Zill-e-Huma Usman (16 September 1971 - 20 February 2007) was a Pakistani politician and

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and Entitlement (fair division), entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st c ...

activist. She served as a minister during the military dictatorship 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 ...

until her assassination.

Personal life

Zill-e-Huma earned her LLB in 1997 and later completed her Master's degree in

Political Science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

from the

University of the Punjab The University of the Punjab (UoP) is a public university, public research university in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan. Founded in 1882, its international influence has made it one of the most prestigious universities in South As ...

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

. Usman was married to Dr. Muhammad Usman Haider. They had two sons.

Career

She was the only member of her family involved in politics and was affiliated with the

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 ...

. 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 ...

, Usman contested for a seat in the

Provincial Assembly of the Punjab The Provincial Assembly of the Punjab, also known as the Punjab Assembly, is the supreme legislative body of Punjab, a province of Pakistan. It convenes at the Assembly Building in Lahore, the capital of Punjab. It is a unicameral legislature o ...

, receiving a significant number of votes. From 2003 to 2006, she served as the Parliamentary Secretary for Development and Planning, and in 2006, she was appointed as the Minister for Social Welfare for Women.

Assassination and trial

While serving as the Provincial Minister for Social Welfare in

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

, Usman was shot and killed on 20 February 2007 in

Gujranwala Gujranwala is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, fourth most-populous city in the Pakistani province of Punjab. Located in northern-central Punjab's Rachna Doab, it serves as the headquarters of its Gujranwala District, epony ...

, 70 km (43 miles) north of Lahore. She was meeting with party members when a man in the group opened fire, hitting her in the head. Usman was initially taken to a local hospital in Gujranwala but then airlifted to Lahore. She succumbed to her injuries during the surgery. Her assassin, Mohammed Sarwar, was reportedly motivated by her refusal to adhere to the Islamic code of dress and his opposition to women's involvement in politics. Sarwar had previously been imprisioned for murder and mutilation of four prostitutes and stated in a television interview, “I will kill all those women who do not follow the right path, if I am freed again”. On 20 March 2007, he was sentenced to death; but he died of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

Central Jail Lahore Kot Lakhpat Jail, officially known as Central Jail Lahore, is a prison located at Rakh Chandra ( Kot Lakhpat) in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. The jail houses more than four times the 4000 prisoner capacity it was built for. History Some prison ...

on 27 January 2012.

References

External links

The Australian
Pakistani minister killed for refusing to wear veil.
APP
Zille Huma Usman assassinated. 1971 births 2007 deaths Pakistani politicians Pakistani feminists Assassinated Pakistani politicians Deaths by firearm in Pakistan Proponents of Islamic feminism Pakistani Muslims People murdered in Punjab, Pakistan Victims of serial killers Asian politicians assassinated in the 2000s Politicians assassinated in 2007 {{PunjabPK-MPA-stub

Personal life

Career

Assassination and trial

See also

References

External links