Syed Shibli Faraz (Urdu: سید شبلی فراز) is a Pakistani politician who is currently serving as the Leader of Opposition in Senate of Pakistan since April 2024.[1] He previously served as the Minister of Science and Technology, in 2021 and 2022. He has been a member of the Senate of Pakistan from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since 2015.
Previously, Shibli had served as the Leader of the House for the Senate of Pakistan from 26 August 2018 until 4 June 2020. He is a member of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and is the party’s head in the Senate of Pakistan.[2][3][4]
Early life and education
editHe was born in Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and is the son of the late Urdu poet Ahmad Faraz.[5][6][7] His uncle Barrister Masood Kausar had served as the Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. His family is of Pashtun background.[8]
He completed his matriculation and intermediate from Cadet College Kohat. Later, he earned his LLB from the Law College, Peshawar and completed his MA in International Relations at the University de Los Andes, Colombia in 1994, while he has also been a Fellow in Finance & International Banking at the Chartered Banker Institute, London.[9]
Political career
editHe was elected as a Senator in March 2015 under the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in the 2015 Pakistani Senate election on a seat from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He also served as Chairman of the Senate Committees on Circular Debt and Commerce and Textile.[10]
Leader of the House for the Senate
edit
In August 2018, then Prime Minister Imran Khan appointed Faraz as the Leader of the House for the Senate of Pakistan, where he served until 4 June 2020.[10] In response to the appointment of Faraz as Leader of the House, the PML-N made Raja Zafar-ul-Haq as Opposition Leader in the Senate.[11] While serving as Leader of the House, the Senate passed the Zainab Alert Bill, which was brought by the Imran Khan government.[12][13]
Minister of Information & Broadcasting
editOn 27 April 2020, Imran Khan appointed Shibli as the Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting along with General Asim Saleem Bajwa as Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Information and Broadcasting.[14][15]
As Information Minister, he gave out several statements, as he criticized Leader of the Opposition, Shehbaz Sharif for evading arrest from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB),[16] criticized former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for his alleged overseas assets and money laundering and vowed that the government would bring him to Pakistan from his residence in London.[17][18] He stated his support for the protection of journalism with the Journalist Protection Bill,[19][20] and termed the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) as a ‘group of hypocrites’.[21]
2022 Helicopter Incident
editOn 20 September 2022, Faraz was aboard a helicopter with Imran Khan and 2 others which was leaving Chakwal after a political rally by Khan when the pilot of the plane fell ill. Faraz, a former pilot, took over and safely landed the helicopter.[22]
Leader of Opposition for the Senate
editHe was nominated as Leader of the Opposition in the Senate or Pakistan for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) by Imran Khan on 19 April 2024 and was endorsed by all 19 senators part of PTI.[23] He was appointed to the position on 22 April 2024 securing the endorsement of 21 senators. PTI had boycotted the election of the Chairman of the Senate due to ongoing polls in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Shibli is serving as opposition leader alongside the Chairman of the Senate, Yusuf Raza Gillani and Leader of the House in the Senate, Ishaq Dar.[24]
As opposition leader, he requested that separate seats should be allotted to the government and the opposition lawmakers and as per The News International, he stated that "Unfortunately, this illegitimate government is using Parliament as a shield merely to preserve its unjust mandate. The government does not even have a two-third majority for constitutional amendments [referring to the 26th amendment] and is trying to secure it by abducting our members."[25] In May 2024, PTI member Sher Afzal Marwat denounced Shibli Faraz and Omar Ayub for not allowing him to meet with Imran Khan, stoking tensions within the PTI.[26][27] As opposition leader, Shibli Faraz stated that India was Pakistan's enemy country, but also praised the country for its electoral process, which he stated had no frontline rigging, and asked why Pakistan could not have similar free and fair elections.[28][29] He criticized the government for its 2024-25 federal budget which he declared as "anti-people".[30]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ "Shibli Faraz takes helm as Senate opposition leader". The Express Tribune (newspaper). 23 April 2024. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ "Maulana Haidri sworn in as Senate deputy chairman". www.khaleejtimes.com.
- ^ "Politicians surprised as PTI's Shibli Faraz gets 16 votes instead of 7 - Pakistan - Dunya News".
- ^ "PTI, coalition partners sweep senate polls from KP - ARYNEWS". 6 March 2015.
- ^ "PM Imran nominates Ahmad Faraz's son as Leader of the House in Senate". The News International. 25 August 2018.
- ^ "Senate deputy chairman: Three-hour canvassing gave us 16 votes, says PTI candidate - The Express Tribune". 16 March 2015.
- ^ "Senate complete".
- ^ Khan, Hidayat (23 November 2015). "Dawn report". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
- ^ "Syed Shibli Faraz". Senate of Pakistan. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
- ^ a b Guramani, Nadir (25 August 2018). "PM Khan appoints Shibli Faraz as leader of the house in Senate". Dawn.
- ^ "Shibli Faraz, Raja Zafarul Haq appointed to top Senate slots". www.geo.tv. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- ^ APP (4 March 2020). "Senate passes Zainab Alert Bill 2020". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- ^ Malik, Hasnaat (25 February 2020). "Zainab Alert Bill: Senate panel drops death penalty in final draft". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- ^ "Shibli Faraz appointed new information minister, Asim Bajwa replaces Firdous Ashiq Awan". 27 April 2020.
- ^ "Firdous Ashiq Awan out, Shibli Faraz in". The News.
- ^ "Accountability process won't stop, says Shibli Faraz". DAWN.COM. 4 June 2020. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- ^ "Nawaz should answer about his assets abroad: Shibli Faraz". Dunya News. 14 February 2008. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- ^ "Govt to exhaust all legal options to bring back Nawaz Sharif: Shibli Faraz". www.geo.tv. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- ^ "Govt will not allow any harm to freedom of journalism: Shibli Faraz". Dunya News. 14 February 2008. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- ^ "Journalist Protection Bill finalised, says Shibli Faraz". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- ^ "Shibli Faraz terms PDM as 'group of hypocrites'". Dunya News. 14 February 2008. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- ^ "Shibli Faraz Flies Helicopter AS Pilot Fell Ill | Imran Khan Chakwal Jalsa | Breaking News".
- ^ "PTI's Shibli nominated as Senate opp leader". The Express Tribune. 19 April 2024. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- ^ "Shibli Faraz appointed new opposition leader in Senate". HUM News. 22 April 2024. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- ^ "Shibli seeks separate seats for govt, opposition senators". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- ^ "PTI's internal rifts widen as Sher Afzal Marwat refuses to work with Shibli Faraz, Omar Ayub". www.geo.tv. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- ^ Report, Staff (8 May 2024). "Marwat accuses Shibli Faraz, Omar Ayub for hindering meeting with PTI founder". Pakistan Today. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- ^ "Shibil Faraz, Pakistan's Opposition leader, praises India's 'peaceful' election process". The Indian Express. 14 June 2024. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- ^ "Pakistan's opposition leader praises 'enemy country' India's free and fair Lok Sabha elections". The Economic Times. 14 June 2024. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- ^ "Shibli Faraz berates govt for anti-people budget". Dunya News. 13 June 2024. Retrieved 12 October 2024.