Ayesha Gulalai | |
|---|---|
| Member of theNational Assembly of Pakistan | |
| In office 1 June 2013 – 31 May 2018 | |
| Constituency | Reserved seat for women |
| Personal details | |
| Nationality | Pakistani |
| Political party | PML(Q) (2023-present) |
| Other political affiliations | PTI (2012-2017) PPP (2008-2012) APML (2008-2012) Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-Gulalai (2018-2023) |
| Relatives | Maria Toorpakay (sister) |
Ayesha Gulalai Wazir (Urdu:عائشہ گلالئی وزیر) is aPakistani politician who was a former Member of theNational Assembly of Pakistan from 2013 to May 2018.
Ayesha Gulalai was born in FR Bannu Domel wazir and received her M.Phil degree in Islamic Studies with Major in Comparative Religion from theUniversity of Peshawar.[1]
After graduating, she briefly worked as a journalist at English Daily The News International.[2]She also remained the chairperson of Tribal Union of Journalists and information secretary of FATA Reforms Committee.She is the sister ofMaria Toorpakay.[1][2]
Wazir began her political career as a human rights activist fromBannu domel.[3] She was a worker ofPakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) as coordinator for the women's wing inFederally Administered Tribal Areas.[2][4] She also has been a member of theAll Pakistan Muslim League (APML).[2][1] It was reported that PPPP was considering to give her a party ticket in2008 Pakistani general election to run for the seat of National Assembly, but she could not compete due to the restriction on the issue of age.[3][2]
In 2012, she joinedPakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)[5] and was nominated as a member of the PTI central committee.[3] Wazir was indirectly elected to theNational Assembly of Pakistan[6] as a candidate of PTI on a reserved seat for women from the FATA in2013 Pakistani general election.[3][7][8] She became the first-ever female Member of the National Assembly from FATA as well one of the youngest members of the parliament.[2]
She quit PTI in August 2017, accusing that the party does not guarantee respect and dignity to women. She has blamedImran Khan for inappropriate text messages sent to her in October, 2013.[9][10][11] She also refused to resign from the seat in the National Assembly.[12]
In February 2018, she launched her own partyPakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (Gulalai) (PTI-G),[13] as a faction of PTI.[14] The election commission of Pakistan allotted theracket as an electoral sign to PTI-G.[15] The party supports presidential form of democracy.[16]
For the2018 Pakistani general election, PTI-G gave tickets to fourtransgender persons to contest elections.[17][18]
Wazir ran for the seat of the National Assembly as a candidate of PTI-G from ConstituencyNA-25 (Nowshera-I), ConstituencyNA-53 (Islamabad-II), ConstituencyNA-161 (Lodhran-II) and from ConstituencyNA-231 (Sujawal) in2018 Pakistani general election but was unsuccessful and lost from all four seats.[19][20]
In May 2019, Gulalai askedBilawal Bhutto Zardari to merge his party (PPP) with PTI-G as she thought it had already been reduced to one province.[21]
In the2018 General Elections, PTI-G could only secure 4,130 votes in National Assembly and 1,235 in Provincial Assembly.[22] None of the party's candidates were able to win in any constituency.
On 25 May 2023, she joined PML-Q in a press conference.