Fakhar Imam
Fakhar Imam
Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research
In office
6 April 2020 – 10 April 2022
PresidentArif Alvi
Prime MinisterImran Khan
Preceded byKhusro Bakhtiar
Succeeded byTariq Bashir Cheema
Chairman of Parliamentary Special Committee on Kashmir
In office
1 March 2019 – 6 April 2020
Succeeded byShehryar Khan Afridi
Federal Minister for Education
In office
9 November 1990 – 18 July 1993
PresidentGhulam Ishaq Khan
Prime MinisterNawaz Sharif
Federal Minister for Law
In office
9 November 1990 – March 1991
PresidentGhulam Ishaq Khan
Prime MinisterNawaz Sharif
Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs
In office
November 1990 – March 1991
PresidentGhulam Ishaq Khan
Prime MinisterNawaz Sharif
Leader of the Opposition
In office
June 1986 – May 1988
11th Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan
In office
22 March 1985 – 29 May 1986
DeputyWazir Ahmed Jogezai
Federal Minister for Local Government and Rural Development
In office
9 March 1981 – 8 December 1983
Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan
In office
13 August 2018 – 10 August 2023
ConstituencyNA-150 Khanewal-I
In office
1997 – 12 October 1999
ConstituencyKhanewal
In office
1990–1993
ConstituencyNA-121 Khanewal-I
In office
1985–1988
ConstituencyNA-111 Multan-I
In office
9 March 1981 – 24 March 1985
ConstituencyMartial Law Government
Personal details
Born (1942-12-18) 18 December 1942
Khanewal, Punjab, British India
Political party IPP (2023-present)
Other political
affiliations		 PMLN (2022-2023)
PTI (2018-2022)
PMLN (2013-2018)
PPP (2008-2013)
PML-Q (2001-2008)
PMLN (1997-1999)
PPP (1993-1996)
PMLN (1990-1993)
Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (1988-1990)
Pakistan Muslim League (1985-1988)
SpouseAbida Hussain
ChildrenSyeda Sughra Imam, Syeda Umme Kulsum, Syed Abid Hussain Imam

Syed Fakhar Imam (Urdu: سید فخر امام; born 18 December 1942)[1] is a Pakistani politician and statesman who has held several positions in the Government of Pakistan including, the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, the Minister for Law and the Minister for Education,[2] and served as Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research, from April 2020 to April 2022.[3] He was preceded by Malik Meraj Khalid, serving as the 11th speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan from 1985 to 1986.[4][5][6] Imam has previously worked as the Chairman of Pakistan's Parliamentary Special Committee on Kashmir.[7]

He was elected to the national assembly as independent party candidate and subsequently joined Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI).[8]

Early life and education

Imam was born on December 18, 1942, in Lahore. He belongs to Qatalpur, Khanewal District. His father, Syed Imam Shah AliGarh graduate (1933), served in British Army as Recruiting Officer and was a leading landlord of his area.[9][10] Imam studied at Aitchison College, Lahore, then joined Clifton College, an English public school before turning to study agriculture at the University of California, Davis.[2]

Early career

From 1968 to 1969, he served in Central Superior Services of the Government of Pakistan to gain an understanding of the bureaucracy; not intending to make it his life's work.[2][9][10] From 1970-1974, he worked in the private sector. In 1975, he served as Honorary Secretary for Board of Control for Cricket in Pakistan.[9][10] He was elected as the Chairman of Punjab Cricket Association from 1976 to 1977.[9][10]

Political career

In 1980, He began his political career when he was elected as the Chairman District Council, Multan and was appointed as Federal Minister for Local Government and Rural Development in 1981 and resigned as a matter of honor, in December 1983 when he lost his local district council election of Multan District by one vote.[2][11] From 1981 to 1982, Imam served as the Chairman of the Local Government Commission.[10]

Imam served as Chairman of the Sports Committee to promote the spirit of sports among youth and the educational institutions of Pakistan.[12]

In the non-party General Elections in February 1985, he was elected to the National Assembly from Multan District.[13]

11th speaker of National Assembly

On February 25, 1985, then-president Zia Ul Haq arranged non-party general elections and was confident of getting his favorite speaker, Khawaja Safdar and the father of Khawaja Asif elected to run the House.[14]

