy Perspective".