Barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...

Muhammad Raza Hayat Hiraj (; born 21 July 1965) is a

Pakistani Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. As much as ...

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

who is the MNA from NA-144 (Khanewal-I) for the 16th

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 ...

and has been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from 2002 to May 2018.

Early life and education

He was born on 21 July 1965 to Mahr Khizar Hayat Hiraj. He received his LLB degree from

University of Leicester The University of Leicester ( ) is a public university, public research university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park, Leicester, Victoria Park. The university's predecessor, Univ ...

in 1992.

Political career

2002 Election

He 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-156 (Khanewal-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 ...

. He received 86,438 votes and defeated

Fakhar Imam Syed Fakhar Imam (; born 18 December 1942) 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 Educatio ...

, 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). He became part of

Pervez Musharraf Pervez Musharraf (11 August 1943 – 5 February 2023) was a Pakistani general and politician who served as the tenth president of Pakistan from 2001 to 2008. Prior to his career in politics, he was a four-star general and appointed as ...

's cabinet and served as Minister of State for Information Technology, Law, Justice, Human Rights, Parliamentary Affairs, and Overseas Pakistanis.

United Nations

On 13 October 2003, he articulated Pakistan's stance during the plenary session of the

United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; , AGNU or AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. Currently in its Seventy-ninth session of th ...

regarding equitable representation and the expansion of

Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...

membership. He said:

"Pakistan firmly believes that objectives of reform and expansion of the Security Council should be to promote greater democracy, and participation, and transparency, and accountability, in the work of the Security Council."

2008 Election

He was re-elected to the National Assembly as a candidate of

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

from Constituency NA-156 (Khanewal-I) 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 ...

. He received 71,381 votes and defeated Syed Fakhar Imam, a candidate of PPP.

Bill to Disqualify MPs with Dual Nationalities

In April 2011, he introduced a private constitutional amendment bill in the National Assembly seeking the disqualification of parliamentarians and bureaucrats holding dual nationalities or possessing assets or bank accounts outside Pakistan. Article 62 and 63 elaborate on the conditions under which a person can be removed. He remarked while presenting the bill before the House:

Those who take oath of loyalty to another country cannot safeguard the interests of Pakistan.

Demand for New Province

In August 2011, he highlighted the disparities in resource allocation between central and South Punjab and demanded a new province. He said:

Punjab spends around Rs. 25,000 per year on policing, health and education for one person in its central parts while the amount is reduced to Rs. 250 to 300 when it comes to a person in South Punjab. In our area, two cusec canal water is given for one thousand acres while in Faisalabad district they give 16 cusec for the same number of acres. If our demand for a new province is not met, we (MNAs from South Punjab) will resign from the National Assembly in protest.

2013 Election

He was re-elected as a member of the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

as an independent candidate from Constituency NA-156 (Khanewal-I) 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 ...

. He received 79,675 votes and defeated Syed Fakhar Imam, a candidate of

Pakistan Muslim League (N) The Pakistan Muslim League (N) or (PML(N)) is a Centre-right politics, centre-right, Conservatism in Pakistan, conservative political party in Pakistan. It is currently the third-largest party in the Senate of Pakistan, Senate and the larges ...

(PML-N). He was accused of rigging in the election and Syed Fakhar Imam filled rigging petition against him in the

Election Commission of Pakistan The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is an independent, autonomous, permanent and constitutionally established federal body responsible for organizing and conducting elections to the national parliament, provincial legislatures, local g ...

. In May 2013, he joined PML-N. He served as Minister of Housing and Works from 3 May 2011 to 19 June 2012.

2018 Election

In March 2018, he quit

PML-N The Pakistan Muslim League (N) or (PML(N)) is a Centre-right politics, centre-right, Conservatism in Pakistan, conservative political party in Pakistan. It is currently the third-largest party in the Senate of Pakistan, Senate and the larges ...

and joined

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is a political party in Pakistan established in 1996 by cricketer and politician Imran Khan, who served as the country's prime minister from 2018 to 2022. The party is led by Gohar Ali Khan since late 2023. ...

. He participated as a candidate of PTI from Constituency NA-156 (Khanewal-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 ...

and secured 92,039 votes but lost to Syed Fakhar Imam, who as an independent candidate secured 101,520 votes.

2024 Election

In the

2024 Pakistani general election General elections, originally scheduled to be held in 2023, were held in Pakistan on 8 February 2024 to elect the members of the List of members of the 16th National Assembly of Pakistan, 16th National Assembly of Pakistan, National Assembly. The ...

, he participated as an independent candidate from Constituency NA-144 Khanewal-I against Syed Abid Imam, the son of Syed Fakhar Imam and

Abida Hussain Syeda Abida Hussain–Imam ( b. 1948) is a Pakistani conservative politician, diplomat and socialite on the platform of the Pakistan Muslim League (N). Born into a feudal family in Pakistan, she served as the Pakistan Ambassador to th ...

. He won with 118,999 votes, while Syed Abid Imam secured 78,269 votes. He joined

on 14 February 2024. He took oath on 29 February 2024. On 7 March 2025, he was appointed Minister for Defence Production.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hayat Hiraj, Raza Living people Alumni of the University of Leicester Pakistani barristers Pakistani MNAs 2002–2007 Pakistani MNAs 2008–2013 Pakistani MNAs 2013–2018 Pakistan Muslim League (Q) MNAs Pakistan People's Party MNAs Pakistan Muslim League (N) MNAs 1965 births Pakistani MNAs 2024–2029