Yusuf Raza Gilani | |
|---|---|
یوسف رضا گیلانی | |
_(cropped).jpg) Gilani in 2025 | |
| 9thChairman of the Senate of Pakistan | |
| Assumed office 9 April 2024 | |
| Deputy | Syedaal Khan Nasar |
| Preceded by | Sadiq Sanjrani |
| Member ofSenate of Pakistan | |
| Assumed office 4 April 2024 | |
| In office 12 March 2021 – 29 February 2024 | |
| 16thPrime Minister of Pakistan | |
| In office 25 March 2008 – 19 June 2012 | |
| President | Pervez Musharraf Muhammad Mian Soomro (Acting) Asif Ali Zardari |
| Preceded by | Muhammad Mian Soomro (Caretaker) |
| Succeeded by | Raja Pervez Ashraf |
| 15thSpeaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan | |
| In office 17 October 1993 – 16 February 1997 | |
| Deputy | Syed Zafar Ali Shah |
| Preceded by | Gohar Ayub Khan |
| Succeeded by | Elahi Bux Soomro |
| Leader of the Opposition in theSenate of Pakistan | |
| In office 26 March 2021 – 30 January 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Raja Zafar-ul-Haq |
| Succeeded by | Shahzad Waseem |
| Minister for Housing and Works | |
| In office 1988–1990 | |
| Prime Minister | Benazir Bhutto |
| Preceded by | Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani |
| Succeeded by | Islam Nabi |
| Minister for Railways | |
| In office 28 January 1986 – 20 December 1986 | |
| Prime Minister | Muhammad Khan Junejo |
| Preceded by | Abdul Ghafoor Hoti |
| Succeeded by | Sardarzada Muhammad Ali Shah |
| Mayor of Multan | |
| In office 1983–1985 | |
| Succeeded by | Salahuddin Dogar |
| Member of theNational Assembly of Pakistan | |
| In office 29 February 2024 – 22 March 2024 | |
| Constituency | NA-148 Multan-I |
| In office 19 March 2008 – 19 June 2012 | |
| Constituency | NA-148 Multan-I |
| In office 19 October 1993 – 16 February 1997 | |
| Constituency | NA-148 Multan-I |
| In office 1990–1993 | |
| Constituency | NA-148 Multan-I |
| In office 1988–1990 | |
| Constituency | NA-148 Multan-I |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1952-06-09)9 June 1952 (age 73) |
| Political party | PPP (1980-present) |
| Spouse | Fauzia Gilani |
| Relations | Liaquat Bosan (brother in law) |
| Children | 5 inc.Kasim Gilani |
| Alma mater | Government College University University of the Punjab |
Yusuf Raza Gilani[a] (born 9 June 1952) is a Pakistani politician who served as the 16thprime minister of Pakistan from 2008 to 2012. He is currently serving as theChairman of the Senate of Pakistan since 2024.[1] Chairman Gilani served as the actingpresident of Pakistan from 20 May 2024 till 30 May 2024, this was during the period PresidentAsif Ali Zardari remained abroad.[2][3] Gilani is a veteran ofPakistan People's Party, and is currently serving as thevice-chairman of the party's Central Executive Committee, and in 2021 was elected as aSenator and his term ended when he took oath as aMember of the National Assembly of Pakistan on 29 February 2024 and vacated the seat on 22 March 2024.[4]
Born into a clan ofMultan, ethnically, Gilani studied political journalism from theGovernment College University andUniversity of the Punjab inLahore. In 1978, he joined thePakistan Muslim League and worked in themilitary government of presidentMuhammad Zia-ul-Haq. Gilani resigned from the Muslim League in 1986 and subsequently joined thePakistan People's Party in 1988. He served in the cabinet ofBenazir Bhutto as theMinister of Tourism in 1989–1990, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development in 1990–1993 andSpeaker of the National Assembly in 1993–1997. Gilani was arrested in 2001 on accusations of corruption by military presidentPervez Musharraf and was imprisoned for around six years at theAdiala Jail inRawalpindi.
Following the2008 general elections, Gilani was elected prime minister by theCentral Executive Committee of the People's Party. Upon inauguration, he strengthenedparliamentary democracy and began animpeachment motion against Musharraf, which prompted the latter to abscond from the country. Furthermore, Gilani initiated ineffectiveforeign policies,nationalisation programmes and founded theUniversity of Swat in July 2010. He is commonly credited with ending the judicial crisis in March 2009 and improvingnuclear energy projects throughout the country. In June 2012, Gilani was disqualified by theSupreme Court of Pakistan on corruption allegations. He briefly exiled from national politics until April 2017, when his disqualification term ended. He was theLeader of the Opposition in theSenate of Pakistan from 2021 to 2022.
Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani was born on 9 June 1952, inMultan,Punjab,West-Pakistan. Gillani moved to Lahore,Punjab.[5]Gillani attendedGovernment College University and obtained his B.A. in journalism in 1970,[6] and followed by anMA inPolitical journalism from theUniversity of the Punjab in 1976.[6] In an interview given to Vasatolah Khan ofBBC Urdu, Gilani maintained that "if he had not pursue his career in thenational politics, he would have been acivil engineer."[7]
His family is purportedly descended fromSunni theologianAbd al-Qadir al-Jilani and Sufi saintMusa al-Jilani.[8][9][10]
His father Makhdoom Syed Alamdar Hussain Gilani was one of the signatories of thePakistan Resolution and later served as the Federal and Provincial minister of Pakistan and Punjab respectively. His uncle Makhdoom Syed Wilayat Hussain Shah served as the chairman of the District council Multan whereas he also remained a member of the legislative assembly. His grandfather Makhdoom Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah also served as the chairman of the Municipal Corporation of Multan and later got elected as a member of the legislative assembly in the 1945–46 general elections. His great-grandfather Makhdoom Syed Sadar-ud-din Shah Gilani was invited to theDelhi Darbar in 1910 whereas Sadar-ud-Din Shah Gilani's Brother Makhdoom Syed Rajan Baksh Gilani remained a member of the legislative council and later served as the first Muslim mayor of Multan.[11][12][13][14][15][16]
His uncle Miran Muhammad Shah was a landlord and spiritual leader fromRahim Yar Khan whose daughter married thePir of Pagaro VII.[17]
His cousinJalil Abbas Jilani is a diplomat who served as theForeign Secretary of Pakistan in 2012–2013.[18]
Gillani is married to Fauzia Gillani,[19] together they have four sons and one daughter. His eldest son, Abdul Qadir Gillani, started his own political career fromMultan, and in 2008 he married the granddaughter ofPir PagaraShah Mardan Shah II, an influential political and religious leader ofSindh. Abdul Qadir is alleged to have been involved in a corruption case over arrangements for pilgrims to Mecca and in a scandal at a state-owned insurance company. Gillani's three other sons Ali Qasim Gillani, Ali Musa Gillani andAli Haider Gillani are triplets. Qasim Gillani is currently doing his undergraduate studies atBrunel University of London. Gillani's daughter Fiza Gillani is the Good-Will Ambassador of Women and has one son called Asfandyar Gillani. Musa Gillani in 2009 and was an MNA in his father's cabinet. Ali Haider Gillani studied atSchool of Economics in Lahore. Ali Musa Gillani after completing his studies is now actively participating in politics. Ali Musa was questioned by theAnti-Narcotics Force (ANF) agents over a scandal.[20]
On 9 May 2013, his son, Ali Haider Gilani, was kidnapped by several armed men in Multan in central Pakistan during an election rally. A group called the Al Mansuri Brigade kidnapped him.[21][22] He spent three years in captivity, before being rescued in a joint operation betweenAmerican-led NATO special forces and Afghan forces in May 2016.[23][24]
Yousaf Raza Gillani's political career started in themilitary government ofPresident GeneralZia-ul-Haq in 1978, after he joined as a member of the Central Working Committee (CWC) of thePakistan Muslim League (PML), alongside industrialistNawaz Sharif.[25] He soon left the PML, because of political differences with the PML's leadership.[25] He was chosen by General Zia-ul-Haq as a nominee for public servant work in Multan. In 1983, Gillani was elected as the chairman of the District Council Multan commonly known as District Mayor or Zila Nazim in Pakistan.[26]
He first ran in the non-partisan and technocratic1985 general elections and was elected as theMember of theNational Assembly (MNA) ofParliament[26] fromLodhran, but was later affiliated with the Pakistan Peoples Party after developing serious political differences with thePakistan Muslim League (PML), led by conservative leaderFida Khan.[25] Gillani fell out with Prime ministerMohammad Junejo and was sidlined from the Pakistan Muslim League (PML) by the senior leadership.[26] Later, he was ousted by Prime minister Junejo and was replaced by other members.[26] According to Gillani's personal account, he went toKarachi to meet with Benazir Bhutto during the 1980s and presented his political experience, wanting to join the Peoples Party.[26] After securing a party ticket and successfully running in the1988 general elections, Gillani joined the firstgovernment of Prime minister Benazir Bhutto and became minister of theMinistry of Tourism (MoT) in March 1989 until January 1990.[25] Later he became minister ofMinistry of Housing and Work Force.[25]
Gillani also retained his seat in the1990 general elections by gaining more than 60 Thousand votes. He once again successfully ran in the1993 general elections and took the oath of the office of Minister forMinistry of Local Government and Rural Development.[25] However, he resigned from his ministry after being nominated by Benazir Bhutto for office of theSpeaker of theNational Assembly of Pakistan in 1993. He was the Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan until 1997 when the newgeneral election in 1997 was held in the country. He was succeeded byIlahi Bux Soomro of thePakistan Muslim League-N on 2 February 1997.[25]
In July 2018, he contested from constituency NA-158 (Multan) but lost from PTI candidate Muhammad Ibrahim Khan. He secured 74443 votes and Muhammad Ibrahim Khan got 83304 votes.[27]
Yousaf Raza Gillani was arrested on 11 February 2001 by theMilitary Police functioning under the military-controlledNational Accountability Bureau (NAB)— an anti-corruption agency set up by the military government in 1999, over charges that he, along with other politicians, misused his authority while he was Speaker of the National Assembly in 1993–97. Specifically, he was accused of hiring up to 600 people from among his constituents and placing them on the government's payroll.[28] TheNAB claimed that Gillani inflicted a loss ofRs 30 million annually on the national exchequer.[29] He was convicted by an anti-corruption court headed by an active-duty officer appointed by General Musharraf and spent nearly six years in prison.[30]
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 tocoerce party members to switch sides. Thus his conviction by General Musharraf-backed courts and subsequent prison sentence were seen as marks of loyalty within the PPP. His imprisonment was widely condemned by various individuals across the country, includingMushahid Hussain Syed, a senior leader of thePML-Q.[citation needed] He was released on 7 October 2006 fromAdiala Jail, after spending more than five years in captivity.[31] On 26 April 2012, Prime minister Gillani was convicted on the charges ofContempt of Court, becomingPakistan's firstPrime Minister to be convicted while holding office.[32] He was sentenced to be held in custody till the rising of court, a symbolic sentence lasting 30 seconds.[33]
