Yousaf Raza Gillani
Encyclopedia
Yousuf Raza Gilani is the current prime minister of Islamic Republic of Pakistan. He was nominated as Prime Minister by the PPP, with the support of its coalition partners, Pakistan Muslim League (N)
, Awami National Party
, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F)
and Muttahida Qaumi Movement
, on 22 March 2008. He took the oath of office from President
Pervez Musharraf
on 25 March 2008. Gilani is the first elected Prime Minister of Pakistan from the Saraiki-speaking belt
. In 2009 Gillani was ranked as the 38th most powerful person in the world by Forbes
.
. His father was a descendant of Syed Musa Pak
, a spiritual figure of the Qadiri Sufism
order which traces its origins to Abdul-Qadir Gilani. Yousaf Raza's grandfather comes from Paktia Province
, Afghanistan
. Gilani did his intermediate from Pakistan's famous University Forman Christian College University. He attended Government College
and obtained his B.A and M.A.
in Journalism
from University of the Punjab
. Gillani is married and has four sons, one daughter, and one grandson. His eldest son, Syed Makhdoom 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
. His three other sons Ali Qasim Gillani, Ali Musa Gillani and Ali Haider Gillani are triplets. Qasim Gillani is currently doing his undergraduate from Brunel University London whereas Musa Gillani completed his Masters from Queen Mary University of London in 2009. Ali Haider Gillani is studying at Lahore School of Economics, Lahore. Ali Musa Gillani after completing his studies is now actively participating in politics. Yousaf Raza Gillani's daughter's name is Fiza Gillani.
He is also famous for his scandalous affair with famous Pakistani Singer Nahid Akhtar in 1990s, with some rumors that he even married for some time after which she left singing.
in 1978. He joined the Central Working Committee of the Pakistan Muslim League
(PML). He was elected MNA from Lodhran first time the seat now hold saddique baloch NA 154. He was also a cabinet member in the three-year government of Prime Minister
Muhammad Khan Junejo
, and served as Minister of Housing and Works from April 1985 to January 1986 and as Railways Minister from January 1986 to December 1986.
After a short stint with the Muslim League
, Gillani joined the Pakistan Peoples Party
(PPP) in 1988 due to differences with Nawaz Sharif. In the Benazir Bhutto
government of 1988–1990, he was again elected MNA from other seat NA 152 now hold by Nawab liaqat ali, and he was Minister of Tourism from March 1989 to January 1990 and Minister of Housing and Works from January 1990 to August 1990. Later, under another Bhutto government, he became Speaker of the National Assembly in October 1993, serving in that post until February 1997. Gilani was defeated in 1997 by Sikander hayat Bosan of (PML-N) how was later a Minister in Shaukat Aziz cabinet. Gilani didnt contest the 2002 general election.
He has been elected various times as the Member of National Assembly from Multan. In the 2008 general election
, he beat Pakistan Muslim League (Q)
(PML-Q) leader Sikandar Hayat Bosan by a long margin.
(NAB), an anti-corruption agency, set up by the military government in 1999, over charges that he misused his authority while he was Speaker of the National Assembly. 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 formed by 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 Musharraf-backed courts and subsequent prison sentence are 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 22 March at 9:38 pm Islamabad
, (1638 GMT), he was officially announced by PPP 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, President of the PPP. Fahmida Mirza
, the newly-elected Speaker of the Assembly, insists there is 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 as 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 the programme for the first 100 days of his administration. Some of the points he announced were:
The first part of Gillani's Cabinet was sworn in on 31 March. Of the 24 ministers sworn in on this occasion, 11 were members of the PPP, nine were members of the Pakistan Muslim League (N)
(PML-N), two were members of the Awami National Party
, one was from Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam
, and one came from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas
. Other appointments were expected to follow.
On 13 May 2008, the PML (N) ministers resigned from Gillani's government due to a disagreement related to the reinstatement of judges whom Musharraf removed from office in 2007. Zardari, hoping to preserve the coalition, told Gillani to reject the resignations.
At the close of 2008, Pakistan's The Financial Daily conducted a public poll on its website; respondents entered the names of their favorite personalities for the year, and Gillani was named among the top 50.
