Shah Mehmood Qureshi

Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Hussain Qureshi
(Urdu: مخدوم شاہ محمود قریشی‎)
MP
Foreign Minister of Pakistan
In office
31 March 2008 – 9 February 2011
President Pervez Musharraf
Asif Ali Zardari
Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani
Preceded by Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri
Succeeded by Hina Rabbani Khar
Vice-Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
Assumed office
27 November 2011
Preceded by Office Established
Minister of Planning and Development of Punjab
In office
1990–1993
Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto
Governor Mian Muhammad Azhar
Constituency Multan
Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan
Assumed office
11 May 2013
President Mamnoon Hussain
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif
Constituency Multan
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office
March 2008 – November 2011
President Asif Ali Zardari
Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani
Preceded by Inam-ul-Haq
Succeeded by Hina Rabbani Khar
Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan
In office
March 2002 – December 2007
President Pervez Musharraf
Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali
Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain
Shaukat Aziz
Muhammad Mian Soomro
Constituency Multan
Personal details
Born (1956-06-22) 22 June 1956
Multan, Punjab, Pakistan
Political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (2011–present)
Other political
affiliations		 Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (1988–1990)
Pakistan Peoples Party (1990–2011)
Spouse(s) Mehriene Qureshi
Parents Sajjad Hussain Qureshi
Alma mater Aitchison College, Forman Christian College University
University of Cambridge
Profession Agriculturist/politician
Religion Islam (Sufi)

Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Hussain Qureshi (Urdu: شاه محمود قریشی‎; born 22 June 1956) is a Pakistani politician, agriculturist and a parliamentarian who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs between 2008 and 2011. Since 2013, he serve's as the vice chairman and deputy parliamentary leader of the Pakistan Movement for Justice.[1][2]

Qureshi entered politics in 1983 after studying history at Forman and law at Cambridge, he was elected as an independent member of Punjab Assembly, only to join the centre-right Muslim League in 1988. He served in the provincial cabinet as minister overseeing the portfolios of planning, development and finance in the conservative Wyne administration until 1993, when he joined the center left PPP. He was elected to the National Assembly the same year from Multan-III and served as the junior minister for parliamentary affairs until 1996 under the Benazir administration.[3]

Qureshi served as the provincial leader of the PPP for Punjab between 1999 and 2007, while remaining a MP from Multan-III. In 2008, he was appointed as the Foreign Minister of Pakistan and a and high-ranking member of the central executive committee of the Pakistan Peoples Party. Qureshi was sacked from the position on 9th of February 2011 over the Raymond Davis affair. He substantially resigned from the national assembly and joined Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.[4][5]

Qureshi was elected an MP from NA-150 (Multan-III) on 2013 and was elected as the vice chairman of Tehreek-e-Insaf.[6] Qureshi is also the current Sajjada Nashin and custodian of the Mausoleum of Shah Rukn-e-Alam[7] and of the Shrine (Darbar) of Hazrat Baha-ud-din Zakariya.[8] An agriculturalist by trade, Qureshi is also the president of the Farmers Association of Pakistan.[9] Qureshi is the custodian of Sufi shrines in Pakistan, namely that of Sufi Saint Bahauddin Zakariya, the patron saint of Multan and Qureshi supports Sufism to combat terrorism.[10]

Early life

Qureshi family hails from a prominent Sufi Muslim[11] and political family from Multan. He is married and has 3 children. He is the eldest son of Makhdoom Sajjad Hussain Qureshi. Makhdoom Sajjad Qureshi was former Governor Punjab and Sajjada Nashin for Mausoleum of Shah Rukn-e-Alam, the Darbar of Hazrat Baha-ud-din Zakariya and Darbar Bibi Rasti. Shah Mehmood Qureshi is 32nd Sajjada Nashin of Darbar Hazrat Baha-ud-din Zakariya according to the family lineage of Qureshi family. Qureshi family of Multan is Asadi Al-Hashmi Qureshi and their family lineage meets with the family lineage of Prophet Muhammad on Hazrat Hashim and is said to have belonging to the house of Aswad, son of Muttabb, son of Asad. It is also related that Qureshi family traced its descent from Asad Qurshi, who was one of the forefathers of Hazrat Ali son-in-law of the Holy Prophet Muhammad. Grandfather of Hazrat Baha-ud-din Zakariya, Shaikh Kamaluddin Ali Shah, migrated from Mecca to Khwarezm and then to Kot Karor near Multan in 200 AH where they settled down permanently.[12] Qureshi family is considered as one of noble and famous family in Pakistan with many spiritual followers in South Asia. Ghousia Jamait, group of the followers of Hazrat Baha-ud-din Zakariya are found in all districts of Sindh. A large population of Ghousia Jamait followers also lives in Rajasthan. India.

