Yousaf Raza Gillani – a profile

By Amjad Warraich

LAHORE: Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) nominee for prime minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani, is a seasoned politician with strong background of influential political family and vast experience of local to national level politics. Presently the vice chairman of the PPP, he served as the National Assembly speaker during Benazir Bhutto’s second government from 1993 to 1996 and as a federal minister in Muhammad Khan Junejo’s government from 1985 to 1988.

Like his elders, he has wonderful electoral track record. He made first entry to electoral politics in 1983 by defeating the then federal minister Syed Fakhar Imam in the elections for Multan district council chairman. He won a National Assembly seat in 1988 by defeating Mian Nawaz Sharif, the then PML Punjab president and caretaker chief minister of the province. His uncle and a veteren parliamentarian Makhdum Hamid Raza Gillani became his victim in 1990 elections. His 2008 opponent Sikandar Hayat Bosan was also a former federal minister. The only defeat Gillani received during his 25-year electoral politics was in 1997 when Bosan outclassed him.

Arrested in February 2001 by General Pervez Musharraf government under charges of misuse of authority, he spent almost six years in prison, where he wrote a book and also improved his profile to qualify for premiership, in the absence of any Bhutto or Zardari from the National Assembly.

He did not fight 2002 elections because of being in jail and got his nephew Syed Asad Murtaza Gillani elected to the National Assembly. Asad later joined the PPP-Patriots paving the way for allegations of secret deal against his jailed uncle. An old Formanite, Gillani hails from Multan, the most important city in southern Punjab. He belongs to an influential political family. His is the fourth generation in electoral politics.

Earlier, his great grandfather Syed Sadruddin Shah’s brother Syed Rajan Bux Shah was the first Gillani to be elected to Indian Legislative Council in 1921. He remained its member till his death in 1936. Gillanis joined the All India Muslim League in 1940s. Rajan’s nephew Syed Mohammad Raza Shah defeated Unionist party candidate and PPP’s another contender for premiership Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s grandfather Makhdum Murid Hussain Qureshi in 1946 elections. Raza Shah was the only non-official president of the Multan District Board before Partition, defeating British Depty Commissioner EP Moon in the elections. He was brother of Yousaf Raza’s grandfather Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah.

Raza’s son Hamid Raza Gillani won National Assembly seats in 1962, 1965, 1977 and 1985. He served as parliamentary secretary in 1960s and as a federal miniuster in Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s 1977 cabinet. He was elected to Senate of Pakistan in 1991. Mustafa Shah’s son and Yousaf’s father Makhdum Alamdar Gillani was elected to Punjab Assembly in 1951 alongwith his brother Syed Walayat Hussain Shah. Alamdar Gillani was elevated to provincial health minister in 1953. He joined newly born Republican Party in 1956 and was disqualified by Ayub government from electoral politics. His brother and Yousaf’s uncle Rehmat Shah filled the vaccum by joining Ayub’s Conventional Muslim League and winning a provincial seat along with Hamid Raza who kept on leading the family on the electoral scene till the time Yousaf ousted him in 1990. Another cousin of Yousaf Raza Gillani, Syed Tanvirul Hasan Gillani, also won a national seat in 1990 but from the platform of Islami Jamhuri Ittehad (IJI).

Yousaf is also closely knit in the network of feudal-cum-Makhdum politicians of Pakistan. Himself being descendent of Moosa Pak Shaheed, a great saint of Multan, Yousaf’s mother was a sister of Makhdum Hasan Mahmood of Jamaldinwali, Rahimyar Khan. Makhdum Hasan’s other sister was married to Pir of Pagaro. Some shrewed observers believe that Pir Pagara’s statement in favour of Makhdum Amin Faheem’s premiership was a successful attempt to discredit him and pave the way for his nephew’s elevation. Yousaf’s first maternal cousin Makhdum Ahmad Mahmood is provincial president of Pir Pagara’s Functional League. Ahmad Mahmood’s sister is married to General Musharraf’s former loyalist Jehangir Tareen.

The PPP leadership is sure that the combined force of three shrines including Gillanis of Multan, Makhdums of Jamaldinwali and Pirs of Pagaro is sufficient to counter Naulakhi (nine hundred thousand followers) seat of Makhdums of Hala Sharif.