On 22 March 2008, after weeks of consideration, the elite members of theCentral Executive Committee accepted the nomination of Gillani over populistAmeen Faheem for the post of prime minister. Meanwhile, the Pakistan Peoples Party completed consultations and negotiations with the other parties to form a coalition alliance and the alliance 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 pmIslamabad, (16:38 GMT), Gillani was officially announced by the peoples party 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 overAmeen Faheem, a much powerful member of the central executive committee.Fahmida Mirza, the newly elected Speaker of the Assembly, insisted there was no plan to replace Gillani. She added, however, that if Gillani did not do a good job, all options were open.[34]
On 24 March 2008, Gillani was elected Prime Minister by Parliament, defeating his rival,Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi of the PML-Q, by a score of 264 to 42.[35] He was sworn in by Musharraf on the next day.[36] On 29 March, he won a unanimous vote of confidence in Parliament.[37]
On the same day, following thevote of confidence, Gillani announced his 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 Pakistan Peoples Party, nine were members of thePakistan Muslim League (PML), two were members of theAwami National Party, one was fromJamiat Ulema-e-Islam, and one came from theFederally Administered Tribal Areas. Other appointments were expected to follow.[39] Gillani consolidated his powers and successfully lessening the role of presidentPervez Musharraf who found it difficult to counter Gilani'scollective leadership with full force.[40] Musharraf failed to gather the support in the country, and Gillani's position was fairly secure; however he could not have remove Musharraf alone.[41]
Gillani secretly but more effectively persuaded his party's leadership to bring about an impeachment motion against President Pervez Musharraf.[42] According toThe News International, Gillani reportedly told at the meeting of the central committee that "they all should "swim and sink" with the political forces of PML in the larger interests of democracy.[42] Sources claimed that Gillani had raised concerns bout the deteriorating image of the peoples party, which was seen as working with Musharraf to the much annoyance of the media and the people of Pakistan.[42] Gillani assertively pleaded to central committee that "if at any stage they all have to make a final choice between Musharraf andNawaz Sharif, then central committee's leaders should be standing with the PML in line with the democratic credentials of the party."[43]
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.[44] At the close of 2008, Pakistan'sThe Financial Daily conducted a public poll on its website; respondents entered the names of their favourite personalities for the year, and Gillani was named among the top 50.[45] Musharraf's foreign trips were cancelled, and Gilani decided to paid astate visit to China instead of Musharraf, to attend theceremony of2008 Beijing Olympics.[46][47] A publicmovement led by thePeoples Party-Muslim league nexus, Musharraf dramatically resigned from the presidency after delivering an hour long farewell speech on 18 August 2008.[48] Reacting upon Musharraf's removal, Gillani publicly called for national celebration, and marked Musharraf's resignation as "historic day."[48] Nationwide celebration were held in the entire country.[48] In a special sitting of parliament, Gillani quoted to his collective alliance, "Today we have buried dictatorship for ever."[48]
In April 2010, Gillani announced theenergy policy to deal with the severe electricity shortage facing Pakistan.[49] In 2010, Gillani went on to attend theNuclear Security Summit held in Washington, D.C., where he issued a statement saying Pakistan would like to act as a provider and "participate in any non-discriminatory nuclear fuel cycle assurance mechanism.[50] His government tightened the nuclear safety programme, and expanded the role ofNuclear Regulatory Authority (PNRA).[50] In 2012, Gillani attended the2012 Nuclear Security Summit where he defended the right of Pakistan's access to nuclear technology for peaceful uses on a non-discriminatory basis.[51] His government announced the approval the safeguards agreements of the two commercial civil nuclear power plants, and inaugurated theCHASNUPP-III nuclear power plant in Chasma.[52] In 2012, Gillani gave approval of establishing two civilian nuclear power plant in Karachi to meet the future energy needs of financial and economical development.[52]
After the1988 general elections, he secured his ministerial appointment in theMinistry of Tourism in thegovernment of former prime ministerBenazir Bhutto, and since then, he had been a senior member ofparliament for theMultan District.[53] After his party secured theplurality in the1993 general elections, Gillani was elevated as the15thSpeaker of theNational Assembly by the Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, a post he held until 16 February 1997.[53] On 11 February 2001, Gillani was imprisoned inAdiala Jail by amilitary court instituted under PresidentPervez Musharraf[54] on accusations and charges of corruption, and released on 7 October 2006.[13][54]
On 9 April 2012, Gillani chaired the second energy conference held in Lahore.[55] As part of the federal government's energy conservation plan, Gillani had ordered that air-conditioners of the Prime Minister House and Prime Minister's Secretariat could not be switched on before 11 am.[56][57] According to the government sources, Gillani's government has levelled up the nuclear energy programme up ~ 78% for two combined 664 MW commercial nuclear plants,C-3 andC-4 atChashma Nuclear Power Complex to be completed at their record time.[58] The ground work onKarachi Nuclear Power Complex was also laid in 2012 as part of his nuclear policy.[58] Amid public rage and media pressure, the Gillani government also intensified its ground work on theThar coal electric project that could develop another source of cheap electricity generation, despite the strong opposition by the planning commission.[58]
On 18 June 2012, a strong and powerful public protest took place against the electricity shortage and load shedding, in Punjab Province.[59] The offices of WAPDA corporations were destroyed, a fashion mall was looted while a completely gutted a three carriages of the train.[60] After learning the news, Gillani summoned a national energy conference in Islamabad to take notice of power crisis.[61] Gillani ordered his staff to double its effort to harness the electricity by any means of force after chairing the conference.[62]
Pakistan does not harbourany aggressive designs against any state, but it is determined to defend its territorial integrity.... That is why we need to maintain a balance inconventional forces suitably backed byminimum credible deterrence. Pakistan will continue to "develop her military potential that guarantees peace with honour and dignity". "Our military capability is basically for the deterrence purpose while peace remains the ultimate cherished goal for Pakistan..."