In April 2010 he announced the Pakistan national energy policy
to deal with the severe electricity shortage facing Pakistan.
), Gillani appeared on Pakistan Television (PTV) in his first address to the nation. The main points in his address were focused on the crisis of flour
shortage, load-shedding
, terrorism
and extremism
, restoration of judges, economic downslide and, above all, inflation
and unemployment
in the country.The speech was a disaster as a result of which prime minister looked confused on account of mismanagement by his staff.
www.yusufrazagilani.org
. A spokesman for the Prime Minister's House said Gillani and members of his staff had escaped unhurt and were safe.He said police had been put on high alert and an investigation launched into the incident. The unidentified assailants fired at Gillani's motorcade on a highway. At least two shots hit the Prime Minister's bulletproof vehicle, TV channels quoted officials as saying. State-run PTV beamed footage of the damage caused by the bullets to the window of the driver's door of the vehicle. Reports said the incident occurred at a spot where former premier and PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif's motorcade was fired at on 27 December last year, shortly before Pakistan People's Party (PPP) chairperson Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in a suicide bombing in Rawalpindi.
According to Gillani's press secretary, Zahid Bashir, a car carrying Gillani was hit by ten bullets in an attack near Islamabad on 3 September 2008; Bashir said that Gillani was unharmed. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.
Gillani is credited with playing a central role in convincing the President
Asif Ali Zardari
to restore Chief Justice
Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry
. This, according to some analysts, has strengthened his role as Prime Minister
.
, but some unresolved issues like absence of a joint platform to discuss bilateral issues, border conflicts, different views on war on terror etc. prevented the visit to Afghanistan. But finally Mr. Gillani visited Afghanistan with Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani and ISI
Director-General Lieutenant-General Ahmed Shuja Pasha. After successful dialogue, it was mutually decided to form a Reconciliation Committee headed by foreign ministers of both the countries.
|-
Pakistan Muslim League (N)
The Pakistan Muslim League is a conservative political party in Pakistan, affiliated with Western conservatism...
, Awami National Party
Awami National Party
The Awami National Party is an Pashtun nationalist, socialist, centre-left political party in Pakistan affiliated with Socialist International...
, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F)
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam
The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam is a political party in Pakistan. It formed a combined government in national elections in 2002 and 2008...
and Muttahida Qaumi Movement
Muttahida Qaumi Movement
Muttahida Qaumi Movement generally known as MQM, is a liberal-secular political party of Pakistan. It is generally known as a party which holds immense mobilizing potential in province of Sindh...
, on 22 March 2008. He took the oath of office from President
President of Pakistan
The President of Pakistan is the head of state, as well as figurehead, of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Recently passed an XVIII Amendment , Pakistan has a parliamentary democratic system of government. According to the Constitution, the President is chosen by the Electoral College to serve a...
Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf , is a retired four-star general who served as the 13th Chief of Army Staff and tenth President of Pakistan as well as tenth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. Musharraf headed and led an administrative military government from October 1999 till August 2007. He ruled...
on 25 March 2008. Gilani is the first elected Prime Minister of Pakistan from the Saraiki-speaking belt
Saraiki people
The Saraiki people or Multani people are an ethnic group from the central and south-eastern areas of Pakistan, especially the former princely state of Bahawalpur and the districts of Multan, Lodhran, Vehari, Khanewal, Rahim Yar Khan, Rajanpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Muzaffargarh,...
. In 2009 Gillani was ranked as the 38th most powerful person in the world by Forbes
Forbes Magazine's List of The World's Most Powerful People
Starting in 2009, Forbes Magazine compiles an annual list of the world's most powerful people. The list has one slot for every 100 million people on Earth, meaning in 2009 there were 67 people on the list, in 2010 there were 68, and in 2011 there were 70. Slots are allocated based on the financial...
.
Family and education
Gillani was born in Checho ke Maliya on 9 June 1952. He belongs to an influential political family from MultanMultan
Multan , is a city in the Punjab Province of Pakistan and capital of Multan District. It is located in the southern part of the province on the east bank of the Chenab River, more or less in the geographic centre of the country and about from Islamabad, from Lahore and from Karachi...
