Shahid Khaqan Abbasi

Shahid Khaqan Abbasi is a Pakistani politician and businessman who served as the 21st Prime Minister of Pakistan from August 2017 to May 2018. He currently leads Awaam Pakistan (AP) as its chairman. Throughout his political life, he has held various leadership positions including senior vice president of the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) and secretary-general of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM).

Early life and education

Abbasi was born on 27 December 1958 in Dewal village, located in the Murree District of Punjab. He attended Lawrence College in Murree during his early schooling years. In 1978, he moved to the United States to attend the University of California, Los Angeles. He earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from that institution.

He continued his academic pursuits at George Washington University. After attending the university in 1985, he obtained a master's degree in Electrical Engineering. Following his graduation, he worked as a professional electrical engineer. He spent time working in the United States during the 1980s before relocating to Saudi Arabia to work on energy projects within the oil and gas industry.

Career

The political career of Abbasi began in 1988 following the death of his father, Khaqan Abbasi. He contested the National Assembly seat for Constituency NA-36 (Rawalpindi-I) as an independent candidate. He won the election with 47,295 votes and subsequently joined the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (IJI). His first term ended when the National Assembly was dissolved in August 1990.

He successfully ran for re-election in 1990 as an IJI candidate. He secured 80,305 votes and served as the Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Defence until April 1993. In the 1993 snap elections, he was elected for a third time representing the Pakistan Muslim League (N). During this period, he acted as the chairman of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly on Defence.

Abbasi won his fourth term in the 1997 general election. He secured 65,194 votes from Constituency NA-36 (Rawalpindi-I) and was appointed Chairman of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. He is credited with implementing reforms that helped the airline exit debt. However, his tenure at PIA ended following the 1999 Pakistani coup d'état.

Following the coup, Abbasi faced legal challenges related to a plane hijacking case involving General Pervez Musharraf. He remained in jail for 2 years before the court acquitted him in 2001. Although he was accused of corruption regarding the purchase of 200 computers for PIA, he was acquitted of those charges in 2008.

After losing the 2002 election, Abbasi focused on the business sector. He founded Airblue Limited in 2003 and served as its first chairman until 2007. He later transitioned to the role of chief operating officer for the company. He returned to politics in the 2008 general election and won his fifth term from Constituency NA-50 (Rawalpindi). During the Gillani ministry, he briefly served as the Minister for Commerce.

In the third Sharif ministry, which began after the 2013 general election, Abbasi served as the Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources. He held this position until July 2017 when Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was disqualified following the Panama Papers case decision. The National Assembly elected Abbasi as Prime Minister in August 2017. He later served as a Member of the National Assembly from October 2018 to August 2023.

Personal life

Abbasi's entry into public service was prompted by the passing of his father in 1988. He has been elected to the National Assembly for 8 non-consecutive terms since 1988. He has also been elected six times specifically for Constituency NA-50 (Rawalpindi).