— Yousaf Raza Gillani, describing the officialnuclear weapons policy statement in 2012, source[63]
In his first days of government, Gillani attempted to continue theprivatisation ofShaukat Aziz, but the programme was abruptly terminated after the2008 financial crisis.[64] Gillani accepted the resignation of twoFinance ministers[65] and surprisingly appointed the former minister privatisation and investment in the government ofShaukat Aziz, Dr.Abdul Hafeez Shaikh as a new Finance Minister.[66] Early attempts were to discontinue the nationalisation programme by Gillani's government and instead replacing it with a new system based on state capitalism.[67] The state-owned corporations were set off to privatisation menu and his government approved a new menu of privatisation based on public private partnership (PPP) with transfer of management control and 26% shares of 21 state owned enterprises (SOEs).[67] No timetable was given instead his government announced that the privatisation process would be completed when international market would be feasible.[67] During his first years of government, Gillani's government obtained unprecedented loans fromInternational Monetary Fund which increased the level of poverty in the country.[68]
In January 2012, Prime minister Gillani announced the "economic sector have been achieved during the first six months of the current fiscal due to the prudent policies of the present government".[69] In the parliament, Gillani pointed out that the fiscal deficit had come down from 9.4% to 7.6% and inflation that had reached 25% had been reduced to 9.7% during December 2011.[70] In a policy statement, Gillani stated that the "country's GDP growth rate will be 4% basically due to the enhanced agricultural production and the web of taxation has been increased".[70] The tax collection in 2011 was more 27% comparing to 2010.[69] An unsuccessful attempt was carried out by Gillani's government to privatise the mega-state corporations, particularly the power sector; major nationalised industries such asWAPDA,IESCo,TESCo,PEPCo were proposed by the finance ministry to privatise the power distribution companies.[71] Major worker's strike were initiated by the central labour unions, and after receiving much criticism, his government halted the privatisation programme of energy sector, and nationalised the remaining power sector industries due to public pressure.[72][73]
According to the calculation performed byTransparency International (TI), Pakistan has lost an unbelievably high amount, more than Rs 8,500 billion (Rs 8.5 trillion or US$94 billion), in corruption, tax evasion and bad governance during the last four years of Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani's tenure.[68] An adviser of TI acknowledged that "Pakistan does not need even a single penny from the outside world if it effectively checks the menace of corruption and ensures good governance".[68] The Transparency International also noted that the four years of the present regime under Gilani had been the worst in terms of corruption and bad governance in the country's history.[68]After the recognition of failure of privatisation programme, Gillani gave authorisation of controversialnationalisation programme after a cabinet meeting inKhyber Pakhtunkhwa Province on 15 December 2011.[74] Under this programme, three major and giant corporations,Steel Mills,Pakistan Railways andPakistan International Airlines (PIA), were brought down under the government ownership, in an attempt to restructure, and made profitable.[74]
On 1 June 2012, prime minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani claimed that the government was committed to resolving the energy crisis and achieving energy security for the country, adding that Pakistan's power sector was presently facing a wide demand-supply gap, which had necessitated the enhancement of generation capacity as well as related infrastructure.[75]
In spite of many attempts to produce effective outcomes, the dramatic high rise insuicide, corruption, national security, high unemployment, and without the sustainable economic policies along with compilation of other factors, the country's economy re-entered in the "era of stagflation" (a virtual period that country had seen in 1990s earlier).[76][77][78] ThePakistan economy slowed down dramatically to ~4.09% as compared to 8.96%—9.0% presided under his predecessor,Shaukat Aziz in 2004–08; while the yearly growth rate has come down from a long-term average of 5.0% to ~2.0%, though it did not reached to negative level.[77] Calculation performed by thePakistan Institute of Development Economics, it pointed out that the "nation's currency in circulation as a percentage of total deposits is 31%, which is very high as compared toIndia", where 40.0% of the population fell under the line of poverty, with 16.0% rise in the inflation during his four years of presiding over the country.[79] The new strict and tight monetary policy could not tame the soaring inflation, it did stagnate the economic growth.[78] One economist maintained that stagflation took place when the tight monetary policy did not encourage the strongprivate sector to play a key part in growth. Analyzing the stagflation problem, the PIDE observed that a major cause of continuous era of stagflation in Pakistan was lack of co-ordination between fiscal and monetary authorities.[78][79]
On 19 July 2008 at 11:06 pm (Pakistan Standard Time), Gillani appeared onPTV News in his first address to the nation. The main points in his address were focused on the crisis of flour shortage,load-shedding, terrorism andextremism, restoration of judges, economic downslide and, above all, inflation and unemployment in the country.
Gillani escaped an assassination attempt on 3 September 2008,[80] when unidentified gunmen fired shots at his motorcade near the garrison city ofRawalpindi, 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 inRawalpindi. 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 10 bullets in an attack nearIslamabad on 3 September 2008; Bashir said that Gillani was unharmed.[81] The Pakistan-basedTaliban group claimed responsibility for the attack.[82]
Upon coming to power, Gillani emphasised hismedia policy by noting to the fact that "a free and robust media is the main pillar of the Pakistan Government's media policy."[83] Gillani pushed forward a proposal which amended the "Draconian" laws in past to support media freedom in the country.[84]
Pakistan is not only a state but an idea and an ideal that our courageous and talented people strive, in their daily lives, to translate into reality.
