Shahid Khaqan Abbasi

Ex Federal Minister of Commerce
Born: 27 December 1958
Profession: Politician ,Businessman, Professional engineer
Affiliation(s): PML (N)
Citizenship: Pakistani

Shahid Khaqan Abbasi (born 27 December 1958) is a Pakistani businessman, electrical engineer, and a politician.

Education

Abbasi got his early education from Lawrence College, Murree. He then attended the University of California, where he obtained the Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. He went on to obtain Masters in Electrical Engineering from George Washington University, Washington, D.C. Abbasi worked as a professional engineer in the United States and the Middle East during the 1980s.

Air Commodore (retd) Khaqan Abbasi

He is the son of Air Commodore (retd) Khaqan Abbasi, a prominent businessman turned politician who was a pilot in the Pakistan Air Force and the Federal Minister for Industries and Production in General Zia-ul-Haq’s cabinet in the 1980s.Khaqan was a serving MNA and Federal Minister in Zia-ul-Haq’s cabinet when he died in the Ojhri Camp incident in 1988.

Profession

Professional engineer, Businessman

Pakistani airline Airblue.

Abbasi is the Founder, Chairman and CEO of Pakistani Airline Airblue.

Politics in Pakistan

He is politically affiliated with the centre-right party PML-N, where he is a senior leader. Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has built the Murree-Kahuta and Kotli Sattian area as their political stronghold and has never lost an election since.

Elections won

He won the general elections in 1988, 1990, 1993, and 1997, the latest one being in 2008.

Chairman standing committee on defence. 1990 – 1993

He performed his duties as the chairman of National Assembly Standing Committee on Defence.

Chairman PIA

He also served as Chairman of Pakistan International Airlines from 1997 to 1999.

Imprisoned and Jail

Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was imprisoned by the General Pervez Musharraf government, as he was the Chairman of the PIA, when Musharraf’s plane was denied landing at the Jinnah International Airport, Karachi on his way back from Sri Lanka on October 12, 1999. The government put pressure on him to give a testimony against the then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, but Abbasi refused. He was imprisoned for around two years before being acquitted of all charges in March 2001.

Election 2008

In the 2008 general elections, Shahid Abbasi was again elected a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from the traditional Abbasi constituency of NA-50 Rawalpindi-I (Murree-Kahuta area).

Federal Minister of Commerce

He was then made the Federal Minister of Commerce in the Yousaf Raza Gillani cabinet. He resigned.