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Shireen Mazari

Summary

Shireen Mehrunnisa Mazari (Urdu: شیریں مہر النساء مزاری) is a former Pakistani politician who served the Federal Minister for Human Rights, from 20 August 2018 to 10 April 2022. She is the chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Appointment of Chief Election Commissioner and Members of the Election Commission of Pakistan. She has been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan since August 2018, and served as a chief whip for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. Previously, she was a member of the National Assembly from June 2013 to May 2018.[2][3]

Shireen Mazari
Minister of Human Rights
In office
20 August 2018 – 10 April 2022
PresidentMamnoon Hussain
Arif Alvi
Prime MinisterImran Khan
Preceded byRoshan Khursheed Bharucha (caretaker)
Succeeded byRiaz Hussain Pirzada
Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan
In office
13 August 2018 – 29 July 2022
Succeeded byAsiya Azeem
ConstituencyReserved seat for women
In office
1 June 2013 – 31 May 2018
ConstituencyReserved seat for women
Personal details
Born (1949-04-26) 26 April 1949 (age 74) Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan[1]
Nationality Pakistani
ChildrenImaan Zainab Mazari
Residence(s)Islamabad, Islamabad Capital Territory, Pakistan
Alma materLondon School of Economics
Columbia University[2]

Mazari studied at the London School of Economics and later received her PhD from Columbia University in political science.[2] Mazari joined Quaid-i-Azam University as an associate professor and went on to head the university's strategic studies department. In 2002, Mazari became the head of the government-funded Institute of Strategic Studies and remained until she was sacked in 2008. In 2009, Mazari became the editor of The Nation.[2]

Early life and education edit

Mazari, an ethnic Baloch,[4] is a graduate of the London School of Economics. She received her PhD in political science from Columbia University.[5][6][7]

Professional career edit

In 2008, Government of Pakistan removed Mazari from the post of Director General of The Institute of Strategic Studies where she was due to retire in 2009.[8][9][7][5][10]

In 2009, Mazari was appointed as the editor of The Nation.[5][9][11] She also hosted a weekly television show on the Waqt News.[7] Mazari came under intensive criticism from the Committee to Protect Journalists after she publicly alleged an American journalist to be a CIA spy.[12]

She had been an associate professor at Quaid-i-Azam University and later became chairperson of the university's Department of Defense and Strategic Studies.[7]

Personal life edit

Shireen is married to Tabish Aitbar Hazir. The couple has a daughter, Imaan Zainab Mazari Hazir[13] and a son Sabeel Hazir.[14][15]

Political career edit

Mazari joined the PTI in 2008[16][17] In 2009, she was Information Secretary and Spokesperson of PTI.[9][18]

In 2012, she resigned from PTI[16][17] where she was the Central Vice President[19] and in charge of Foreign Policy.[20] citing "policy differences and its takeover by corrupt elements"[10] after she was served a show cause notice by PTI for "making unfounded, incorrect, inaccurate and false statements in the media".[10]

She rejoined PTI in 2013.[17]

She was elected as the member of the National Assembly of Pakistan for the first time in 2013 Pakistani general election on the ticket of PTI on reserved seats for women from Punjab.[21][22][23][24][25]

She was the chief whip of PTI in the National Assembly of Pakistan.[26]

She was re-elected to the National Assembly as a candidate of PTI on a seat reserved for women from Punjab in the 2018 Pakistani general election.[27]

On 18 August, Imran Khan formally announced his federal cabinet structure and Mazari was named as Minister for Human Rights.[28] On 20 August 2018, she was sworn in as Federal Minister for Human Rights in the federal cabinet of Prime Minister Imran Khan.[29]

In January 2020, she strongly condemned an attack on Karak temple[30] by a mob of 1,500 local Muslims led by a local Islamic cleric and the supporters of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam party.[31]

In May 2022, she was arrested, but released after Islamabad High court ordered her release and called the arrest unlawful.[32]

Resignation edit

On April 10, 2022, because of the Vote of No Confidence VONC, She resigned from the National Assembly on the orders of Imran Khan. The newly elected Speaker accepted the resignations of eleven members on July 28, 2022, one of them was Shireen Mazari. [33] After the 09/05 vandalism of Army installations, the beneficiaries of regime change after accusing the PTI members and leadership, carried out mass scale arrests. Shireen Mazari upon 5 consecutive arrests and bails announced her retirement from active politics. On May 23, 2023, Shireen Mazari made the decision to leave the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party and publicly announced her retirement from active politics seemingly under considerable duress. Mazari cited personal reasons as the basis for her departure from the political arena.[34] But according to some sources Sheeren Mazari left politics as she was forced to leave politics by the PDM government and the Army Establishment.