— Gillani, 2011 state of the union address to Parliament, Cited source[85]
Gillani followed the cultural and television policy ofBenazir Bhutto and in the light of Supreme Court verdict, Gillani orderedPEMRA to blackout of Indian television channels, though he ordered the restoration of religious channels.[84] Gillani emphasised the role of Pakistan's media and encouraged the film, drama, and national performing art industry to promotenational spirit in the country.[84] In 2011, after theSecret Pakistan went on-air, Gillani ordered the blocking out of theBBC World and banned the channel in the country.[86] Banning of BBC World deeply concerned the BBC authorities and the BBC executives immediately met with Gillani to resolve the issue.[86] The BBC World was restored after BBC world ordered a full-fledged investigation into the matter.[86]
In 2011state of the union address at theParliament, Gilani spoke highly of culture, stating the historical cultural facts and values of cultural legacy of the country.[85] His state of the union address came in response to Americansecret raid thatkilledOsama bin Laden in May 2011. Gillani also participated and celebrated the 60th anniversary of thebilateral relations between Pakistan and China.[87] During the state visit ofWen Jiabao in 2010, Gillani and Wen proceeded to sign the cultural relations agreements after inaugurating thePakistan-China Friendship Centre, a centre of excellence of promoting the cultural relations of China and Pakistan.[88]
In 2012, Gilani lastly paid a state visit to the United Kingdom and met withBritish counterpartDavid Cameron which opened a new chapter in friendship when both the countries decided to transform their bilateral relationship into an "Enhanced Strategic Partnership", covering trade and commerce, economic development, defence and security, culture, education and health.[89] At the press conference with the British counterpart, Gillani termed thePakistan-UK relationship as unique, warm and cordial and said it was based on shared values, history, culture and strong people-to-people contact.[89]
During the judicial crisis of March 2009, Gillani played swift but vital role in ending the seriousjudicial crises in the country and is widely given credit with playing a central role in convincing PresidentAsif Ali Zardari to restoreChief JusticeIftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. This, according to some analysts, has strengthened his role as Prime Minister.[90]
Since 2008, his government and theParliament has carried out major constitutional amendments intended to enhance and strengthen the parliamentary democracy in the country.[91] In April 2010, the Parliament unanimously passed theXVIII Amendment which removed the presidential powers, limiting the role of presidency in the politics, and turned the political system of Pakistan from a semi-presidential to a parliamentary republic.[91] In December 2010, the XIX and XX amendments were passed which gave more power, responsibilities and strengthened the position of the office of prime minister.[92]
Immediately after holding the office, a multi-pronged strategy for tribal areas and the war in Afghanistan was approved by Gilani after reviewing the progress on thewar on terror and the law and order situation inKhyber Pakhtunkhwa.[93] Prime Minister Gilani's upcoming and then-newly appointed principal military adviser,ChairmanJoint Chiefs GeneralTariq Majid, presented and formalised a plan and strategy to tackle the insurgency with full military force.[94] Terming as "tri-services framework", the chairman joint chiefs' meeting with the Prime minister, emphasised the role ofinter-services to tackle the insurgency with full force, and "jointarmy-navy-air force efforts that are synergized within a framework of jointness and inter-operability to meet present and future challenges".[94] After a year of careful study, General Majid's plan was submitted to Gillani who approved the new strategy, which followed the new order of battle and new deployments of combat units of jointarmy-navy-air force in the north-western region.[94]
Unlike the predecessorAziz government's deployment, Gilani redeployed fresh combatant units of unifiedPakistan Armed Forces to take on the militants hiding in country's tribal areas. A full-scale inter-services' operation, codenameBlack Thunderstorm, took place inSwat in April 2009, which resulted in a complete success, followed by successful infiltration and dismantling of militancy in other areas ofTribal belt.[95] A final unified operation was commenced in 2009 under codename,Rah-e-Nijat, which brought the areas inflicted of terrorism back in the government control.[96]
In 2012, Gilani attempted to end the violence and bloodshed in Afghanistan after going toQatar to meet the topTaliban leadership.[97] Subsequently, Gilani discuss the representatives of Taliban andQatari government to established an office there. Gillani also secured his place at the negotiations on Afghanistan's future.[97]
After resuming the office, Gillani's foreign policy greatly relaxed therelationships with the United Kingdom, despite British counterpart's "harsh" comments oncountry's role in thewar on terror in 2010.[98] The comments brought hostility between two countries, though Gilani reconciled the matter with the British counterpart. In 2011, British Prime MinisterDavid Cameron visited Pakistan and called for "fresh start" in relations with Pakistan as he offered £650m in aid and better security co-operation.[99][100] In May 2012, Gilani paid back the trip to United Kingdom and held frank discussion with British counterpart to boost military and strategic ties and to increase bilateral trade, economic growth and development, cultural co-operation, security and education.[101] At the end of trip, Cameron and Gillani launched a Trade and Investment Framework to set out the steps both governments will take to promote investment, support business and achieve the target of increasing bilateral trade to $2.5 billion by 2015.[101][102]
If we do not establish a regional harmony based on trade, investment and economic growth, we fear, we will remain hostage to the past. The 21st century is the "Asian century", and Asia's role in the global economic order has changed rapidly.....
