MULTAN :Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Vice Chairman, Makhdoom Shah MahmoodHussain Qureshi who is taking oath on Monday, August 20, has the honour tobecome Foreign Minister of Pakistan second time.
Born on June 22, 1956 in a known religious family of Multan,Shah Mahmood Qureshi got his early education from Aitchison CollegeLahore and did his Bachelor in Arts (BA) from Forman ChristianCollege Lahore followed by Masters in Arts (MA) from Corpus ChristiCollege, University of Cambridge.
He is the eldest son of late governor Punjab, Makhdoom SajjadHussain Qureshi and nephew of ex-minister Syed Qaswar Gardezi.Mahkdoom Shah Mahmood started his political career in 1983and won first election in 1985 which was held on non-party basis.
He became chairman District Council Multan in 1987 and lateron remained Member Provincial Assembly (MPA) of Punjab for nineyears from 1985 to 1993.He served as provincial Minister for Planning and Developmentfrom 1988 to 1990 and as Minister for Finance from 1990 to 1993.
Later, he joined Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and was electedMember National Assembly (MNA) from Multan in 1993. He was madeState Minister for Parliamentary Affairs. He lost in 1997 general elections.From 2000 to 2002, Shah Mahood Qureshi worked as Multan Nazimand afterwards resigned from the post on PPP chairperson MohtarmaBenazir Bhutto’s advice. He again won as MNA in 2002 general electionfrom Multan by defeating Makhdoom Javid Hashmi.In 2006, the party made him PPP Punjab president and in 2008general elections, he retained his seat third time as MNA fromMultan.
Mr Qureshi was appointed Foreign Minister first time by PPPin 2008 and in 2011 the party changed his portfolio and offeredhim Water and Power ministry but he declined.He parted ways with PPP around after 20 years and joined PTIunder the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan in November 2011.
On November 14, 1994 when Imran Khan initiated his fund raisingcampaign for Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital from Multan, MakhdoomShah Mahmood, and late Riaz Hussain Qureshi also stood by him forthe noble cause.In recently held general elections, Shah Mahmood Qureshiwon as MNA from Multan and has been made part of cabinet as FM.
He is also caretaker shrines of great saints Hazrat BahauddinZakariya (RA) and Hazrat Shah Rukn-i- Alam (RA).His son Makhdoom Zain Qureshi has elected MNA first time onPTI ticket from Multan in 2018 elections.