Nationality Pakistan Spouse Ghazala Saad Name Khawaja Rafique | Role Former Minister Party Pakistan Muslim League Citizenship Pakistan Parents Khawaja Muhammad Rafique Children Fliza Rafique | |
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Full Name Khawaja Saad Rafique Similar People Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Muhammad Zia‑ul‑Haq | ||
Constituency NA-125 (Lahore-VIII) Education University of the Punjab | ||
Khawaja Saad Rafique addresses at workers convention in Hyderabad
Khawaja Saad Rafique addresses in Jacobabad
Khawaja Saad Rafique Ahmad (Urdu: خواجہ سعد رفیق احمد; born 4 November 1962) is a Pakistani politician who is the current Minister for Railways, in office since August 2017. A leader of the Pakistan Muslim League (N), Rafique previously served as the Minister for Railways in the Sharif's third ministry from 2013 to 2017 and held the cabinet portfolio of Minister for Culture and the Minister for Youth Affairs briefly during the Gillani ministry in 2008.
Contents
- Khawaja Saad Rafique addresses at workers convention in Hyderabad
- Khawaja Saad Rafique addresses in Jacobabad
- Early life and education
- Political career
- Family
- References
Rafique is a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan since 2002, representing Lahore. He served as Special Assistant to Prime Minister for Youth Affairs from 1997 to 1999 under Sharif's second ministry.
Early life and education
Rafique was born on 4 November 1962 to Khawaja Mohammad Rafiq, who was a small-time businessman in Lahore and who was murdered in the early 1970s. The family blamed the crime on Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
Rafique enrolled at the M.A.O College and made a transfer to Punjab University in 1982. He graduated with an BA in Political science in 1984, and later attained MA in Political science in 1986.
Political career
Rafique started his political career as a student leader representing Muslim Student Federation, from MAO College Lahore in early 1980s, and later on joined the PML-N.
In Pakistani general elections, 1997, Rafique participated in the elections on the PML-N's ticket and elected as the member of Provincial Assembly of the Punjab for the first time. He was appointed as Special Assistant to Prime Minister for Youth Affairs by then Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif, but his tenure was terminated by General Pervez Musharraf after the latter 1999 Pakistani coup d'état. He was among the PML-N leaders who confronted Musharraf in the absence of Nawaz Sharif.
In Pakistani general elections, 2002, Rafique elected as member of National Assembly from Constituency NA-119 for the first time. During the period, he served as president of PML-N Punjab.
In Pakistani general elections, 2008, Rafique was re-elected as the member of the National Assembly for the second time from Constituency NA-125. He was appointed as the Minister for Culture and Minister for Youth Affairs in the Gillani ministry but he resigned after PML-N's went on to lead the Lawyer's movement to restore the judiciary.
He was eventually arrested and imprisoned after calling for Musharraf's removal. He, along with party colleagues and lawyers, took to the streets calling for the resignation of the Musharraf and the reinstatement of judges deposed by him. He was also put behind bars for partaking in violent protests for the said purpose. Among PML-N's leaders, Rafique was one of the activist who kept the PML-N alive during the Musharraf government.
In Pakistani general election, 2013, Rafique was re-elected as the member of the National Assembly for the third time. His wife, Ghazala Saad, was also allotted PML-N's ticket. In June 2013, Rafique was appointed as Minister of Railway by the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and took oath on 8 June 2013.
He had ceased to hold ministerial office in July 2017 when the federal cabinet was disbanded following the resignation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif after Panama Papers case decision. Following the election of Shahid Khaqan Abbasi as Prime Minister of Pakistan, Rafique was inducted into the federal cabinet of Abbasi and was appointed Minister for Railways for the second time.
Family
His wife Ghazala Saad Rafique has been a member of Provincial Assembly of the Punjab. His brother Khawaja Salman Rafique has been a member of Provincial Assembly of the Punjab and is current Provincial Minister of Punjab for Health.