Education

Qureshi received his early education from Aitchison College, Lahore. He received a bachelor's degree in History from Forman Christian College. Qureshi also received a master's degree in Law and Politics from Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.[13]

Political career

In 1983 Qureshi started his political career after returning from the UK. He contested for the seat of Member District Council Multan for which he faced defeat from Makhdoom Mukhtar Hashmi youngest of the brothers of Makhdoom Javed Hashmi.

Qureshi was later elected to the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab from Multan in 1985, which were held on a non-party basis. He joined the Pakistan Muslim League (PML) under the leadership of Muhammad Khan Junejo in 1986.[14]

He joined the faction of PML led by Nawaz Sharif, which later became PML (N), when PML split in 1988 after the death of Zia-ul-Haq. He was re-elected to the Punjab Assembly from Multan in 1988. He served as the Minister of Planning and Development in the cabinet of Chief Minister Nawaz Sharif from November 1988 to August 1990.[14]

Qureshi served as the Minister of Finance in Chief Minister Nawaz Sharif's cabinet from 1990–1993. Qureshi parted ways with Nawaz Sharif in 1993 and joined the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) in 1993 under the leadership of Benazir Bhutto. He was elected to the National Assembly of Pakistan from Multan in the general elections of 1993, and served as the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs under Prime Minister Bhutto. Qureshi was defeated in the 1997 general election by Makhdoom Javed Hashmi.

Qureshi served as the District Nazim of Multan from 2000 to 2002.[15] He won subsequent elections to the National Assembly from Multan in 2002 and 2008 as a member of the PPP. Benazir Bhutto made Qureshi the President of PPP in Punjab in 2006.[16]

Following the general election of 2008, Qureshi was a potential candidate for the Prime Minister of Pakistan in the coalition government headed by the PPP. However, given his political history prior to joining the 8,[15] Qureshi was instead given the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs in the cabinet of Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani. He lost the portfolio of Foreign Minister in February 2011, following the Raymond Davis affair.[14] Qureshi opposed the PPP's pact with PML-Q, since he believed PML-Q to be indirectly involved in the killing of Benazir Bhutto.

Qureshi resigned from the PPP, as well as his National Assembly membership, in November 2011.[17] He has been in contact with both Pakistan Muslim League (N) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf to join one of these parties.[18] In a TV talk show Imran Khan confirmed that Shah Mahmood Qureshi would join the PTI rally on 27 November 2011 at Ghotki.

Minister of Foreign Affairs (2008–2011)

Hilliary Clinton with Shah Mehmood Qureshi, the foreign minister of Pakistan.
With Hillary Clinton.

After taking charge of the office, Qureshi immediately made clear that he was committed to establishing peace in the region and that maintaining friendly ties with neighbouring India were amongst his top priorities.[19] Qureshi went on his first visit as foreign minister to China in October 2008 with Ahmad Mukhtar and President Asif Ali Zardari.[20] On his arrival back, he was given praise for his work. Qureshi has visited many countries as Foreign Minister and has been very busy explaining Pakistan's stance on the war on terror to the foreign world.

In 2011, Shah Mahmood Qureshi faced criticism in Pakistan when it was discovered that his son, Zain H. Qureshi, was working as a Legislative Fellow in the office of Sen. John Kerry[21] In February 2011, the Government of Pakistan reduced the number of cabinet seats.[22] During this transition, Shah Mahmood Qureshi was offered the position of Minister of Water and Power. He declined, saying that he was "not interested in water and power ministry in place of foreign affairs."[23]

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Pakistani Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi listen during the U.S. Pakistan Strategic Dialogue meeting.

