Hamid Nasir Chattha

Chaudhry Hamid Nasir Chattha is a Pakistani politician from Wazirabad, Punjab. He was born on 15 November 1944 in Lahore. Throughout his career, he has held various significant positions within the provincial and federal governments of Pakistan.

Early life and education

Hamid Nasir Chattha is the son of Ch. Salah-ud-Din Chatha. He attended Aitchison College in Lahore during his early schooling years. After completing his initial education, he enrolled at Government College Lahore. He earned both his bachelor's degree and his master's degree in political science from the institution in 1966.

He later sought to study law at Lincoln's Inn in London. However, he was unable to complete his Bar-at-Law exam due to the death of his father. This personal loss interrupted his legal studies in the United Kingdom.

Career

Chattha began his political ascent in the Punjab province. Between 1981 and 1985, he served as the Provincial Minister of Punjab. During this period, he held the portfolios for both Health and Education. In the 1985 party-less elections, he secured one of the largest majorities in Punjab.

His influence expanded to the national level during the late 1980s. He served as the Speaker of the National Assembly from 1986 to 1988. As a federal minister between 1985 and 1986, he managed the portfolios of Information and Broadcasting and Science and Technology. Later, from 1990 to 1993, he held the portfolio of Planning. He also acted as the chairman of the special committee of Kashmir with the status of a federal minister.

Chattha was elected as a Member of the National Assembly (MNA) for several terms. These successful elections occurred in 1985, 1990, 1993, and 2002 from his constituency in Gujranwala. He eventually lost the 2008 National Assembly elections to Justice (Retd.) Iftikhar Ahmed Cheema. Following this defeat, he was elected as a Member of the Punjab Assembly.

Political shifts defined his later years in office. On 17 April 1993, he broke away from the PML and the IJI coalition led by Nawaz Sharif. This decision occurred just one day before President Ghulam Ishaq Khan dismissed the government. He subsequently joined the PML-J, a party originally founded by the late Mohammed Khan Junejo. Chattha currently serves as the president of the PML(J).

The PML-J has functioned as a coalition partner with the PPP-P at various times. During these periods, the party has produced two chief ministers of Punjab and one foreign minister. Chattha eventually decided to retire from active politics in 2013.

Personal life

Hamid Nasir Chattha is married and has a family consisting of two sons and two daughters. His sons are named Fayyaz Chatha and Ahmad Chatha. In his leisure time, he enjoys reading and watching cricket.