Controversies edit

In 2019, after a terrorist attack in London, she chose to criticize Pakistan's leading newspaper Dawn for publicizing that the terrorist had been a man of Pakistani origin, rather than deploring the attack itself or offering condolences. She accused Dawn to pursue an anti-Pakistani agenda. While mobs surrounded the offices of Dawn calling for the editor to be hanged, she left the defense of the freedom of expression in Pakistan to others, such as Reporters without Borders.[35][36][37]

On 21 November 2020, Mazari while citing an online article, wrote on Twitter that French president "Macron [was] doing to Muslims was what the Nazis did to the Jews – Muslim children will get ID numbers (other children won't) just as Jews were forced to wear the yellow star on their clothing for identification". French government denounced Mazari's tweet as "fake news and false accusation" and stated that "the proposed ID would be for all children in France". Bina Shah, a writer and New York Times columnist, said "just like in Pakistan, where as soon as you register a child's birth, the child will get assigned a 13 digit number which is then their NIC number when they reach 18".[38][39] Later, Mazari deleted her tweet and issued a clarification stating that the article on the basis of which she had written her tweet has been amended. The online article, which was quoted by Mazari, now includes a clarification stating that the new law will be applied to all children in France. Foreign Ministry of France thanked Mazari for deleting her tweet and accepted her clarification.[40][41]

Shireen Mazari has also been criticized for her silence on China's persecution of Uyghurs during a talkshow at Al Jazeera. However, Mazari said that "there may be such cases in China and we have taken up those cases with the Chinese and that is how we deal with our allies."[42]

Works edit

Books edit

  • Pakistan's security and the nuclear option, Institute of Policy Studies, 1995, 167 p. Co-edited with Tarik Jan et al.
  • The Kargil conflict, 1999 : separating fact from fiction, Institute of Policy Studies, 2003, 162 p.

Research papers edit

  • Nuclear safety and terrorism : a case study of India, Institute of Strategic Studies, 2001, 46 p. Co-written with Maria Sultan.
  • Pakistan's nuclear doctrine and approach to arms control, Institute of South Asian Studies, 2005, 17 p.
  • Islam and the West' dialogue : what achievements? What new effective methods?, ISIS Malaysia, 2008, 16 p.

