Syed Khurshid Ahmed Shah (

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

, Sindhi: ; born 13 November 1954) 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 and lawyer who has been 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 ...

since February 2024 and previously served in this position from August 2018 till August 2023 and between 1990 and May 2018. He served as the Leader of the Opposition in the

from June 2013 to May 2018. A leader of the

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), Shah was born in Sukkur and was educated at the Government Islamia Science College Sukkur. He served as the Leader of the Opposition in the

from June 2013 to May 2018. A leader of the

(PPP), Shah was born in Sukkur and was educated at the Government Islamia Science College Sukkur. Shah began his political career as the member of the Provincial Assembly of Sindh in 1988 and had been a member of the provincial cabinet, in various positions. He has been inducted into the federal cabinet thrice between 1993 and 2013. From 2012 to 2013, he also served as the parliament. On 18 September 2019, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Wednesday arrested senior PPP leader Syed Khursheed Shah in a case regarding his alleged assets beyond means. On 21 October 2021, Supreme Court released him on bail.

Early life and education

Shah was born on 20 April 1952. He completed his education from Government Islamia Science College, Sukkur. He received his master's degree in History in 1974 and his LLB in 1978, both from Islamia College, Sukkur. Shah is a professional lawyer and a businessman.

Political career

Shah began his political career after becoming a member of the Provincial Assembly of Sindh for the first time in

1988 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...

from Sukkur constituency on the Pakistan Peoples Party ticket, after which he became member of the provincial cabinet, in various positions. He served as the Minister for Education, Minister for transport, Minister for Import, Minister for Finance and Minister for Information. Shah was elected as the member of the National Assembly for the first time in

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

from Sukkur constituency. Shah was elected as the member of the National Assembly for the second time in

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

from Sukkur constituency. Shah was inducted into federal cabinet in 1993 and was appointed as a Minister for Education in Benazir Bhutto's second ministry. Shah was re-elected as the member of the National Assembly for the third time in

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

from Sukkur constituency. Shah was elected as the member of the National Assembly for the fourth time in

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

from Sukkur constituency. In 2012, Shah became chairman of the parliamentary committee on appointment of the

Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan The Chief Election Commissioner is the authority and the appointed chair of the Election Commission of Pakistan— an institution constitutionally empowered to conduct free and fair elections to the national and provincial legislatures. Befo ...

. Shah was re-elected as the member of the National Assembly for the fifth time in

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

from Sukkur constituency. Shah was inducted into the federal cabinet after the 2008 Pakistani elections and was appointed as a Minister for Labour, Manpower and Overseas Pakistanis from March 2008 to May 2011. Minister for Labour, Manpower and Overseas Pakistanis was divided into two ministries in 2009, and Shah remained with Minister for Labour and Manpower. He was given the additional portfolio of Minister for Religious Affairs, where he served from December 2010 to 2013, both in the

Gillani ministry The Gillani government began its operation into office on 31 March 2008 after Yusuf Raza Gillani was elected as Prime minister of Pakistan by the National Assembly on 25 March 2008. The swearing-in of the government’s cabinet was delayed for ...

. Shah was the parliamentarian leader of PPP in the National Assembly from 2008 to 2013. Shah, along with leaders of other political parties, was tasked with selection on the name for caretaker prime minister of Pakistan prior to the 2013 Pakistan election. Shah was re-elected as the member of the National Assembly for the sixth time in

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

from second Sukkur constituency. Shah was a potential candidate to become Prime Minister of Pakistan after

Yousaf Raza Gillani Yusuf Raza Gilani (born 9 June 1952) is a Pakistani politician who served as the 16th prime minister of Pakistan from 2008 to 2012. He is currently serving as the Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan since 2024. Chairman Gilani served as the acti ...

was disqualified from holding the office. In June 2013, Shah was appointed as the Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly by PPP. Shah is also chairman of the Public Accounts Committee in the National Assembly. Shah is said to have good relations with the leaders of other political parties in Pakistan. He was re-elected to the National Assembly as a candidate of PPP from NA-206 (Sukkur-I) in

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

. Following his successful election, PPP nominated him for the office of

Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan The Speaker of the National Assembly (Urdu: اسپیکر قومی اسمبلی); informally as Speaker National Assembly, is the Speaker (politics), presiding official of the National Assembly of Pakistan, National Assembly of Pakistan, the low ...

. He received 146 votes and lost the election to

Asad Qaiser Asad Qaiser (; born 15 November 1969) is a Pakistani politician from Swabi. He is the former Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan, served from August 2018 to April 2022. He has been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan since Fe ...

who received 176 votes. He was re-elected to the National Assembly as a candidate of PPP from

NA-201 Sukkur-II NA-201 Sukkur-II () is a constituency for the National Assembly of Pakistan. Assembly Segments Election 2002 General elections were held on 10 Oct 2002.Abdul Mujeeb Pirzada of PPP won by 51,694 votes. Election 2008 Gen ...

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 received 121,566 votes and defeated Muhammad Saleh Indhar, a candidate of

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Pakistan also known the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam or simply as Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) (; ; JUI (F)) is an Islamic fundamentalist political party in Pakistan. Established as the ''Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam'' in 1945, it is th ...

(JUI(F)).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shah, Syed Khurshid Ahmed 1952 births Living people Sindhi politicians People from Sukkur District Pakistan People's Party politicians Pakistani lawyers Pakistani MNAs 1990–1993 Pakistani MNAs 1993–1996 Pakistani MNAs 1997–1999 Pakistani MNAs 2002–2007 Pakistani MNAs 2008–2013 Pakistani MNAs 2013–2018 Pakistani MNAs 2024–2029 Sindh MPAs 1988–1990 Religious ministers of Pakistan Leaders of the opposition (Pakistan) Pakistani MNAs 2018–2023 Pakistani prisoners and detainees Saraiki people Provincial ministers of Sindh