On March 22, 1985, by 119 votes to 111 votes, Imam defeated Safdar the chosen candidate for Chief Martial Law Administrator by Zia Ul Haq and Prime Minister Muhammad Khan Junejo,[2][15] what was widely seen as the biggest upset victory.[14]

Two months later, at the conclusion of the budget debate, Imam shocked the assembly when deemed martial law "illegal and without lawful authority" since funds needed to administer it were not reflected in the budget.[2]

On May 26, 1986, Rana Nazir Ahmad moved a no-confidence motion against Imam and 152 Members of the National Assembly voted to remove Imam while he received only 72 votes which resulted in removing him from the office.[14][16] After removing him from office, he served as the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly.[17]

Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir

In 2019, as a Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir, Imam was an advocate of the cause of Kashmir on numerous forums including the 141st Inter-Parliamentary Union which was held in Belgrade, Serbia on October 16, 2019, when he stated that the besieged Valley of Indian Occupied Kashmir may endanger global peace beyond repair if not addressed comprehensively.[18] As the head of the Pakistan Parliamentary Delegation, he presented a comprehensive account of Indian atrocities in Kashmir and requested world attention for resolving the long pending issue in accordance with the UN resolutions of 1948-49.[18]

On May 27, 2019, Imam expressed his sorrow and grief on the sad demise of ambassador Mohammad Yusuf Buch who died in New York after a long illness. Imam stated that the late Buch was a true Kashmiri, and a distinguished diplomat who served the country for a long time and the people of Pakistan particularly Kashmiri cannot forget his services while working in the United Nations for the Kashmir cause.[19]

Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research

President Arif Alvi administered oath to Imam as Federal Minister for National Food Security on April 6, 2020 in a ceremony held at the Aiwan-e-Sadr.[20]

Progress and Challenges faced as Minister for National Food Security and Research

  • Curbed the worst Locust attack in decades through coordination with Federal, Provincial and local agencies including senior officials and personnels of the Pakistan Army.[21]
  • The production of cotton in Punjab touched 4.5m bales at an increase of approximately 8.5 percent from last year while the overall cotton production is likely to reach 8.46 million bales.[22]
  • Agriculture policies after many years were made part of discussions, which resulted in the record production of four major crops namely;
    • Wheat production 27.5 million tonnes.[23]
    • Rice production 8.9 million tonnes.[24]
    • Maize production 8.5 million tonnes.[25]
    • Sugarcane production 88.7 million tonnes.[26]
  • The government's enhancement of MSP from Rs 1,400 to Rs 1,800 produced a good result in wheat production, which helped the country in harvesting the highest crop (27.5 million tons). Several factors helped in achieving this historic production including favourable weather conditions, availability of certified seed (513,000 tons), availability of fertilizers etc.[27]
  • Rs 10,594.31 million were being spent on projects launched under Agriculture Transformation Plan. About one lakh Kisan Cards were issued to the farmers and a subsidy to the tune of Rs 475 million were disbursed in 2021-2022.[28]

Representation of Pakistan

In 2022, Imam represented Pakistan in the 7th D-8 Ministerial Meeting on Agriculture and Food Security which was held virtually in Bangladesh from January 12 to 13, 2022 under the theme, Promotion of Climate Smart Agriculture: Key issues for D-8 Member States, ministers of agriculture, forestry, food, livestock, and rural development from Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Turkey participated in the meeting.[29]

On September 15, 2021, Imam represented the audience with Pakistan's National Food Security Policy and shared the achievements of Pakistan in the sector of agriculture and the production of staple foods in the Food Security in Asia: Prospects of Cooperation in the framework of CICA conference.[30]

In 2022, Imam inaugurated the National Agricultural Exhibition which was held on February 27 and 28, and arranged by the University of Sargodha.[31]

In 2023, Imam participated as the keynote speaker in the Food Security for Pakistan seminar organized by the Centre for Aerospace and Security Studies (CASS), where Imam pointed out that national security, international security and food security were all interlinked in his message on the Role of Agriculture Sector and Food Security in Pakistan,[32][33][34] and contended that the five major agri-universities in Pakistan were not up to international standards and had outdated curricula.[34]

Personal life

Imam is married to Syeda Abida Hussain who served as the Minister of Population Control and Census and Minister of Food and Agriculture in the government of Nawaz Sharif and Pakistan's ambassador to the US from 1991 to 1993. They have three children, Syeda Umme Kulsum, an entrepreneur, and Syeda Sughra Imam and Syed Abid Hussain Imam who are politicians.[35][36]