. His father was a descendant of Syed Musa Pak
Syed Musa Pak
Shaikh Syed Abul Hassab Musa Pak Shaheed was Sufi and his mausoleum is located at Multan, Punjab, Pakistan. Shaikh Syed Abul Hassab was son of Syed Hamid Bakhsh Gilani. He was martyred in 1592 AD during a civil war of Langah tribe, when he received a bullet in his chest by chance. His shrine is...
, a spiritual figure of the Qadiri Sufism
Sufism
Sufism or ' is defined by its adherents as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a '...
order which traces its origins to Abdul-Qadir Gilani. Yousaf Raza's grandfather comes from Paktia Province
Paktia Province
Paktia , is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, in the east of the country. Its capital is Gardez. The population is predominantly Pashtun.- History:...
, Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. Gilani did his intermediate from Pakistan's famous University Forman Christian College University. He attended Government College
Government College University
Government College University, Lahore is a co-educational public university located on The Mall in Lahore, Pakistan...
and obtained his B.A and M.A.
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in Journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
from University of the Punjab
University of the Punjab
University of the Punjab , colloquially known as Punjab University, is located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. The University of the Punjab is the oldest and biggest University of Pakistan. The University of the Punjab was formally established with the convening of the first meeting of its...
. Gillani is married and has four sons, one daughter, and one grandson. His eldest son, Syed Makhdoom Abdul Qadir Gillani, started his own political career from Multan
Multan
Multan , is a city in the Punjab Province of Pakistan and capital of Multan District. It is located in the southern part of the province on the east bank of the Chenab River, more or less in the geographic centre of the country and about from Islamabad, from Lahore and from Karachi...
, and in 2008 he married the granddaughter of Pir Pagara Shah Mardan Shah II
Shah Mardan Shah II
HAZRAT PIR SYED MARDAN SHAH II is a political leader of Pakistan from the province of Sindh. He is the Pir Pagara, the leader of Sunni Sufi community of Sindh known as Hurs....
, an influential political and religious leader of Sindh
Sindh
Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...
. His three other sons Ali Qasim Gillani, Ali Musa Gillani and Ali Haider Gillani are triplets. Qasim Gillani is currently doing his undergraduate from Brunel University London whereas Musa Gillani completed his Masters from Queen Mary University of London in 2009. Ali Haider Gillani is studying at Lahore School of Economics, Lahore. Ali Musa Gillani after completing his studies is now actively participating in politics. Yousaf Raza Gillani's daughter's name is Fiza Gillani.
He is also famous for his scandalous affair with famous Pakistani Singer Nahid Akhtar in 1990s, with some rumors that he even married for some time after which she left singing.
Political career
Gillani's political journey began during General Zia-ul-Haq's martial lawMartial law
Martial law is the imposition of military rule by military authorities over designated regions on an emergency basis— only temporary—when the civilian government or civilian authorities fail to function effectively , when there are extensive riots and protests, or when the disobedience of the law...
in 1978. He joined the Central Working Committee of the Pakistan Muslim League
Pakistan Muslim League
The Pakistan Muslim League was founded in 1962, as a successor to the previously disbanded Muslim League in Pakistan. Unlike the original PML which ended in 1958 when General Ayub Khan banned all political parties, each subsequent Muslim League was in some way propped by the military dictators of...
(PML). He was elected MNA from Lodhran first time the seat now hold saddique baloch NA 154. He was also a cabinet member in the three-year government of Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Pakistan
The Prime Minister of Pakistan , is the Head of Government of Pakistan who is designated to exercise as the country's Chief Executive. By the Constitution of Pakistan, Pakistan has the parliamentary democratic system of government...
Muhammad Khan Junejo
Muhammad Khan Junejo
Muhammad Khan Junejo was the tenth Prime Minister of Pakistan.-Early life:He was born at Sindhri in Tharparkar of Sindh. He belongs to Sindhi Muslim Rajput family of Junejo clan. Junejo started his political career at the age of twenty one...
