Syed Qasim Ali Shah
Syed Qasim Ali Shah | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Provincial Minister of Social Welfare and Women Empowerment for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | |
| Assumed office 11 September 2024 | |
| Chief Minister | Ali Amin Gandapur |
| Provincial Minister of Health for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | |
| In office 7 March 2024 – 11 September 2024 | |
| Chief Minister | Ali Amin Gandapur |
| Member of the Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | |
| Assumed office February 2024 | |
| Constituency | PK-81 Peshawar-X |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1979 Peshawar District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan |
| Political party | Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf |
Syed Qasim Ali Shah is a Pakistani politician from the Peshawar District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He is currently serving as the Minister for Social Welfare and Women Empowerment of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since September 2024 and notably served as Minister of Health for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since March 2024 until a reshuffle in the Gandapur ministry. He has also been serving as a member of the Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since February 2024 from the seat PK-81 Peshawar-X.[1] He stressed innovation in the provincial healthcare sector upon taking office.[2]
Early life and education
[edit]Qasim holds a Masters degree in Economics and is a businessman by profession. He also belongs to a prominent political family of Peshawar.[1]
Political career
[edit]He entered politics as a youth member of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and became Secretary General of the PTI Youth Wing in 2013.[1] He contested in the 2015 Khyber Pakhtunkwa local elections.[1] He contested in the 2024 general elections as a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-backed Independent candidate from PK-81 Peshawar-X.[3] He won and secured 44,310 votes while the runner-up was Arslan Khan Nazim of ANP who secured 8,177 votes.[4] He was then made Provincial Health Minister for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the Gandapur ministry.
As Provincial Health Minister for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Syed Qasim Ali Shah stated that he wanted to bring professionalism and innovation to the healthcare sector of the province. He also stated that healthcare and education were top priorities of the ministry to face challenges.[2] He notably visited the Khyber Medical University where he handed out scholarships and praised the university for strides in physiotherapy, nursing, and health sciences programs. He also supported the creation of more of the university's campuses in merged districts.[2] Under Qasim, the expansion of the Sehat Insaf Card was prioritized.
The Health Department, under Syed Qasim Ali Shah announced a program aiming to expand free healthcare coverage under the Sehat Insaf Card and Ehsaas Programmes to 1 million people.[5] He was reshuffled to the portfolio of Minister for Social Welfare and Women Empowerment in September 2024.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "Syed Qasim Ali Shah PK-81-2024 – PAKP". Retrieved 2024-08-23.
- ^ a b c "Minister stresses professionalism, innovation in healthcare". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2024-08-23.
- ^ "PTI activist in Peshawar served notice for contesting polls against party nominee". 25 January 2024.
- ^ "PK-81 Election Result 2024 Peshawar 10, Candidates List".
- ^ Mateen, Abdul (2024-07-29). "KPK Government Launches Free Healthcare Program for One Million Citizens". Retrieved 2024-09-21.
- ^ "Portfolio of minister changed". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2024-09-25.