References

  1. ↑ "Syed Fakhar Imam". Pakistan Herald. Archived from the original on 2020-09-19. Retrieved 2017-07-29.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Syed Fakhar Imam: senior statesman still setting the tone". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
  3. ↑ Staff Reporter (April 8, 2020). "Fakhar Imam takes oath as Federal Minister". nation.com.pk.
  4. ↑ "Speakers / Presidents". na.gov.pk. 2010-02-04. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
  5. ↑ "Provincial Assembly of the Punjab Secretariat - Lahore - Pakistan" (PDF).
  6. ↑ "Speakers / Presidents". National Assembly of Pakistan. Archived from the original on 4 February 2010. Retrieved 26 February 2011.
  7. ↑ "Govt to appoint Fakhar Imam as Kashmir Committee chairman - Pakistan Today". www.pakistantoday.com.pk.
  8. ↑ "PTI govt decides to nominate Fakhar Imam as PAC chairman". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Ameen, Irshad (1999). پارليمنٹ بك 97ء. ISBN 978-969-8434-00-7.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Pakistan Affairs. Information Division, Embassy of Pakistan. 1980.
  11. ↑ Pakistan Affairs (Special Independence Day Issue) - Volumes 33-37.
  12. ↑ "Pakistan Sports Board" (PDF). sports.gov.pk/.
  13. ↑ "7TH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FROM 1985 TO 1988 LIST OF MEMBERS & ADDRESSES" (PDF). na.gov.pk.
  14. 1 2 3 "Fakhar Imam was removed after he shocked Zia". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2023-10-10.
  15. ↑ MUSHTAQ, ABDUL. "ROLE OF OPPOSITION IN CONTROLLING GOVERNMENT POLICIES IN NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF PAKISTAN (1985-88)". International Journal of Political Science, Law and International Relations (IJPSLIR).
  16. ↑ "Politics of Opposition in Pakistan (1977-88)" (PDF). prr.hec.gov.pk.
  17. ↑ Haroon, Asad (2013-03-23). "Former Speaker NA Syed Fakhar Imam joins PML-N". Dispatch news Desk. Retrieved 2023-10-11.
  18. 1 2 "FAKHAR LASHES OUT AT INDIAN ATROCITIES IN IOK AT THE IPU". na.gov.pk.
  19. ↑ "SYED FAKHAR IMAM CONDOLED THE DEATH OF FORMER AMBASSADOR YUSUF BUCH". na.gov.pk.
  20. ↑ "Fakhar Imam takes oath as Federal Minister". www.nation.com.pk.
  21. ↑ "Anti-locust operation completed over 26.26 million acres: NLCC". www.brecorder.com.
  22. ↑ "Fakhar urges researchers to come up with solutions aimed at boosting agri output". www.brecorder.com.
  23. ↑ "Minister for finalising MSP for wheat crop". www.brecorder.com.
  24. ↑ "Pakistan: Grain and Feed Update". www.fas.usda.gov.
  25. ↑ "Economic achievements of PM Imran Khan-led PTI govt (Part III)". news360.tv.
  26. ↑ Pakistan Economic Survey 2021-22.
  27. ↑ "Minister for finalising MSP for wheat crop". www.brecorder.com.
  28. ↑ "Minister says 100,000 tons of phosphate urea to be imported from China". www.brecorder.com.
  29. ↑ "The 7th D-8 Ministerial Meeting on Agriculture and Food Security successfully held". developing8.org.
  30. ↑ "Conference "Food security in Asia: Prospects of cooperation in the framework of CICA" (online), 15 September 2021". www.s-cica.org.
  31. ↑ "Minister to inaugurate national agri expo today". www.brecorder.com.
  32. ↑ "Food Security for Pakistan". casstt.com.
  33. ↑ Release, Press (2023-01-20). "National security can't be guaranteed without food security: speakers". Brecorder. Retrieved 2023-10-11.
  34. 1 2 "Call for agriculture reforms to ensure food security". The Express Tribune. 2023-01-20. Retrieved 2023-10-11.
  35. ↑ Tahir, Zulqernain (2021-09-07). "Forget US, get closer to Russia and China: Abida Hussain". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2023-10-08.
  36. ↑ "'I don't think Mr Modi is politically interested in starting a serious conversation with Pakistan'". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 2023-10-11.
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