, and served as Minister of Housing and Works from April 1985 to January 1986 and as Railways Minister from January 1986 to December 1986.
After a short stint with the Muslim League
Pakistan Muslim League
The Pakistan Muslim League was founded in 1962, as a successor to the previously disbanded Muslim League in Pakistan. Unlike the original PML which ended in 1958 when General Ayub Khan banned all political parties, each subsequent Muslim League was in some way propped by the military dictators of...
, Gillani joined the Pakistan Peoples Party
Pakistan Peoples Party
The Pakistan Peoples Party , is a democratic socialist political party in Pakistan affiliated with Socialist International. Pakistan People's Party is the largest political party of Pakistan...
(PPP) in 1988 due to differences with Nawaz Sharif. In the Benazir Bhutto
Benazir Bhutto
Benazir Bhutto was a democratic socialist who served as the 11th Prime Minister of Pakistan in two non-consecutive terms from 1988 until 1990 and 1993 until 1996....
government of 1988–1990, he was again elected MNA from other seat NA 152 now hold by Nawab liaqat ali, and he was Minister of Tourism from March 1989 to January 1990 and Minister of Housing and Works from January 1990 to August 1990. Later, under another Bhutto government, he became Speaker of the National Assembly in October 1993, serving in that post until February 1997. Gilani was defeated in 1997 by Sikander hayat Bosan of (PML-N) how was later a Minister in Shaukat Aziz cabinet. Gilani didnt contest the 2002 general election.
He has been elected various times as the Member of National Assembly from Multan. In the 2008 general election
Pakistani general election, 2008
A general election was held in Pakistan on 18 February 2008, after being postponed from 8 January 2008. The original date was intended to elect members of the National Assembly of Pakistan, the lower house of the Majlis-e-Shoora...
, he beat Pakistan Muslim League (Q)
Pakistan Muslim League (Q)
The Pakistan Muslim League or officially Pakistan Muslim League is a centrist, modern political party in Pakistan. The present form of PML-Q was formed prior to 2002 general elections....
(PML-Q) leader Sikandar Hayat Bosan by a long margin.
Imprisonment
Yousaf Raza Gillani was arrested on 11 February 2001, under the auspices of the National Accountability BureauNational Accountability Bureau
The National Accountability Bureau is a federal executive agency of the Government of Pakistan, responsible and mandated for dealing with anti-corruption scandals, and also tasked with the gathering and managing the economic intelligence, and making efforts against the economic terrorism...
(NAB), an anti-corruption agency, set up by the military government in 1999, over charges that he misused his authority while he was Speaker of the National Assembly. 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
Pakistani rupee
The rupee is the currency of Pakistan. The issuance of the currency is controlled by the State Bank of Pakistan, the central bank of the country. The most commonly used symbol for the rupee is Rs, used on receipts when purchasing goods and services. In Pakistan, the rupee is referred to as the...
30 million annually on the national exchequer. He was convicted by an anti-corruption court formed by 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
Coercion
Coercion is the practice of forcing another party to behave in an involuntary manner by use of threats or intimidation or some other form of pressure or force. In law, coercion is codified as the duress crime. Such actions are used as leverage, to force the victim to act in the desired way...
party members to switch sides. Thus his conviction by Musharraf-backed courts and subsequent prison sentence are 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
Pakistan Muslim League (Q)
The Pakistan Muslim League or officially Pakistan Muslim League is a centrist, modern political party in Pakistan. The present form of PML-Q was formed prior to 2002 general elections....
. He was released on 7 October 2006 from Adiala Jail, after spending more than five years in captivity.
Prime Ministership
On 22 March 2008, the PPP nominated Gillani for the post of Prime Minister. PPP completed consultations with coalition partners about the Prime Minister and its allies 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
Islamabad
Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...
, (1638 GMT), he was officially announced by PPP 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, President of the PPP. Fahmida Mirza
Fahmida Mirza
Dr. Fahmida Mirza , sometimes also spelled as Fehmida Mirza , is a medical doctor, agriculturist and businesswoman from Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan who was elected as the first female Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan on March 19, 2008...
