Javed_Hashmi

Javed Hashmi

Makhdoom Muhammad Javed Hashmi (Urdu: مخدوم محمد جاوید ہاشمی ) (born January 1, 1948 in Makhdoom Rashid, Multan) is a Pakistani political central leader of PML-N. An agriculturist by profession, he graduated with masters in Political Science and later in Philosophy from University of the Punjab. He turned to politics in 1985, and has been elected to the National Assembly for the terms of 1985-1988, 1990-1993, 1993-1997, and 1997-1999. From 1997-1999, he served as Federal Minister for Health in Nawaz Sharif's cabinet during his second term. Earlier he had served as a Minister of State for Youth Affairs.

After the overthrow of the PML-N government in 1999 in a coup staged by General Pervez Musharraf, he became one of the most vocal critic of the Musharaf military regime.

In the 2008 general election, Javed Hashmi won a record three seats out of the four contested; he only lost out to Shah Mehmood Qureshi in his home city of Multan. Hashmi won National Assembly seats from Multan, Lahore and Rawalpindi beating PML-Q leader Sheikh Rashid Ahmed in the latter one.

Arrest

On 29 October, 2003, he was arrested from parliamentary lodges on charges of inciting mutiny. Earlier, in a press conference on 20 October, 2003, he had read a letter that he received in mail, signed anonymously by some military officers at GHQ calling for an investigation into the corruption in the armed forces and criticizing the President Pervez Musharraf and his relationship with the US President George W. Bush. His trial was held in the central Adiala Jail instead of a district and sessions court, which raised doubts among human rights groups about its fairness. On 12 April, 2004 he was sentenced to 23 years in prison for inciting mutiny in the army, forgery, and defamation.

The verdict has widely been considered as a willful miscarriage of justice by the government. All opposition parties in Pakistan, including Pakistan Peoples Party of the former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and six party-alliance Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, regarded the verdict to be politically motivated by the ruling junta with malicious intent, declaring him to be a political prisoner.

On 3 August, 2007, a three-member bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan under Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry granted him bail after serving approximately three and a half years in prison. Javed Hashmi was released from the Central Jail Kotlakhpat in Lahore on 4 August, 2007.

He was again placed under arrest at the declaration of a state of emergency on 3 November, 2007

2008 Elections

It is believed that Hashmi was personally asked by party chairman Nawaz Sharif to contest from Rawalpindi for the National Assembly seat, where Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed of the PML[Q] was undefeated since 1988. Makhdoom Javed Hashmi as a result won three National Assembly seats, one from Rawalpindi, one from Punjab Capital Lahore and one from his hometown Multan. Hashmi beat PML-Q's political stalwart Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed in Rawalpindi. However, he lost to PPP President Punjab and old rival Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi in NA-148 (Multan). This was the third time he lost to Qureshi, having beaten him once in 1997. Hashmi's group the PML-N dominated the national and provincial assembly in Punjab. They finished second behind the PPPP and are expected to make a coalition with its one time fierce rivals. It is expected that Hashmi will be rewarded for his loyalty to the PML-N and he is expected to get an important post.

After 2008 Elections

Despite winning 3 seats, Hashmi refused to take oath from President Musharraf and thus did not get a place in the federal cabinet. Hashmi was one of the few people who decided not to take oath as it was against his principle. Hashmi is the senior vice president of the party and is always seen in important meeting between the PML(N) and PPPP. Hashmi is considered a political heavyweight and is well respected throughout Pakistan. He is seen many times representing the views of his party the PML N on various talk shows. It was widely reported that in the by-elections, Hashmi supported an independent candidate who was running against Makhdoom Mureed Hussain Qureshi, brother of Hashmi's old rival Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi. After Mureed Qureshi lost, many people including Mureed Hussain widely condemned the behaviour of Hashmi and said that they will report the incident to the chief of the Peoples Part , Asif Zardari. Hashmi is a strong supporter of the judges who have been sacked and it is said that Hashmi is one of the few people in the Pml N who are trying to convince the senior leadership of the Pml N to stop supporting the PPPP as they believe the PPPP is not serious and sincere when they say that they will restore the judges.