Raja Ashfaq Sarwar Explained

Raja Ashfaq Sarwar
ex Member Punjab Assembly, PMLN
Minister for Labour & Human Resource
Term Start:11 May 2013
Title2:Secretary General PMLN Punjab
Term Start2:2008
Title3:Adviser to Chief Minister Punjab
Term Start3:2008
Term End3:2013
Title4:Member Punjab Assembly,
Minister for Health & Population Welfare
Term Start4:1997
Term End4:1999
Title5:Member Punjab Assembly,
Term Start5:1993
Term End5:1996
Title6:Member Punjab Assembly,
Minister for Youth Affairs
Minister for Forestry, Wildlife, & Fisheries
Term Start6:1990
Term End6:1992
Title7:Member Punjab Assembly,
Minister for Labour
Term Start7:1988
Term End7:1990
Birth Date:1954 10, df=yes
Birth Place:Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Alma Mater:Lawrence College
Party:Pakistan Muslim League (N)
Website:www.pmln.org.pk
Relations:Shahid Khaqan Abbasi (cousin)
Sadia Abbasi (cousin)
Term End2:26 March 2013
Term End:2018

Raja Ashfaq Sarwar (Urdu: ; 27 October 1954 — 11 April 2020)[1] was a Pakistani politician, Member of Punjab Assembly, former Adviser to Chief Minister of Punjab,[2] [3] and Minister for Labour and Human Resource.[4] He was Secretary General of the center-right party PMLN in Punjab.[5] He had held various portfolios over his career including Minister for Youth Affairs, Minister for Forestry Wildlife & Fisheries, and Minister for Health.

Early life and education

Raja Ashfaq Sarwar, born at Holy Family Hospital in Rawalpindi, hails from the village of Ghora Gali in the Murree Hills and is the eldest son of Raja Ghulam Sarwar (late) a two-time member of West Pakistan Assembly.[6] He attended Lawrence College.[7]

Political career

His political career started in 1988 when he successfully contested for a Punjab Assembly seat from Murree as an Independent candidate. He joined PML (a part of IJI then) later becoming PMLN, and was appointed Provincial Labour Minister.

He successfully contested for the same seat in 1990 and became the Punjab Minister for Forestry, Wildlife, Fisheries and Minister of Youth Affairs. Within the party he became President of PML Youth Wing Punjab where he appointed Khawaja Saad Rafique as general secretary. He was re-elected as an MPA in 1993 and 1997 where he became Provincial Minister for Health and Population Welfare up until the 1999 coup d'état by General Pervez Musharraf.

Following the Military Coup he took a break from his own elections to focus on strengthening PML N, and restoring Democracy and the Judiciary in Pakistan. During this period he was twice-elected as General Secretary of PMLN in Punjab and currently holds this position.[8] In 2008 he was appointed as Adviser to Chief Minister of Punjab Shahbaz Sharif.[7]

On 11 May 2013 he was again elected as Member of Punjab Assembly from his home constituency of PP-1 in Rawalpindi District, serving Tehsil Murree and Tehsil Kotli Sattian, maintaining his 100% electoral record.[9]

He died on 11 April 2020 at the age of 65 after a prolonged illness.[1]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2020-04-11 . PML-N loyalist Raja Ashfaq Sarwar passes away . 11 April 2020 . 24 News HD . en.
  2. Office of the CM of Punjab, "Advisory Council"
  3. Staff Reporter, "CM for ensuring all facilities to tourists" The Nation Newspaper Online 13 July 2010
  4. APP, "Nawaz, Shahbaz to become 3rd time PM, CM" The Business Recorder 3 June 2013
  5. Abdul Manan, PMLN-finalises-two-candidates-against-pm-ashraf/ "Next general election: PMLN finalises two candidates against PM Ashraf " Express Tribune 13 September 2012
  6. http://www.murreehill.com/polhis.html "Political History of Murree"
  7. Staff Writer, "Raja Ashfaq Sarwar Profile" Pakistan Herald
  8. Neem Rev, "Principles v Power – A test for the Pakistani Politician" The Emergency Times 20 January 2008
  9. Election Commission of Pakistan, "Punjab Assembly Results" Election of 11 May 2013