Azra Fazal Pechuho (; ''

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

'' Zardari; born 21 February 1953) is a Pakistani politician who was the Provincial Minister of Sindh for Health, and Population Welfare, in office from August 2018 till August 2023 and again from March 2024. She had been a member of the

Provincial Assembly of Sindh The Provincial Assembly of Sindh is a unicameral legislature of elected representatives of the Pakistani province of Sindh, and is located in Karachi, its provincial capital. It was established under Article 106 of the Constitution of Pakis ...

from August 2018 till August 2023. She was a member of the

National Assembly of Pakistan The National Assembly of Pakistan, also referred to as ''Aiwān-ē-Zairīñ'', is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Pakistan, with the upper house being the Senate of Pakistan, Senate. As of 2023, the National Assem ...

, from 2002 to May 2018. She is serving as member of Provincial Assembly of Sindh since February 2024.

Early life and education

She was born on 21 February 1953 in

Larkana Larkana (; ) is a city located in the Sindh province of Pakistan. It is the 15th largest city of Pakistan by population. It is home to the Indus Valley civilization site Mohenjo-daro. The historic Indus River flows in east and south of the ci ...

Sindh Sindh ( ; ; , ; abbr. SD, historically romanized as Sind (caliphal province), Sind or Scinde) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, southeastern region of the country, Sindh is t ...

, Pakistan, to

Hakim Ali Zardari Hakim Ali Zardari (9 December 1930 – 24 May 2011) was a Pakistani politician who served as a member of National Assembly of Pakistan from 1972 to 1977,1988 to 1990 and then again from 1993 to 1996. He was also a landlord,a businessman and a ...

and Bilquis Sultana. She has three siblings,

Asif Ali Zardari Asif Ali Zardari (born 26 July 1955) is a Pakistani politician serving as the 14th president of Pakistan since 2024, having held the same office from 2008 to 2013. He is the president of Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians and was the ...

, Fauzia Abbasi and

Faryal Talpur Faryal Talpur (; ; ''née'' Zardari; born 26 April 1958) is a Pakistani politician who had been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from 2008 to May 2018 and a member of the Provincial Assembly of Sindh from August 2018 till August 20 ...

She is a physician by profession and has done

MBBS A Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (; MBBS, also abbreviated as BM BS, MB ChB, MB BCh, or MB BChir) is a medical degree granted by medical schools or universities in countries that adhere to the United Kingdom's higher education tradi ...

from the Dow medical college. She is married to Dr.Fazlullah Pechuho and has a son Muhammad Pechuho.

Political career

Pechuho was elected to the

as a candidate of

Pakistan Peoples Party The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is a political party in Pakistan and one of the three major List of political parties in Pakistan, Pakistani political parties alongside the Pakistan Muslim League (N) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. With a Cent ...

(PPP) from Constituency NA-213 (Nawabshah-I) in the

2002 Pakistani general election General elections were held in Pakistan on 10 October 2002 to elect the 12th National Assembly and four Provincial Assemblies. The elections were held under the military government of Pervez Musharraf. The two mainstream parties, Pakistan ...

. She received 75,237 votes and defeated Syed Zahid Hussain Shah, a candidate of

Pakistan Muslim League (Q) The Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid e Azam Group) ; ''Pākistān Muslim Līg (Qāf)'', Acronyms: PML(Q), PML-Q, PMLQ, "Q League" (officially registered as the Pakistan Muslim League) is a political party in Pakistan. As of the 2024 parliamentary e ...

(PML-Q). She was not a popular politician until the

assassination of Benazir Bhutto The assassination of Benazir Bhutto () took place on 27 December 2007 in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Benazir Bhutto, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan and then-leader of the opposition party Pakistan People's Party, had been campaigning ahead o ...

in 2007. After the assassination, she became the chancellor of

Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology SZABIST is a multi-campus private university with campuses in various major cities of Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates. Its main campus is located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Overview Begun in 1995 under the vision of its founder Pakistan ...

(SZABIST). Pechuho was re-elected to the National Assembly from NA-213 (Nawabshah-I) as a candidate of PPP in the

2008 Pakistani general election General elections were held in Pakistan on 18 February 2008 to elect members of the 13th National Assembly and the four Provincial Assemblies. On 3 November 2007 President Pervez Musharraf enacted a state of emergency; elections were initia ...

. She received 108,404 votes and defeated Syed Zahid Hussain Shah, a candidate of

Pakistan Muslim League (F) The Pakistan Muslim League (Functional) (, Acronym and initialism, acronym: PMLF, PML-F, PML (F)) is a Nationalism in Pakistan, nationalist and pro-Hurs clan political party in Pakistan. It is one of the List of Muslim League breakaway groups, br ...

(PML-F). Pechuho was re-elected to the National Assembly from Constituency NA-213 (Nawabshah-I) as a candidate of PPP in the

2013 Pakistani general election General elections were held in Pakistan on Saturday 11 May 2013 to elect the members of the List of members of the 14th National Assembly of Pakistan, 14th National Assembly of Pakistan, National Assembly and the four Subdivisions of Pakistan, Pr ...

. She received 113,199 votes and defeated Inayat Ali Rind, a candidate of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM). She was elected to the

as a candidate of PPP from Constituency PS-37 (Shaheed Benazirabad-I) in the

2018 Pakistani general election General elections were held in Pakistan on 25 July 2018 to elect the members of the 15th National Assembly and the four Provincial Assemblies. The three major parties were Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), led by Imran Khan, the Pakistan Muslim ...

. On 19 August, she was inducted into the provincial Sindh cabinet of Chief Minister

Syed Murad Ali Shah Syed Murad Ali Shah (; born 8 November 1962) is a Pakistani politician and structural engineer who is currently serving as the Chief Minister of Sindh province of Pakistan and a member of the Sindh Assembly. It is his third term as Chief mini ...

and was made Provincial Minister of Sindh for Health with the additional ministerial portfolio of Population Welfare.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pechuho, Azra Living people 1953 births Pakistani MNAs 2002–2007 Pakistani MNAs 2008–2013 Pakistani MNAs 2013–2018 Women members of the National Assembly of Pakistan Zardari family Pakistan People's Party MPAs (Sindh) Sindh MPAs 2018–2023 21st-century Pakistani women politicians