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Shahbaz Gill | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chief of Staff ToImran Khan | |
| In office 12 April 2022 – 22 August 2022[1] | |
| President | Arif Alvi |
| Prime Minister | Imran Khan |
| Preceded by | Naeemul Haque |
| Succeeded by | Shibli Faraz |
| Imran Khan ministry#Special Assistants to the Prime Minister | |
| In office 13 May 2020 – 3 April 2022 | |
| Spokesperson of theGovernment of Punjab, Pakistan | |
| In office 2018–2019 | |
| Governor | Chaudhry Sarwar |
| Chief Minister | Usman Buzdar |
| Succeeded by | Aun Chaudhry[2] |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Faisalabad,Punjab,Pakistan |
| Political party | PTI (2018-present) |
| Alma mater | PhDUniversity of Malaya |
Muhammad Shahbaz Shabbir Gill (Urdu:محمد شہبازشبیرگل), commonly known asShahbaz Gill (Urdu:شہباز گل), is a Pakistani-American academic, lecturer, politician, former provincial spokesperson to theGovernment of Punjab, Pakistan, and former Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) of Pakistan toImran Khan. He was a member of theImran Khan cabinet from 13 May to 3 April 2022.[3] Currently he is the Chief of Staff of former Prime MinisterImran Khan following Khan'sremoval from office in April 2022.[4]
Gill was born into aPunjabiJat family inFaisalabad and received his early education there. He then pursued higher education abroad. He received a Ph.D. in Management and Leadership from theUniversity of Malaya in 2008. He started his teaching career in 2004 and has been a part of the faculty ofQuaid-i-Azam University andInternational Islamic University, Islamabad, before finally moving toCOMSATS University, Lahore. At the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, he worked as an Assistant Professor of Business Administration.[5]
Gill has been an assistant professor of business administration atInternational Islamic University, Islamabad. He was also an assistant professor of business administration at theUniversity of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.[citation needed]
Gill was appointed as a spokesperson for theChief Minister of Punjab, Pakistan,Usman Buzdar in 2018. In March 2019, Buzdar appointed him to inspect the government institutions and offices on his behalf.[6] He resigned from the post of spokesperson on 13 September 2019.[7]
On 9 August 2022, Gill was arrested on charges of sedition for allegedly trying to incite Pakistani army officers tomutiny. Gill was reportedly "dragged out of his vehicle" before being taken into custody. Gill was arrested for statements he made onARY News on 8 August about alleged rifts within Pakistan's military over Imran Khan's ouster from office during theno-confidence motion in April 2022.[8]
Gill testified in court that he had been on a hunger strike for four days and was not allowed to change his clothes and take a bath. Shahbaz's request for judicial remand was denied and police granted his requested two-day physical remand. While in custody, he and his party,Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, claimed that he was sexually assaulted. However, in a written statement submitted before the court, Gill stated that he hadn't been sexually assaulted by the police while in detention, though he still said that he was subjected to torture by investigators. Lawyers for Gill submitted a medical report by doctors ofCentral Jail Rawalpindi in which they declared that Gill was tortured.[9]
On 15 September 2022, Gill was released from Central Jail Rawalpindi on bail.[10]
