Summary
Zartaj Gul (Pashto, Urdu: زرتاج گُل ) is a Pakistani politician who served as Minister of State for Climate Change, in Imran Khan ministry from 5 October 2018 until 10 April 2022 when Imran Khan was ousted by a no-confidence motion. She remained a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan between August 2018 and January 2023.
Zartaj Gul | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 41th Minister for Interior | |
| Assumed office 27 March 2024 | |
| President | Asif Ali Zardari |
| Prime Minister | Shahbaz Sharif |
| Minister of State for Climate Change,Government of Pakistan | |
| In office 5 October 2018 – 10 April 2022 | |
| Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan | |
| Assumed office 29 February 2024 | |
| Constituency | NA-185 Dera Ghazi Khan-II |
| In office 13 August 2018 – 17 January 2023 | |
| Constituency | NA-191 (Dera Ghazi Khan-III) |
| In office 19 June 2013 – 31 May 2018 | |
| Constituency | NA-184 Dera Ghazi Khan-I |
| In office 10 October 2002 – 3 November 2007 | |
| Constituency | NA-184 Dera Ghazi Khan-I |
| 21st Interior Minister of Pakistan | |
| In office 10 November 2002 – 3 November 2007 | |
| President | Pervez Musharraf |
| Prime Minister | Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali Shaukat Aziz |
| Defence Minister of Pakistan | |
| In office 19 June 2013 – 10 October 2013 | |
| President | Asif Ali Zardari Mamnoon Hussain |
| Prime Minister | Nawaz Sharif |
| Mayor of Multan | |
| In office 31 December 1999 – 31 December 2004 | |
| Succeeded by | Sheikh Abdul Wahab |
| In office 1 January 2005 – 1 January 2010 | |
| Succeeded by | Sheikh Abdul Wahab |
| In office 8 February 2015 – 8 February 2019 | |
| Succeeded by | Sheikh Abdul Wahab |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1984 or 1985 (age 38–39)[1] Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan |
| Political party | Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (2005-present) |
| Spouse |
Humayun Raza Khan Akhwind
(m. 2010) |
| Alma mater | Queen Mary College National College of Arts, Rawalpindi |
| Website | https://zartajgulpti.com |
Early life and education edit
Gul hails from North Waziristan, born in Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa[2] to Ahmad Wazir, chief engineer of WAPDA and belongs to Wazir tribe.[3][2][1]
She obtained her early education in her native town Bannu and Miramshah before moving to Lahore with her family.[2] She attended Queen Mary College for her undergraduate studies and then National College of Arts for her postgraduate studies.[1] She did Textile Designing from National College of Arts.[2]
After completing her education, she joined Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)[4] and became a volunteer with Insaf Student Forum (ISF) in 2005.[2]
She moved to Dera Ismail Khan after getting married in 2010.[2]
Political career edit
Gul ran for the seat of the National Assembly of Pakistan as a candidate of PTI from Constituency NA-172 (Dera Ghazi Khan-II) in 2013 Pakistani general election but was unsuccessful.[4] She received 38,643 against 49,142 votes of Hafiz Abdul Kareem and lost the seat.[5]
She was elected to the National Assembly as a candidate of PTI from NA-191 (Dera Ghazi Khan-III) in 2018 Pakistani general election.[6][7][8][9] She received 79,817 votes and defeated Awais Leghari.[10]
On 5 October 2018, she was inducted into the federal cabinet of Prime Minister Imran Khan[11] and was appointed as Minister of State for Climate Change.[12]
Controversy edit
In June 2019, Gul was criticized by the media for allegedly using her position to influence NACTA in the appointment of her sister as a director in the authority. Gul's principal staff officer wrote an official letter to the Secretary Interior following up on a "telephonic conversation with Ms Zartaj Gul, Minister of State for Climate, regarding the appointment of Ms Shabnam Gul in NACTA".[13] Prime Minister Imran Khan was said to have taken notice of the situation, and asked Gul to withdraw her letter but Gul's sister was still appointed to the position.[14] NACTA later released a statement "clarifying" that the appointment of Shabnam Gul, Zataj Gul's sister, was merit-based even though she had no prior experience in the field.[15] No action was taken against Gul for having sent the letter in the first place even though Imran Khan's special assistant made a statement saying that no one in the PTI government can promote their relatives/friends by using their positions.[16]
References edit
- ^ a b c "Female factor: In DG Khan, Zartaj Gul Akhwand set to fight dynastic politics | The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 6 May 2013. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f "Zartaj Gul: breaking barriers in clan politics in southern Punjab | The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 13 August 2018. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
- ^ "Women For All Seasons".
- ^ a b "Zartaj Gul, a young woman who upended the Legharis' rule". Geo News. 2 August 2018. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
- ^ "2013 election result" (PDF). ECP. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
- ^ "Election results: Imran Khan's PTI on top". Geo News. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
- ^ "Live Blog - DAWN.COM". zartajgulpti.com/. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
- ^ PTI Ki Zartaj Gul Bazi Maar Gain - Election 2018 - Dunya News, Dunya News, retrieved 2023-07-20
- ^ Unofficial Result: PTI Zartaj Gul Wins NA-191, Abbtakk, retrieved 2023-07-20
- ^ "NA-191 Result - Election Results 2018 - Dera Ghazi Khan 3 - NA-191 Candidates - NA-191 Constituency Details". www.thenews.com.pk. The News. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
- ^ Reporter, The Newspaper's Staff (6 October 2018). "Six federal ministers administered oath". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
- ^ "Notification - 5 October 2018" (PDF). Cabinet Division. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
- ^ Durrani, Fakhar. "Zartaj Gul made official request to appoint her sister in Nacta". www.thenews.com.pk. The News. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
- ^ Tribune.com.pk (2019-06-03). "PML-N moves ECP against Zartaj Gul over sister's appointment". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 2019-06-04.
- ^ "NACTA CLARIFIES 'MERIT-BASED' APPOINTMENT OF ZARTAJ GUL'S SISTER". arynews.tv. 2019-06-01.
- ^ Post, The Frontier. "PM Imran Khan takes notice of Zartaj Gul's letter to NACTA". Retrieved 2023-05-27.