Joining Pakistan Tehreek-e Insaf

Shah Mahmood Qureshi resigned from the Pakistan People's Party and the National Assembly saying that "I had joined the PPP under Benazir Bhutto’s leadership, but this is not the same party anymore, it is Zardari’s league"[24] On 27 November 2011 Qureshi announced his joining of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in a rally in Ghotki, Sindh. He was appointed Vice-Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and member of the political strategy committee. He stated that the cause behind joining PTI was to bring about a revolution in Pakistan. He is currently serving as National Organizer of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. Qureshi was elected an MP from NA-150 (Multan-III) and was the runner up from NA-228 (Mirpur Khas-III) and NA-148 (Multan-I) on 11 May 2013 on the ticket of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.[25]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Testing the waters: PTI to bring thousands to Qureshi's Ghotki rally Sunday - The Express Tribune". 2011-11-25. Retrieved 2016-06-26.
  2. ↑ "From PPP to PTI: Qureshi's 'final' destination? - The Express Tribune". 2011-11-27. Retrieved 2016-06-26.
  3. ↑ "Profile: Shah Mehmood Qureshi, from PML, to PPP to PTI - The Express Tribune". 2011-11-27. Retrieved 2016-06-26.
  4. ↑ Amir Wasim, "Parties finally clinch deal on key ministries" Dawn Newspaper, 29 March 2008
  5. ↑ "Shah Mahmood Qureshi joins PTI - The Express Tribune". 2011-11-27. Retrieved 2016-06-26.
  6. ↑ "Qureshi, Tareen appointed at top slots in PTI - Pakistan Telegraph". www.pakistantelegraph.com. Retrieved 2016-06-26.
  7. ↑ Mausoleum of Shah Rukn-e-Alam "Multan City Online"
  8. ↑ "Thick blood: Shah Mehmood Qureshi rubbishes brother's challenge - The Express Tribune". 2014-11-30. Retrieved 2016-06-26.
  9. ↑ "Shah Mehmood Qureshi to join PTI ranks on Nov 27 - The Express Tribune". 2011-11-11. Retrieved 2016-06-26.
  10. ↑ http://tribune.com.pk/story/1223764/bahauddins-urs-sufi-teachings-can-rid-country-terrorism/
  11. ↑ New York Times: "The Islam That Hard-Liners Hate" By Huma Imtiaz and Charlotte Buchen 6 January 2011
  12. ↑ Hazrat Bahauddin Zakariya.
  13. ↑ Romero, Frances (29 December 2008). "Two-Minute Bio Shah Mahmood Qureshi:". Time.
  14. 1 2 3 "Qureshi's departure: dent in PPP unrealistic". Daily Times. 15 November 2011.
  15. 1 2 "2008 WikiLeaks cable: Tariq Aziz advises Zardari against Shah Mahmood's PM candidacy". Dawn. 28 February 2008. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
  16. ↑ "Qureshi to revive PPP popularity in south Punjab". Daily Times. 12 November 2006. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
  17. ↑ http://www.geo.tv/11-14-2011/88844.htm
  18. ↑ "Pakistan wants Aafia freed if US demands release of Davis: Babar". Daily Times. Daily Times. Retrieved 15 February 2011.
  19. ↑ Qureshi for friendly ties with India Hindustan Times, 2 April 2008
  20. ↑ Seeking Funds, Pakistan Turns to 'Strong' Ally China by Shai Oster and Jason Leow, Wall Street Journal, 15 October 2008
  21. ↑ "Pakistani press spins conspiracy theory about Kerry intern". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
  22. ↑ "Pakistan to make decision on smaller cabinet today". 4 February 2011. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
  23. ↑ "'Qureshi was offered water & power ministry'". Dawn. Dawn. 13 February 2011. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
  24. ↑ http://tribune.com.pk/story/291654/shah-mehmood-qureshi-resigns-from-ppp-national-assembly/
  25. ↑ http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/national/13-May-2013/qureshi-wins-na-150
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Political offices
Preceded by
Inam-ul-Haq		 Minister of Foreign Affairs
2008–2011 		Succeeded by
Hina Rabbani Khar
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