Yusuf Raza Gilani


Yusuf Raza Gilani is a Pakistani politician who served as the 16th prime minister of Pakistan from 2008 to 2012. He is currently serving as chairman of the senate of Pakistan since 2024. A member of the Pakistan People's Party, Gilani remains the country's first and only ethnic Saraiki prime minister.
Born in Multan, Gilani studied political journalism from the Government College University and University of the Punjab in Lahore. In 1978, he joined the Pakistan Muslim League and worked in the government of President Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq. Gilani resigned from the Muslim League in 1986 and subsequently joined the PPP in 1988. He served in the cabinet of Benazir Bhutto as the Minister of Tourism in 1989–1990, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development in 1990–1993 and Speaker of the National Assembly in 1993–1997. Gilani was arrested in 2001 on accusations of corruption by military president Pervez Musharraf and was imprisoned for around six years at the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.
After the assassination of Benazir Bhutto in 2007, Gilani was elected prime minister in the 2008 general elections by the Central Executive Committee of the People's Party. Upon inauguration, he strengthened parliamentary democracy and began an impeachment motion against Musharraf, which prompted the latter to abscond from the country. Furthermore, Gilani initiated ineffective foreign policies, nationalisation programmes and founded the University of Swat in July 2010. He is commonly credited with ending the judicial crisis in March 2009 and improving nuclear energy projects throughout the country. In June 2012, Gilani was disqualified by the Supreme Court of Pakistan on corruption allegations. He briefly exiled from national politics until April 2017, when his disqualification term ended. He was the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate of Pakistan from 2021 to 2022.
Chairman Gilani served as the acting president of Pakistan from 20 May 2024 till 30 May 2024, this was during the period President Asif Ali Zardari remained abroad. Gilani is a veteran of Pakistan People's Party, and is currently serving as the vice-chairman of the party's Central Executive Committee, and in 2021 was elected as a Senator and his term ended when he took oath as a Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan on 29 February 2024 and vacated the seat on 22 March 2024.

Early life and education

Yusuf Raza Gilani was born on 9 June 1952, in Multan, Punjab, West-Pakistan, to a Saraiki family of Sufi Sayyids. He later moved to Lahore. Gilani attended Government College University and obtained his B.A. in journalism in 1970, and followed by an MA in Political journalism from the University of the Punjab in 1976. In an interview given to Vasatolah Khan of BBC Urdu, Gilani maintained that "if he had not pursued his career in the national politics, he would have been a civil engineer."

Personal life

Extended family

His family is purportedly descended from Sunni theologian Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani and Sufi saint Musa al-Jilani.
His father Makhdoom Syed Alamdar Hussain Gilani was one of the signatories of the Pakistan Resolution and later served as the Federal and Provincial minister of Pakistan and Punjab respectively. His uncle Makhdoom Syed Wilayat Hussain Shah served as the chairman of the District council Multan whereas he also remained a member of the legislative assembly. His grandfather Makhdoom Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah also served as the chairman of the Municipal Corporation of Multan and later got elected as a member of the legislative assembly in the 1945–46 general elections. His great-grandfather Makhdoom Syed Sadar-ud-din Shah Gilani was invited to the Delhi Darbar in 1910 whereas Sadar-ud-Din Shah Gilani's Brother Makhdoom Syed Rajan Baksh Gilani remained a member of the legislative council and later served as the first Muslim mayor of Multan.
His uncle Miran Muhammad Shah was a landlord and spiritual leader from Rahim Yar Khan whose daughter married the Pir of Pagaro VII.
His cousin Jalil Abbas Jilani is a diplomat who served as the Foreign Secretary of Pakistan in 2012–2013.

Immediate family

Gillani is married to Fauzia Gillani, together they have four sons and one daughter. His eldest son, Abdul Qadir Gillani, started his own political career from Multan, and in 2008 he married the granddaughter of Pir Pagara Shah Mardan Shah II, an influential political and religious leader of Sindh. Abdul Qadir is alleged to have been involved in a corruption case over arrangements for pilgrims to Mecca and in a scandal at a state-owned insurance company. Gillani's three other sons Ali Qasim Gillani, Ali Musa Gillani and Ali Haider Gillani are triplets. Qasim Gillani is currently doing his undergraduate studies at Brunel University of London. Gillani's daughter Fiza Gillani is the Good-Will Ambassador of Women and has one son called Asfandyar Gillani. Musa Gillani in 2009 and was an MNA in his father's cabinet. Ali Haider Gillani studied at School of Economics in Lahore. Ali Musa Gillani after completing his studies is now actively participating in politics. Ali Musa was questioned by the Anti-Narcotics Force agents over a scandal.
On 9 May 2013, his son, Ali Haider Gilani, was kidnapped by several armed men in Multan in central Pakistan during an election rally. A group called the Al Mansuri Brigade kidnapped him. He spent three years in captivity, before being rescued in a joint operation between American-led NATO special forces and Afghan forces in May 2016.

