Makhdoom Muhammad Javed Hashmi is a Pakistani politician from Punjab the central province. he was born on January 1st, 1948 in Makhdoom Rashid, Multan. Hashmi is currently serving as Senior Vice-President of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz Wing) led by former Prime minister and party’s President Nawaz Sharif. He was the one who brought and taught Nawaz sharief into politics.
Early career
An agriculturist by profession, Hashmi attended Punjab University where he took his B.Sc. in Political Science in 1969, followed by M.Sc. in 1971, and M.Phil. in 1973, in the same academic discipline from the same institution. He turned to politics in 1985 and joined hands with Nawaz Sharif ? who later became Prime minister. From 1985 till 1988, he was elected to the National Assembly for the terms of 1985 till 1988. From 1990 till 1993, Hashmi was the Minister of State for Youth Affairs, and elected as Parliamentarian for the terms of 1993-1997.[2] From 1997-1999, he served as Federal Minister for Health in Nawaz Sharif’s cabinet during his second term
After the Nawaz’s government was overthrown in 1999 in a coup d’?tat staged and led by then Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee and Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan Army General Pervez Musharraf, Hashmi was thrown in Central Jail Rawalpindi, along with Nawaz Sharif and other members of his party on false accusations made by General Pervez Musharraf. A democracy activist, Hashmi became one of the most vocal and open critic of the General Pervez Musharraf’s military regime where he openly criticized General Musharraf’s treatment of dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, policy on War on Terror and Musharraf’s mishandling of Tribal areas which led to open the unannounced war in West-Pakistan.
Arrest
On 29 October 2003, he was arrested from Parliament Building on charges of inciting mutiny made by General Pervez Musharraf. Earlier, in a press conference on 20 October 2003, he had read a letter that he received in mail, signed anonymously by some active military officers at Pakistan Army’s Combatant Headquarter, known as The Generals Headquarter (GHQ), calling for an investigation into the corruption in the armed forces and criticizing the President and Chief of Army Staff General Pervez Musharraf, and his relationship with the American President George W. Bush. His trial was held in the central Adiala Jail instead of a district and sessions court at the Lahore High 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 General Pervez Musharraf’s 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 (MMA), regarded the verdict to be politically motivated by the ruling junta with malicious intent, declaring him to be a political prisoner. In imprisonment he also wrote two books titled as “Haan, Main Baaghi Hoon!” (Yes, I am a ‘Rebel!’) and “takhta daar ke saaye tale” (Under the shadow of Hanging board). His book, “Yes, I am a ‘Rebel’!”, Hashmi clearly stated that he was jailed because he demanded a commission to be formed to investigate the Kargil issue, the restoration of democracy and opposed the Army?s role in politics, and Pakistan’s geostrategy policy in central Asia and Europe.
On 3 August 2007, a three-member bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan under Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry granted him bail after serving approximately three and a half years in prison.[3] 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
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 Party, 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.
Kerry-Lugar BillJaved Hashmi released a very strong reaction on Inter Services Public Relations press release on Kerry-Luger bill. He commented in Parliament that Army should remain within its limit and not interfere in government issues. After this reaction, Hashmi proved himself a true brave and democratic personality and PPPP officials appreciate his words. Hashmi is an indisputable and respectable personality in Pakistani politics. He is a symbol of democratic struggle in Pakistan.He is truly regarded as Pakistani Nelsun Mandela.
