Profile — Who Is Shibli Faraz?

by Tauqeer Abbas
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Shafaqna Pakistan: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and Senator Shibli Faraz took oath as the Federal Minister for Information on Tuesday administered by President Arif Alvi at the Aiwan-e-Sadar. Both the president and senator sat at some distance from one another and wore face masks.

Faraz, the son of country’s most acclaimed poet, Ahmad Faraz, was elected to the Senate in March 2015 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and appointed the leader of the upper house in August 2018.

He’s also a member of the Senate’s standing committee on commerce and special committee on circular debt. Other committees of which he is a part include planning and development and reforms, water resources, statistics, and climate change. He is also a member of the parliamentary committee on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Faraz holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from the University de Los Andes (Colombia).

An investment banker by profession, Shibli Faraz was once a Pakistan Air Force pilot and later served as a civil servant. He had contested the election for the Kohat District mayor in 2002 and his uncle Barrister Syed Masood Kausar has served as the Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. His family is of Hindkowan background.

On April 27, Prime Minister Imran Khan appointed Senator Faraz as the new information minister and Lt-Gen (retd) Asim Saleem Bajwa as his special assistant on information and broadcasting.

The latter was appointed in place of Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, who was de-notified as the SAPM with immediate effect.

Shibli Farz frequents talk shows where he is invited to comment on the government’s policies. His soft tone as opposed to Firdous Ashiq Awan’s aggressive style might prove to be a respite for the government which appears to be having a tough time defending its policies on media.

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Earlier, Science and Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhry, who was the first information minister of the PTI government, broke the news of the latest cabinet change. He said the both Faraz and Bajwa “will make a great team”.

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