— Gillani,speech on theBoao Forum for Asia in the view of the Asian unity[103]
In 2012, he notably called for "Asian Unity" during the attending session of theBoao Forum for Asia in China. Gilani backed theChinese economic reform and defended a new transit trade agreement with Afghanistan and declaration of most-favoured nation status for India.[103] Gilani called for the united regional co-operation for building the gas pipelines and communication as factors that, in his view, alters the regional situation radically.[103] In 2010,relations with Germany was improved and Gilani succeeded in ratifying thefree-trade agreement and the investment treaty to increase the Germandirect investment in the country.[104] In May 2011, Gillani paid a three-daystate visit to France to hold discussion on security co-operation and economic partnership.[105] Gallani met withNicolas Sarkozy and signed agreement on co-operation on energy, telecommunication, infrastructure development, banking, environment, waste management and defence.[105]
Since assuming office of the premier, Gillani was planning to visit neighbouringAfghanistan, but some unresolved issues like absence of a joint platform to discuss bilateral issues, border conflicts, and different views on thewar on terror prevented the trip. Gillani visited Afghanistan with Chief of Army Staff GeneralAshfaq Pervez Kayani andISI Director-General Lieutenant-GeneralAhmed Shuja Pasha. After successful dialogue, it was mutually decided to form a Reconciliation Committee headed by foreign ministers of both the countries.[106]
On 22 December 2011, Gillani told an audience at the National Gallery that conspirators were plotting to bring down his government.[107]
In his first year of Premiership, he tried to resolve diplomatic relations with India, after the2008 Mumbai terror attack perpetrated by Pakistan based terrorist outfitLashkar-e-Taiba nearly pushed the two countries to the war-like situation; Gillani promised to his counterpart to bring and punish perpetrators of this heinous attack to justice. In 2011, Indian Prime ministerManmohan Singh described Gillani as "Man of Peace".[108][109][110]
Attempts were made to enhance diplomatic relations with the United States, however as the time passed, Gillani's relations with the United States became somewhat troubled, although United States maintained farewell relations with him.[111] On multiple occasions, he countered the US pressure and backed the military efforts to curbed down the militancy in the region.[112] After receiving heated criticism, Gilani repudiated the US claims that his country was falling short on fighting the war on terrorism.[112] Gilani countered the claims onCNN and maintained that: "If there is any credible, actionable information, please share with us, because are already working with you; myISI is working with theAmerican CIA. What else do you want?".[112]
The United States is into the election year and (President) Obama's decision has been aimed at gaining political mileage... President Barack Obama is using drone strikes in Pakistan tribal regions for political motives
— Yousaf Raza Gillani, 2012, Cited source[113]
In 2011, the relations with United States suffered a major set back and resentment when the United States unilaterally conducted asecret offence (see:Neptune Spear) inAbbottabad, which resulted in successful execution ofUsama Bin Laden. Immediately after learning the news, Gillani and President Zardari chaired a high-level meeting with the seniormilitary leadership in Islamabad.[114] Gillani reportedly announced that: "We will not allow our soil to be used against any other country for terrorism and therefore, I think it's a great victory, it's a success and I congratulate the success of this operation." Later Gilani blamed the world for their failure to capture bin Laden.[115] The relationship between Pakistan and the United States fell to a new low following theSalala Incident, with his government and the elite Pakistani military establishment reassessing their diplomatic, political, military and intelligence relationship with the United States.[116]
All majorNATO supply lines were immediately closed[117][118][119] leaving the blockaded supply trucks vulnerable to attacks.[120] On 26 November 2011, Gillani's government ordered the US to shut down and vacate thePAF Base Shamsi in the southwestern Balochistan province within a deadline of 15 days. On 10 December, the troops from theFrontier Corps took full control of the air force base as scheduled, and by 11 December all remaining American staff were evacuated.[121]Prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani informed the cabinet that Pakistan was at a critical juncture in its relationship with the US and NATO and it was time to make some important decisions."Decisions regarding ties with the US and NATO will be made in the national interest."[122] In December 2011, Gillani reportedly told the BBC interviewer that "his country does not trust the United States, and the feeling is mutual".[123] Although, he did goaded that relations were important and maintained: "We are working together and still we don't trust each other... we should have more confidence in each other..".[123]
Therelations with Russia were pushed to level of intensity of bilateral relations, which he termed it as "New Momentum".[124]
In 2011, Gillani and Russian PrimeVladimir Putin held a frank discussion in a cordial atmosphere on 10th Heads of Government meeting of theShanghai Cooperation Organisation.[125] Gilani successfully convinced Russia finance and invest in the large energy projects including Central Asia-South Asia 1000 (CASA-1000) to allow the international transition of the power generation from Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan to Pakistan. Russia has provided US$500 million for the CASA-1000 for the power transmission project.[125] In 2011, both countries initiated the work on the framework n the proposed Free Trade Agreement and currency swap arrangement to boost bilateral trade and further strengthen their economic ties.[125] On 4 March 2012, only few hours being re-elected, Gilani telephoned Putin and greeted him on his success in the election for the President of Russia, and quoted: "it was a testimony to the confidence the people of Russia had reposed in his leadership".[126]
On 10 October 2011, US-based businessmanMansoor Ijaz wrote in an opinion piece inThe Financial Times that he acted as an intermediary between thePakistan Government andUS administration, with the former requesting the help of the latter to avert amilitary coup in wake ofthe unilateral US raid that killed al-Qaeda leader,Osama bin Laden. He said that a senior Pakistan diplomat telephoned him with an urgent request early on 9 May, exactly a week after the raid against bin Laden.[127]
Though the Pakistan Government subsequently rejected his claims, it triggered a storm in the country's political science circles, especially between the civil government and the military. A judicial commission was subsequently appointed to investigate the matter.
Meanwhile,Chairman joint chiefsShameem Wynne's request to the supreme court for an independent probe into the matter was accepted. The court rejected the government's contention that the issue should be investigated by a parliamentary panel.[128]
Tensions between the government and the military reached a peak after Gillani said the armed forces and the intelligence chiefs had acted in an "unconstitutional and illegal" manner by filing affidavits on the memo issue in the Supreme Court. The military reacted within days through a strongly worded statement that said the premier's remarks could have "grievous consequences".[128]
Gillani retaliated by sacking Defence Secretary Lieutenant General (retired) Khalid Naeem Lodhi, a confidant ofchief of army staff GeneralPervez Kiani. He reiterated that the Defence Secretary was removed in accordance with the law as he had made a mistake by not following the government's rules. He maintained that he was only answerable to the Parliament.[129]