Political career

Yousaf Raza Gillani's political career started in the military government of President General Zia-ul-Haq in 1978, after he joined as a member of the Central Working Committee of the Pakistan Muslim League, alongside industrialist Nawaz Sharif. He soon left the PML, because of political differences with the PML's leadership. He was chosen by General Zia-ul-Haq as a nominee for public servant work in Multan. In 1983, Gillani was elected as the chairman of the District Council Multan commonly known as District Mayor or Zila Nazim in Pakistan.
He first ran in the non-partisan and technocratic 1985 general elections and was elected as the Member of the National Assembly of Parliament from Lodhran, but was later affiliated with the Pakistan Peoples Party after developing serious political differences with the Pakistan Muslim League, led by conservative leader Fida Khan. Gillani fell out with Prime minister Mohammad Junejo and was sidlined from the Pakistan Muslim League by the senior leadership. Later, he was ousted by Prime minister Junejo and was replaced by other members. According to Gillani's personal account, he went to Karachi to meet with Benazir Bhutto during the 1980s and presented his political experience, wanting to join the Peoples Party. After securing a party ticket and successfully running in the 1988 general elections, Gillani joined the first government of Prime minister Benazir Bhutto and became minister of the Ministry of Tourism in March 1989 until January 1990. Later he became minister of Ministry of Housing and Work Force.
Gillani also retained his seat in the 1990 general elections by gaining more than 60 Thousand votes. He once again successfully ran in the 1993 general elections and took the oath of the office of Minister for Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development. However, he resigned from his ministry after being nominated by Benazir Bhutto for office of the Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan in 1993. He was the Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan until 1997 when the new general election in 1997 was held in the country. He was succeeded by Ilahi Bux Soomro of the Pakistan Muslim League-N on 2 February 1997.
In July 2018, he contested from constituency NA-158 but lost from PTI candidate Muhammad Ibrahim Khan. He secured 74443 votes and Muhammad Ibrahim Khan got 83304 votes.

Imprisonment

Yousaf Raza Gillani was arrested on 11 February 2001 by the Military Police functioning under the military-controlled National Accountability Bureau — an anti-corruption agency set up by the military government in 1999, over charges that he, along with other politicians, misused his authority while he was Speaker of the National Assembly in 1993–97. Specifically, he was accused of hiring up to 600 people from among his constituents and placing them on the government's payroll. The NAB claimed that Gillani inflicted a loss of Rs 30 million annually on the national exchequer. He was convicted by an anti-corruption court headed by an active-duty officer appointed by General Musharraf and spent nearly six years in prison.
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 General Musharraf-backed courts and subsequent prison sentence were 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 the PML-Q. He was released on 7 October 2006 from Adiala Jail, after spending more than five years in captivity. On 26 April 2012, Prime minister Gillani was convicted on the charges of Contempt of Court, becoming Pakistan's first Prime Minister to be convicted while holding office. He was sentenced to be held in custody till the rising of court, a symbolic sentence lasting 30 seconds.

Prime Minister (2008-2012)

On 22 March 2008, after weeks of consideration, the elite members of the Central Executive Committee accepted the nomination of Gillani over populist Ameen Faheem for the post of prime minister. Meanwhile, the Pakistan Peoples Party completed consultations and negotiations with the other parties to form a coalition alliance and the alliance endorsed the nomination. The formal announcement of the name of prime minister was expected to be made that night.
On 22 March at 9:38 pm Islamabad,, Gillani was officially announced by the peoples party as its candidate for the premiership of the country. Many analysts said that they would not be surprised if Zardari succeeded Gillani after a few months. It was reported on 24 March 2008, that Zardari said he was not interested in the job of prime minister and that Gillani would serve until 2013 in the position. Speculation that Zardari might be gunning for the premiership grew stronger when he picked the less popular Gillani over Ameen Faheem, a much powerful member of the central executive committee. Fahmida Mirza, the newly elected Speaker of the Assembly, insisted there was no plan to replace Gillani. She added, however, that if Gillani did not do a good job, all options were open.
On 24 March 2008, Gillani was elected Prime Minister by Parliament, defeating his rival, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi of the PML-Q, by a score of 264 to 42. He was sworn in by Musharraf on the next day. On 29 March, he won a unanimous vote of confidence in Parliament.
On the same day, following the vote of confidence, Gillani announced his 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 to 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 education curriculum.
  • One million housing units to be built annually for low-income groups.
  • Irrigation channels to be bricklined.
  • Appointed Prof. Ghulam Hussain Saleem and Wazir Ibadat adviser to the prime minister for Gilgit Baltistan Affairs.
  • A lifting of the bans on elected labour and students' unions.