Sherry Rehman

Shehrbano Rehman
25th Pakistan Ambassador to the United States
In office
23 November 2011 – 14 May 2013
President Asif Ali Zardari
Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani
Preceded by Husain Haqqani
Succeeded by vacant, Jalil Abbas Jilani
Minister of Information and Broadcasting
In office
31 March 2008 – 14 March 2009
President Asif Ali Zardari
Pervez Musharraf
Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani
Preceded by Kamar Zhaman Kaera
Succeeded by Muhammad Nasir Khan
Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan
In office
31 March 2008 – 23 November 2011
In office
2002–2007
Senator
Assumed office
8 June 2015
Constituency Sindh Province
Personal details
Born Shehrbano Rahman
(1960-12-21) 21 December 1960
Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
Political party Pakistan Peoples Party
Other political
affiliations		 Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians
Spouse(s) Nadeem Hussain – 3rd husband[1]
Alma mater Smith College (1985)
University of Sussex
Occupation Political journalist; Diplomat
Cabinet Gillani Government
Religion Islam
Website www.sherryrehman.com
[2]

Shehrbano "Sherry" Rehman (Urdu: شہر بانو رحمان‎; born 21 December 1960), is a Pakistani politician, political journalist and diplomat who serves as the member of Senate and the Vice President of Pakistan Peoples Party. She served as the Pakistan's Ambassador to the US on 23 November 2011 till May 2013. Rehman also served as Chairperson of the Pakistan Red Crescent Society.[3]

Previously, she was the Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting from March 2008 until March 2009 under the center-left Gillani ministry. She served as the Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan between 2002 till 2011 when she was appointed as Pakistan's envoy to U.S. Prior to politics, she was a prominent journalist and was the editor of Herald. She currently heads the Jinnah Institute, a non-profit public policy organisation.[4][5]

Biography

Born in Karachi to a prominent Sindhi family, Rehman's father Hassanally A. Rahman, was a lawyer and educator and so was her paternal uncle Tufail Ali Abdul Rehman Zubedi, later Chief Justice of Sindh and Balochistan High Court. Her mother served as vice president of the State Bank of Pakistan—the first woman to hold the post.

She attended Karachi Grammar School, Smith College and the University of Sussex where she studied art history and political science. She was a part of Sussex student union and played active role during her time at East Slope bar.

Rehman worked as a professional journalist for twenty years, writing for national and international newspapers and news magazines. She was editor-in-chief of Pakistan's leading news magazine, The Herald, for ten years and served as a member of the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) from 1988 to 1998. She also anchored a television show on current affairs in 1999.

Political career

Rehman is a member of the Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians (PPPP).[6]

She served as a Member of the National Assembly (MNA) from 2002 to 2007, where she acted as Central Information Secretary. During this time, she was also President of Policy Planning for the PPPP and served on the party's Foreign Relations Committee.[7]

In March 2008, Rehman was re-appointed by declaration as MNA for Sindh province to the reserved MNA seat for women. Prime Minister Yusuf Gilani who also opposed her in a rally earlier, appointed her Minister for Information and Broadcasting, and on 31 March 2008 she was sworn in by President Pervez Musharraf.[8]

During her tenure in parliament, Rehman authored all five PPP bills tabled in the National Assembly: the Women Empowerment Bill, Anti-Honor Killings Bill, Domestic Violence Prevention Bill, Affirmative Action Bill and Hudood Repeal Bill. She also moved two bills concerning the media: the Freedom of Information Bill and the Press Act, which prevents working journalists from being arrested under the 1999 Press Ordinance.[7]

In civil society, Rehman is the Chair of the Lady Dufferin Foundation Trust, reportedly the largest non-profit provider of women and children's subsidised healthcare in the province of Sindh.[1]

In January 2009, a report of the International Republican Institute referred to her as "Democracy's Hero" as a result of her close association with former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's campaign for democratic rule in Pakistan.[9] The reference, picked up by several Pakistani media outlets, received mixed coverage.[10][11] In the same month, Rehman was named among the "100 Most Influential Asians" by UAE magazine Ahlan.[12]