, the newly-elected Speaker of the Assembly, insists there is 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 as Prime Minister by Parliament, defeating his rival, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi
Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi
Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi , is a Pakistani politician. He was the Chief Minister of Pakistan's most populous province, Punjab, from 2002 to 2007. He is a senior leader and Provincial President of Pakistan Muslim League, Punjab....
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 the 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 commissionTruth and Reconciliation CommissionThe Truth and Reconciliation Commission was a court-like restorative justice body assembled in South Africa after the abolition of apartheid. Witnesses who were identified as victims of gross human rights violations were invited to give statements about their experiences, and some were selected...
” proposed
- PM House budget cut by 40 percent
- Special counters at airports for parliamentParliamentA parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
arians to be removed
- No money to be spent on the renovation of government buildings and residences
- A freedom of informationFreedom of informationFreedom of information refers to the protection of the right to freedom of expression with regards to the Internet and information technology . Freedom of information may also concern censorship in an information technology context, i.e...
law to be framed, while PEMRA will be made a subsidiary of the information ministry
- Talks will 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 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 labor and students' unionStudents' unionA students' union, student government, student senate, students' association, guild of students or government of student body is a student organization present in many colleges and universities, and has started appearing in some high schools...
s.
The first part of Gillani's Cabinet was sworn in on 31 March. Of the 24 ministers sworn in on this occasion, 11 were members of the PPP, nine were members of the Pakistan Muslim League (N)
Pakistan Muslim League (N)
The Pakistan Muslim League is a conservative political party in Pakistan, affiliated with Western conservatism...
(PML-N), two were members of the Awami National Party
Awami National Party
The Awami National Party is an Pashtun nationalist, socialist, centre-left political party in Pakistan affiliated with Socialist International...
, one was from Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam
The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam is a political party in Pakistan. It formed a combined government in national elections in 2002 and 2008...
, and one came from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas
Federally Administered Tribal Areas
The Federally Administered Tribal Areas are a semi-autonomous tribal region in the northwest of Pakistan, lying between the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and the neighboring country of Afghanistan. The FATA comprise seven Agencies and six FRs...
. Other appointments were expected to follow.
On 13 May 2008, the PML (N) ministers resigned from Gillani's government due to a disagreement related to the reinstatement of judges whom Musharraf removed from office in 2007. Zardari, hoping to preserve the coalition, told Gillani to reject the resignations.
At the close of 2008, Pakistan's The Financial Daily conducted a public poll on its website; respondents entered the names of their favorite personalities for the year, and Gillani was named among the top 50.
In April 2010 he announced the Pakistan national energy policy
Pakistan national energy policy
The Pakistan national energy policy was announced on April 22, 2010, by Prime Minister of Pakistan, Yousaf Raza Gillani in response to growing power shortages in the country. The announcement was made after a three day conference in Islamabad that discussed the causes of the power crisis in...
to deal with the severe electricity shortage facing Pakistan.
First public speech as Prime Minister
On 19 July 2008 at 11:06pm (Pakistan Standard TimePakistan Standard Time
Pakistan Time is the time zone for Pakistan. It is 5 hours ahead of GMT/UTC .The only tz database zone is Asia/Karachi.-History:The current Pakistan time was set up at midnight between 29 September and 30 1951...
), Gillani appeared on Pakistan Television (PTV) in his first address to the nation. The main points in his address were focused on the crisis of flour
Flour
Flour is a powder which is made by grinding cereal grains, other seeds or roots . It is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many cultures, making the availability of adequate supplies of flour a major economic and political issue at various times throughout history...
shortage, load-shedding
Rolling blackout
A rolling blackout, also referred to as load shedding, is an intentionally-engineered electrical power outage where electricity delivery is stopped for non-overlapping periods of time over geographical regions. Rolling blackouts are a last-resort measure used by an electric utility company in order...
, terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
and extremism
Extremism
Extremism is any ideology or political act far outside the perceived political center of a society; or otherwise claimed to violate common moral standards...