On 29 March 2012, a civilian resident of Johar Town Lahore, Tariq Ahmed, filed a court petition in theLahore High Court, seeking to hear the case of disqualification of Yousaf Raza Gillani.[130] The plea was filed in the High Court in which the petitioner took the stance that "Fauzia Gillani— spouse of Prime Minister Gillani received loans of millions of rupees from theAgriculture Development Bank Ltd (ADB) and theNational Bank of Pakistan for the two mega-corporation owned by the Gillani family of which Fauzia Gillani served both megacorporation's executive director. None of the loans of millions of rupees were paid back to the banks.[130]
The Constitution of Pakistan's Article 63(1)(n) and Article 63(1)(o) provide for a Member of Parliament's disqualification if he/she is a defaulter of a loan of more than PKR 2 million (63(1)(n)) or if his.her spouse or dependents have defaulted on payment of utility bills of more than PKR 10,000 (63(1)(o)).[131] Petitioner pointed out that apart from that in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities (SAL) as of 2007 investment in shares by her spouse, ownership of inherited assets and house in the Defence Housing Authority, Lahore (DHA Lahore), have not been declared in their SAL submission list given to theElection Commission of Pakistan.[130] The court after hearing the petitioner has asked the Deputy Attorney General to assist the Court on next hearing date 4 April 2012.[130]
The disqualification petition was put to rest by the ruling of theSpeaker of the National AssemblyDr. Fehmida Mirza, that the petition does not hold ground.[132]
On 26 April 2012, Gillani was convicted on the charges ofContempt of Court, becomingPakistan's firstPrime Minister to be convicted while holding office.[32] He was sentenced to be held in custody till the rising of court, a symbolic sentence lasting 30 seconds.[33] The verdict was a short order[133] and the full verdict of the court (over 70 pages)[134] had been reserved, and was handed over after few days' time. Gillani's lawyerAitzaz Ahsan announced that thePrime Minister shall file an appeal against theSupreme Court's verdict once the full verdict is handed over, despite opposition parties urgings.[135] However, Gilani refused to step down.[136]
On 28 May 2012, the issue of the disqualification of thePrime Minister was put to rest after a ruling bySpeaker of theNational Assembly Dr.Fehmida Mirza, not to send the disqualification reference to theElection Commission of Pakistan.[132]
Subsequently, the Prime Minister and his legal team decided not to file a petition against the conviction.[137] Talking to the media representatives, thePrime Minister maintained that he acted to defend theConstitution of Pakistan,[138] which according to theSupreme Court amounted tocontempt of court.[139]
On 24 May 2012, thePeoples Party directed the case to speaker of the National Assembly to review the case of Gillani, in light of the apex court's verdict.[140] The speaker ruled out that, despite being convict, Gillani cannot be disqualified from the provisions of the paragraphArticle 63(g) or eitherArticle 63(h) of theConstitution.[141] Following her rulings, the speaker also decided not to forwarded the reference against Gillani's disqualification toElection Commission. On 29 May, Gillani appeared in media and vigorously defended speaker's decision and quoted: "..(...) The National Assembly Speaker Dr. Fehmida Mirza's ruling pertaining to the disqualification reference was final and could not be challenged...()...".[142]
In 2015, Gilani was ordered to return a necklace that had been donated by the Turkish First Lady for the victims of the 2010 floods in Pakistan. The Gilanis had held on to it and kept it after being ousted from premiership.[143]
In 2021, a video emerged of Gilani's son offering cash for votes in Pakistan's Senate Elections. The ruling party at the time tried but failed to get the Election Commission to investigate the matter.[144][145]
After the Speaker's ruling was made public, the major opposition party in the parliament, thePakistan Muslim League, and the non-elected party, thePakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI), filed two separate petition in the supreme court, challenging the National Assembly Speaker Dr. Fehmida Mirza's ruling to save Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani from disqualification.[146] The petitioners pointed out thatArticle 184(3) of the Constitution stands to "disqualified in light of the apex court's verdict and that he should be barred from performing further duties as the prime minister."[146]
On 6 June 2012, the Supreme Court admitted the petitions and a three-member bench was formed to be headed byChief JusticeIftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry to hear the petitions.[147] After hearing petitions by both sides, the notices were sent to prime minister, speaker of the national assembly, and other concerned offices to the case. The hearing of the petitions was subsequently adjourned to 14 June 2012.[147] On 15 June, Gillani's lawyer senatorAitzaz Ahsan defended speaker's move, and argued that "the office of speaker was no more 'a post office' after the 18th Amendment as it had been drastically changed" and that "[the speaker] had used her quasi judicial powers and gave her ruling over the issue with due application of her mind".[148] Ahsan maintained that the prime minister had accepted the conviction but not disqualification.[148] On 17 June, Ahsan concluded that speaker's ruling was in accordance with parliamentary ethics and reiterated that the ruling in the contempt of court case did not refer to a disqualification of the prime minister.[149] Mirza also submitted the written statement in which, she maintained that the court's ruling did not order that a reference on the issue should directly be sent to the Election Commission, and has had the constitutional authority to decide over the disqualification of a member of the assembly.[149] Her written statement was discarded by the supreme court, and reserved the final decision of Gillani's qualification matter.[149] At the end of the proceedings, the chief justice marked that the petitions had stated that a "convicted person" was representing the people; the prime minister represented the public and not a party.[149] Minutes before adjourning the court, the chief justice quoted: "The fate of the people was in the hands of a man who had been convicted by the Supreme Court... (...)..".[149]
Finally on 19 June 2012, the Supreme Court of Pakistan ousted and further disqualified Prime Minister Gillani citing the earlier conviction on 26 April 2012.[150][151] The Supreme Court in its standing orders, said that "Gillani was ineligible to hold thePrime Minister's office after April 26th conviction" and all orders given by him till date would stand null and void.[152] Consequently, theElection Commission issued the government notification with regards to the disqualification of Gillani.[153] The country'selection commission noted that, accepting the rulings of Supreme Court, Gillani was disqualified as a member of parliament with effect immediately from 26 April 2012.[153]
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His disqualification term was ended in April 2017 and the Supreme Court allowed him to contest in the2018 Pakistani general election.[154]
He was PPP's candidate for Islamabad's general seat in the 2021 Senate Elections. He defeated the incumbent government's candidate Minister of Finance Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh in a major upset victory, prompting the incumbent PM Imran Khan to take a vote of confidence from theNational Assembly.
On 12 March 2021, he contested for the chairmanship of the Senate of Pakistan and lost to his rivalSadiq Sanjrani. Gilani received 42 votes, compared to his rival who received 48 votes. 7 votes were rejected.