Rehman resigned her post as Information Minister on 14 March 2009, due to differences of opinion with the President Asif Ali Zardari on imposing restrictions on the media.[13][14]

In 2013, Rehman was accused of committing "blasphemy, a crime that carries the death penalty" in Pakistan, "in connection with a 2010 TV talk show."[6] She was accused by Muhammad Faheem Gill, who went to the Pakistan "Supreme Court with his complaint after police refused to register it. The court ordered police in the central Pakistani city of Multan to investigate."[6]

Diplomatic work

On 23 November 2011, she was named Pakistan's ambassador to United States following the resignation of Hussain Haqqani,[6] who was asked to resign by Prime Minister Gilani in the wake of the "Memogate" scandal.[15][16]

Published work

Rehman's latest book The Kashmiri Shawl: From Jamawar to Paisley, co-authored with Naheed Jafri, was published in 2006 by Mapin Publishing India and Antique Collectors Club UK. The book was nominated for The R.L Shep Ethnic Textiles Book Award for 2006 in the US.[17]

Awards

References

  1. 1 2 "Sherry Rehman". Mahalo.com. 1960-12-21. Retrieved 2012-07-09.
  2. ↑ "Sherry Rehman ’85 appointed Pakistani ambassador to the U.S.". International Advancement Blog. Smith College. 1 December 2011. Retrieved 2012-02-08.
  3. ↑ Walsh, Declan (22 January 2011). "Sherry Rehman, Pakistan's defiant prisoner of intolerance, vows to stay put" – via The Guardian.
  4. ↑ "Coalition air strikes hit Yemen defence ministry: witnesses".
  5. ↑ "Extraordinary Pakistanis: Sherry Rehman - The Express Tribune". 21 May 2015.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Tanveer, Asim. "Pakistani man accuses ambassador to U.S. of blasphemy". Reuters. Archived from the original on 23 February 2013. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
  7. 1 2 "Associated Press Of Pakistan ( Pakistan's Premier NEWS Agency ) – Profiles of Federal Ministers". App.com.pk. Retrieved 2012-07-09.
  8. ↑ Archived 7 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
  9. ↑ Archived 21 May 2009 at the Wayback Machine.
  10. ↑ Archived 17 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine.
  11. ↑
  12. ↑ "President Zardari, Information Minister Sherry Rehman, Human Rights Activist Asma Jehangir and CEO Dawn Hameed Haroon, among 100 Most Influential Asians". webnewswire.com. 18 February 2009. Archived from the original on 21 April 2012. Retrieved 2012-07-09.
  13. ↑ http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/Dawn%20Content%20Library/dawn/news/pakistan/sherry-rehman-resigns-from-federal-cabinet--za. Retrieved 14 March 2009. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  14. ↑ http://thenews.jang.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=20931. Retrieved 18 April 2009. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  15. ↑ "Sherry Rehman appointed Pakistan's Ambassador to the US – The Express Tribune". Tribune.com.pk. Retrieved 2012-07-09.
  16. ↑ "Sherry Rehman appointed Pak Ambassador to US". GEO.tv. 23 November 2011. Archived from the original on 16 April 2012. Retrieved 2012-07-09.
  17. ↑ http://www.textilesociety.org/awards_shep.htm "The Annual R. L. Shep Ethnic Textiles Book Award," www.textilesociety.org
  18. ↑ "WDN to Honor Frances Fragos Townsend and Sherry Rehman with 2011 Jeane J. Kirkpatrick Award". Retrieved 2011-02-09. The Jeane J. Kirkpatrick Award recognizes honorees for their commitment to increase women’s political and civic participation within their own communities and on behalf of women worldwide. A long-time board member of the International Republican Institute (IRI) and the first woman to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Dr. Kirkpatrick was a strong advocate for women’s participation in politics. Her career in women’s political participation and foreign policy is an inspiration to women.
Political offices
Preceded by
Qamar Zaman Kaira		 Minister of Information and Broadcasting
2008–2009 		Succeeded by
Muhammad Nasir Khan
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by
Husain Haqqani		 Pakistan Ambassador to the United States
2011–present 		Incumbent
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