Shireen M. Mazari

Shireen Mehrunnisa Mazari is a former Pakistani politician who served as the Federal Minister for Human Rights from 20 August 2018 to 10 April 2022. She is an ethnic Baloch and has held various roles within the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party. Currently, she serves as the chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Appointment of Chief Election Commissioner and Members of the Election Commission of Pakistan.

Early life and education

Mazari was born to Sardar Ashiq Mazari, who was a feudal lord from Rojhan Tehsil in the Rajanpur District of Punjab. She completed her studies at the London School of Economics. Later, she earned a PhD in political science from Columbia University.

Career

Her professional journey began in academia as an associate professor at Quaid-i-Azam University. She eventually became the chairperson of the university's Department of Defense and Strategic Studies. In 2002, Mazari took charge of the government-funded Institute of Strategic Studies. The Government of Pakistan removed her from this position in 2008, though she was originally scheduled to retire in 2009.

Mazari transitioned into journalism when she became the editor of The Nation in 2009. She also hosted a weekly television show on Waqt News. During this period, she faced criticism from the Committee to Protect Journalists after she alleged that an American journalist was a CIA spy.

Her political career started when she joined the PTI in 2008. She served as the Information Secretary and Spokesperson for the party in 2009. Although she held the role of Central Vice President and managed foreign policy, she resigned from the PTI in 2012. This resignation followed a show cause notice regarding statements she made in the media—a move she attributed to policy differences.

She rejoined the PTI in 2013 and was elected to the National Assembly for the first time via reserved seats for women from Punjab. Mazari served as the chief whip for the party in the National Assembly. Following the 2018 Pakistani general election, she was re-elected to a seat reserved for women. On 20 August 2018, she was sworn in as the Federal Minister for Human Rights under Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Her tenure included several notable moments of political tension. In January 2020, she condemned an attack on the Karak temple by a mob of 1,500 local Muslims. She also faced international scrutiny in 2020 after a tweet regarding French President Macron's policies was labeled as fake news by the French government. Mazari later deleted the tweet and issued a clarification once the source article was amended.

The final stages of her political career were marked by legal challenges and resignations. She was arrested in May 2022, but the Islamabad High Court eventually ordered her release, calling the arrest unlawful. On 10 April 2022, she resigned from the National Assembly following a Vote of No Confidence. After facing 5 consecutive arrests and bails, she announced her retirement from active politics. On 23 May 2023, Mazari left the PTI and publicly retired from politics, citing personal reasons—though some sources reported she was forced to leave by the PDM government and the Army Establishment.

Personal life

Mazari is married to Tabish Aitbar Hazir. The couple has two children: a daughter named Imaan Zainab Mazari Hazir and a son named Sabeel Hazir.