References edit

  1. ^ "1966-born Shireen Mazari arrested in a case registered in 1972". The Express Tribune (newspaper). 21 May 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2022. ...The former federal minister, who was born on April 26, 1951, was booked on a...
  2. ^ a b c d "Shireen Mazari". ARY News. 11 August 2018. Archived from the original on 19 December 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  3. ^ "PTI's chief whip: Shireen Mazari". The Express Tribune. 20 August 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  4. ^ "Shireen Mazari Twitter". Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  5. ^ a b c Markey, Daniel S. (2013). No exit from Pakistan : America's tortured relationship with Islamabad. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-10-762359-0. Archived from the original on 23 October 2016. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  6. ^ "Making some sense out of nonsense". Pakistan Today. Archived from the original on 4 March 2017. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  7. ^ a b c d "TheNation welcomes new Editor". The Nation. 8 September 2009. Archived from the original on 4 March 2017. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  8. ^ "ISSI DG Shireen Mazari removed". Daily Times. 15 May 2008. Archived from the original on 9 February 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2017.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  9. ^ a b c "Shireen Mazari replaces Arif Nizami as Editor The Nation". 8 September 2009. Archived from the original on 12 October 2011. Retrieved 4 March 2017.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  10. ^ a b c "Shireen Mazari quits PTI". DAWN.COM. 26 September 2012. Archived from the original on 5 March 2017. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  11. ^ "CIA slur has chilling parallel with Pearl". The Australian. 25 November 2009. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  12. ^ Dietz, Bob (16 November 2009). "International press decries attack on Rosenberg". Archived from the original on 3 April 2017.
  13. ^ "Imaan Hazir Mazari Net Worth, Age, Height, Weight, Husband, Dating, Bio & Wiki". 31 October 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  14. ^ "Shireen Mazari's daughter, Imaan, roasts Pak army for propping terrorists". The Times of India. December 2017.
  15. ^ "Shireen Mazari's daughter slams DG ISPR". Business Standard India. 30 December 2017.
  16. ^ a b "Shireen Mazari rejoins PTI - thenews.com.pk". The News. 20 March 2013. Archived from the original on 19 March 2013. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  17. ^ a b c "Reserved seats for women and the elite's hold on them - The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 7 June 2013. Archived from the original on 5 March 2017. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  18. ^ "Clarification". The News. 7 September 2009. Archived from the original on 20 February 2010. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  19. ^ "Shireen Mazari quits PTI - The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 26 September 2012. Archived from the original on 4 March 2017. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  20. ^ "Shireen Mazari resigns, alleges PTI hijacked by 'big money'". DAWN.COM. 26 September 2012. Archived from the original on 4 March 2017. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  21. ^ "Women, minority seats allotted". DAWN.COM. 29 May 2013. Archived from the original on 7 March 2017. Retrieved 7 March 2017.
  22. ^ "PML-N secures most reserved seats for women in NA - The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 28 May 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2017. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  23. ^ "Women's reserved seats: Top politicians' spouses, kin strike it lucky - The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 30 May 2013. Archived from the original on 12 February 2017. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  24. ^ "Bye bye PTI?". DAWN.COM. 4 June 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2017. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  25. ^ "Capital varsity bill passed amid walkout". DAWN.COM. 19 May 2015. Archived from the original on 4 March 2017. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  26. ^ "PTI's Mazari questions ISPR silence on army sackings". DAWN.COM. 22 April 2016. Archived from the original on 5 March 2017. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  27. ^ Reporter, The Newspaper's Staff (12 August 2018). "List of MNAs elected on reserved seats for women, minorities". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  28. ^ "PM Imran Khan finalises names of 21-member cabinet". DAWN.COM. 18 August 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
  29. ^ "16 ministers from PM Imran Khan's cabinet sworn in". DAWN.COM. 20 August 2018. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  30. ^ Basit Gilani (30 December 2020). "Historic Hindu temple set ablaze in KP's Karak". SAMAA. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  31. ^ "Pakistan arrests more than a dozen over Hindu temple attack". Aljazeera. 31 December 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  32. ^ "Video: When Shireen Mazari was arrested". www.geo.tv. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  33. ^ "Resignations of 11 PTI MNAs accepted". The Express Tribune. 28 July 2022.
  34. ^ Dawn.com (23 May 2023). "In first major blow for PTI, Shireen Mazari leaves party and quits 'active politics'". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  35. ^ Pakistan newspaper besieged by Islamists calling for editor to be hanged over London Bridge coverage, The Independent, 4 December 2019.
  36. ^ London Attack Coverage Prompted Riots Against a Pakistani Newspaper, Voice of America, 4 December 2019.
  37. ^ Recent attacks against independent media in Pakistan Archived 17 September 2020 at the Wayback Machine, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, 16 december 2019.
  38. ^ Staff (22 November 2020). "France demands Pakistan rectifies Macron Nazi jibe". Reuters. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  39. ^ Pakistan minister Shireen Mazari exposed, France busts her fake news newsable.asianetnews.com. 22 November 2020.
  40. ^ France thanks Shireen Mazari for deletion of tweet against President Macron. 22 November 2020. Geo News.
  41. ^ Mazari deletes tweet containing Macron Nazi jibe after news website issues correction. 22 November 2020. Dawn News.
  42. ^ Pakistan has taken up issue of Uyghurs with China: Shireen Mazari. 12 December 2019. Dialogue Pakistan.

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