, restoration of judges, economic downslide and, above all, inflation
Inflation
In economics, inflation is a rise in the general level of prices of goods and services in an economy over a period of time.When the general price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services. Consequently, inflation also reflects an erosion in the purchasing power of money – a...
and unemployment
Unemployment
Unemployment , as defined by the International Labour Organization, occurs when people are without jobs and they have actively sought work within the past four weeks...
in the country.The speech was a disaster as a result of which prime minister looked confused on account of mismanagement by his staff.
www.yusufrazagilani.org
2008 assassination attempt
Gillani escaped an assassination attempt on 3 September 2008, when unidentified gunmen fired shots at his motorcade near the garrison city of Rawalpindi, officials said. The shooting occurred shortly after Gillani was returning from an official visit to the eastern city of Lahore. His motorcade was going to Islamabad from the high-security Chaklala military airbase in RawalpindiRawalpindi
Rawalpindi , locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad...
. A spokesman for the Prime Minister's House said Gillani and members of his staff had escaped unhurt and were safe.He said police had been put on high alert and an investigation launched into the incident. The unidentified assailants fired at Gillani's motorcade on a highway. At least two shots hit the Prime Minister's bulletproof vehicle, TV channels quoted officials as saying. State-run PTV beamed footage of the damage caused by the bullets to the window of the driver's door of the vehicle. Reports said the incident occurred at a spot where former premier and PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif's motorcade was fired at on 27 December last year, shortly before Pakistan People's Party (PPP) chairperson Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in a suicide bombing in Rawalpindi.
According to Gillani's press secretary, Zahid Bashir, a car carrying Gillani was hit by ten bullets in an attack near Islamabad on 3 September 2008; Bashir said that Gillani was unharmed. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.
Gillani's Role in Chief Justice restoration
During the political crisis of March 2009, Prime MinisterPrime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Gillani is credited with playing a central role in convincing the President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
Asif Ali Zardari
Asif Ali Zardari
Asif Ali Zardari is the 11th and current President of Pakistan and the Co-Chairman of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party . He is also the widower of Benazir Bhutto, who served two nonconsecutive terms as Prime Minister....
to restore Chief Justice
Chief Justice
The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Court of Final Appeal of...
Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry
Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry
Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry is the current Chief Justice of Pakistan.He became chief justice of Pakistan's Supreme Court in 2005 and soon became not only a central figure in the nation's political struggles but an icon to the country's legal profession and others campaigning for the rule of law...
. This, according to some analysts, has strengthened his role as Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
.
First Visit to Afghanistan
Since assuming office of the premier, Mr. Gillani was planning to visit the neighboring country AfghanistanAfghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, but some unresolved issues like absence of a joint platform to discuss bilateral issues, border conflicts, different views on war on terror etc. prevented the visit to Afghanistan. But finally Mr. Gillani visited Afghanistan with Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani and ISI
Inter-Services Intelligence
The Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence , is Pakistan's premier intelligence agency, responsible for providing critical national security intelligence assessment to the Government of Pakistan...
Director-General Lieutenant-General Ahmed Shuja Pasha. After successful dialogue, it was mutually decided to form a Reconciliation Committee headed by foreign ministers of both the countries.
External links
- Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani official Pakistan government site
- Yusuf Raza Gilani collected news and commentary at The IndependentThe IndependentThe Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
- Yousuf Raza Gilani collected news and commentary at The Times of IndiaThe Times of IndiaThe Times of India is an Indian English-language daily newspaper. TOI has the largest circulation among all English-language newspaper in the world, across all formats . It is owned and managed by Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd...
- Yousaf Raza Gilani – a profile, Daily TimesDaily TimesThe Daily Times is an English language Pakistani newspaper. Launched on April 9, 2002, Daily Times, which is simultaneously published from Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi, is edited by Rashed Rahman...
, 23 March 2008 - Profile: Yousuf Raza Gilani, Syed Shoaib Hasan, BBC NewsBBC NewsBBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
, 17 June 2009 - Profile at PakistaniLeaders.com
- Website devoted to Yousuf Raza Gilani
- Poem on Yusuf Raza Gilani
- Poem on Yusuf Raza Gilani And Parvaiz Musharraf on YouTube
- Musa Gillani Wedding
- 16 March 2009 Mp3 and text of Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani’s Address To The Nation
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