In 2024, Gilani was elected unopposed as theChairman of the Senate.[155] Gilani was re-elected on 14 March 2024 after receiving 204 votes and currently is a Senator of theSenate of Pakistan.[156]
Chairman Gilani served as the acting-President of Pakistan from 20 May 2024 till 30 May 2024, from 10 October 2024 till 11 October 2024, from 30 October 2024 till 9 November 2024, from 4 February 2025 till 8 February 2025, from 9 February 2025 till 12 February 2025, from 13 March 2025 till 16 March 2025, from 12 September 2025 till 21 September 2025, from 27 September 2025 till 4 October 2025 and then again from 3 November 2025 till 6 November 2025, this was during periods thePresident of PakistanAsif Ali Zardari remained abroad.[157][158][159][160][161][162][163][164][165][166][167][168][169][170][171][172][173][174]
Gilani wasPrime Minister of Pakistan longer than any other person exceptLiaquat Ali Khan in a single term.[175] His tenure also witnessed what has been described as a "clash of state institutions, involving thegovernment (executive), thearmed forces and thejudiciary."[176] Gillani is prudently criticised for the prolongedEra of Stagflation, in which fundamentaleconomic problems were ignored,corruption, governmentmismanagement, and issues involving thelaw enforcement. Failure of the grand paramilitaryoperation inKarachi further damaged Gilani's position in the public circles.[177] DuringPervez Ashraf's tenure as leader, there was an increase in criticism of the Gillanian years, even after theNRO squabble was eventually resolved in the government headed by Pervez Ashraf.[176]
A consistently strong US ally as prime minister,[178] Gillani was ranked as the 38thmost powerful person in the world byForbes.[179] After years of confronting and resisting theSupreme Court of Pakistan rulings to reinstate thecorruption cases againstBenazir andAsif Zardari, he was convicted by the Supreme Court of violatingArticle 63(1)(g) of theConstitution of Pakistan, on 26 April 2012.[180] The verdict was rendered by the Supreme Court when it found him the guilty ofcontempt of court for refusing to reopen corruption cases against presidentAsif Ali Zardari, but it gave him only a symbolic sentence "till the rising of the court", a sentence lasting 30 seconds.[181] However, this 30-second sentence was a legal conviction, enough to unseat from office. On 19 June 2012, he was disqualified and ousted by the same Supreme Court from holding the prime minister's office,[182] with theChief JusticeIftikhar Chaudhry clarifying that: "Gillani had ceased to be [the] prime minister and (is) disqualified from membership of parliament on 26 April 2012, the date of his conviction".[183][184]
In the wake of the2008 general elections, his party formed a four-partycoalition alliance and nominated him for the office of Prime Minister. He is the first prime minister that holds the distinction (thus far, the only prime minister to have achieved this milestone) for successfully presenting five consecutivefederal budgets.[185] As Prime Minister, Gillani announced the formation of theTruth and Reconciliation Commission, rehabilitation of the troubled and war-torntribal belt, and promised to reduce the federal budget deficit as well as announcing his ambitions to improve the system ofeducation. This was followed by announcing the newagriculture, land andeconomic policy that lifted the bans onlabour andstudents' unions, while he worked on and implemented the newenergy andnuclear policies to tackle the energy crisis in the country.[186][187] But his policies, without meaningful economic reforms, led to a high rise in inflation and sharp decline in economic performance, a period referred to as the "Era of Stagflation".[188][189][190]
The Prime Minister while responding to the sentiments of the Iranian Interior Minister said that he considered Iran as his second home because his ancestors belonged to Gilan province which he intends to visit.
The atomic energy commission budget has been increased by a whopping 78% to Rs 39.2 billion in the upcoming financial year in a bid to up the ante on nuclear power plants for cheaper electricity.
Our military capability is basically for deterrence purpose while peace remains the ultimate cherished goal for us. We believe that military weakness invites aggression from stronger nations
_in_Amritsar%2c_India.jpg)
{{cite news}}:|last= has generic name (help)In a major blow to the economic liberals in government, the federal cabinet decided against the privatisation of eight of the largest state-owned companies, including Pakistan Steel Mills
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link){{cite news}}:|last= has generic name (help){{cite news}}:|last= has generic name (help)I am of the view that thecharges against Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani do not give grounds for a disqualification under paragraph (g) or (h) of the Constitution's Article 63... Dr. Fehmida Mirza
Chief Justice Iftikhar said the fate of the people was in the hands of a man who had been convicted by the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled Speaker National Assembly Fehmida Mirza's ruling as void and declared that Yousuf Raza Gilani stood disqualified since April 26
The text of the notification issued is followed as: "Consequent upon disqualification of Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani from being a Member of Parliament by the Honorable Supreme Court of Pakistan, vide Order dated 19th June, 2012 passed in Constitution Petition No. 40/2012 (Muhammad Azhar Siddique v. State of Pakistan) and other connected matters in terms of Article 63(1)(g) of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on and from the date and time of pronouncement of the judgment of the Supreme Court dated 26.04.2012, the Election Commission of Pakistan hereby issues Notification of disqualification of Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani as Member National Assembly of Pakistan with effect from 26.04.2012 and in consequence thereof the Notification No.F.2(4)/2008-Cord. dated the 1st March, 2008 to the extent of declaring him as returned candidate from National Assembly Constituency No. NA-151 Multan-IV stands rescinded with effect from 26.04.2012"
{{cite web}}:|last= has generic name (help){{cite web}}:Missing or empty|title= (help){{cite web}}:|last= has generic name (help)There was a court decision, he was given a 30 seconds sentence, I believe, and he remains the prime minister of Pakistan.
The Supreme Court (SC) has disqualified Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani as the prime minister in its short order of the NA Speaker ruling case, Geo News reported.
: Despite remaining in the eye of the storm because of allegations of corruption levelled against members of his family and cabinet colleagues, former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani will be known as a diehard party loyalist. The politician who preferred losing his job to going against the party decision, regardless of the fact that he had to disobey a Supreme Court order in the process, which eventually led to his disqualification as member of the National Assembly.
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| Preceded by | Prime Minister of Pakistan 2008–2012 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan 2024–present | Incumbent |
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