Ijaz Ahmed Shah
Ijaz Ahmed Shah is a Pakistani politician, former officer of the Pakistan Army, and a former Pakistan Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) officer.[1] He is currently serving as the Federal Minister for Narcotics Control , in office since 11 December 2020.[2] Previously, he served as the Federal Minister for interior from April 2019 to 11 December 2020 and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs from March 2019 to April 2019. He has been the member of the National Assembly of Pakistan since August 2018.
Ijaz Ahmed Shah | |
|---|---|
| Minister of Narcotics Control | |
| Assumed office 11 December 2020 | |
| President | Arif Alvi |
| Prime Minister | Imran Khan |
| Preceded by | Azam Khan Swati |
| 37th Minister for Interior | |
| In office 18 April 2019 – 11 December 2020 | |
| President | Arif Alvi |
| Prime Minister | Imran Khan |
| Preceded by | Imran Khan |
| Succeeded by | Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad |
| Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan | |
| Assumed office 13 August 2018 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Nankana Sahib, Pakistan |
| Nationality |  Pakistani |
| Military service | |
| Nickname(s) | Brig. Shah |
| Allegiance | Pakistan |
| Branch/service |  Pakistan Army |
| Years of service | 1966–2004 |
| Rank | Brigadier |
| Unit | 15 Infantry Punjab Regiment and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) |
| Commands | DG Intelligence Bureau (DGIB) |
| Battles/wars | Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 |
Political career
Shah has served as the Home Secretary of Punjab in 2002.[3] During his tenure, he was accused of the formation of the PML-Q and PPP-Patriots.[4][5]
In 2004, he was appointed as the Pakistani High Commissioner to Australia but was rejected by Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs.[4]
He ran for the seat of the National Assembly of Pakistan from NA-118 (Nankana Sahib-II) as an independent candidate in 2013 Pakistani general election, but was unsuccessful.[3]
He again ran for the seat of the National Assembly of Pakistan from NA-118 (Nankana Sahib-II) as an independent candidate, with support of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), in 2015 by-elections, but was again unsuccessful.[3] He lost to Shizra Mansab Ali Khan.
He was elected to the National Assembly of Pakistan from NA-118 (Nankana Sahib-II) as a candidate of PTI in 2018 Pakistani general election.[3] He received 63,818 votes and defeated Shezra Mansab Ali of Pakistan Muslim League (N).[6]
In March 2019, he was made the Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs which he held till 16 April 2019.[7]
On 18 April 2019, in a cabinet reshuffle, he was sworn in as Federal Interior Minister of Pakistan, the post previously held by Shehryar Khan Afridi.[8]
Military career
Shah was a long-term close associate of President Pervez Musharraf, [1] and was Director of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Punjab during Musharraf's 1999 coup.[5] Musharraf appointed Shah as Director-General of Intelligence Bureau of Pakistan from 2004 to 2008.[9][10] Shah's tenure as the head of Intelligence Bureau was controversial with accusations of political victimisation and for undermining the judiciary.[11]
Alleged involvement in Daniel Pearl's kidnapping and murder
American journalist Daniel Pearl was kidnapped in Karachi by Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh. After Pearl's murder, Shah delayed handing over Omar Sheikh to the police by over a week. While Daniel Pearl was eventually turned over to Khalid Sheikh Mohammad who subsequently killed Pearl, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh became the subject of a man-hunt. Brigadier Ijaz Shah had been the intelligence controller of Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh. After Pearl was killed by Khalid Sheikh Mohammad, the Pakistani government came under strong American diplomatic pressure to capture the kidnappers and killers. In February 2002, cornered by the Pakistan Omar Sheikh turned himself to Brigadier Shah, who then was the Home Secretary of the Pakistani Punjab region. Shah kept Sheikh for a full week before remanding him to police custody.
Alleged involvement in Benazir Bhutto's assassination plot
According to the PPP Senator Latif Khosa, days after the 2007 Karachi bombings, Benazir Bhutto in a letter to President Musharaf written on 16 October 2007 allegedly named Ijaz Shah as one of the four persons including the then chief minister of Punjab Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, the then chief minister of Sindh Arbab Ghulam Rahim, and the former ISI chief Hamid Gul she suspected were behind the attacks.[12]
Osama bin Laden compound
General Ziauddin Butt, former Director General of the ISI revealed in October 2011 that according to his knowledge Ijaz Shah, had kept Osama bin Laden in an Intelligence Bureau of Pakistan safe house in Abbottabad[13] but later denied making any such statement, after Shah announced filing a defamation suit against him.[14]
References
- Profile of Saeed Sheikh Archived 6 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine, under 5 February 2002
- Syed, Baqir Sajjad (18 April 2019). "Profile: Ijaz Shah – Imran Khan's new Interior Minister". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- "Ex-spymaster makes it to PTI's Core Committee". The Nation. 7 March 2017.
- Syed, Baqir Sajjad (13 February 2019). "PM mulling Ijaz Shah's appointment as NSA". DAWN.COM.
- "Who is Ijaz Shah?". www.thenews.com.pk. 30 March 2019.
- "NA-118 Results - Election 2018 Results - - Candidates List - Constituency Details - Geo.tv". www.geo.tv.
- "Ijaz Shah appointed as federal minister for parliamentary affairs - Pakistan Today". www.pakistantoday.com.pk.
- Syed, Baqir Sajjad (18 April 2019). "Profile: Ijaz Shah – Imran Khan's new Interior Minister". DAWN.COM.
- "Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Candidate Ijaz Ahmed Shah Wins NA-118 Election - UrduPoint". UrduPoint. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
- "Ijaz Shah new IB chief" Daily Times, 26 February 2004.
- Raza, Syed Irfan (18 March 2008). "Intelligence Bureau chief removed". Dawn Newspaper.|url=http://study.result.pk/adamjee-government-science-college/%7C
- Shakeel, Syed Faisal (30 December 2007). "PPP demands probe based on Benazir's letter". Dawn Newspaper.
- Jamal, Arif. "Former Pakistan Army Chief Reveals Intelligence Bureau Harbored Bin Laden in Abbottabad". Terrorism Monitor Journal. The JamesTown Foundation.
- Ashraf Javed (16 February 2012). "Ijaz Shah to sue Ziauddin Butt". The Nation. Archived from the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
