Zille Huma Usman

Zill-e-Huma Usman (September 16, 1971 – February 20, 2007) was a Pakistani politician and activist for women's rights. She served as a minister in the military dictatorship of Pervez Musharraf.

Zill-e-Huma Usman
Personal details
BornSeptember 16, 1971
DiedFebruary 20, 2007
NationalityPakistani
OccupationPolitician and activist for women's rights
Known forProvincial minister for social welfare in Punjab, she was shot and killed on February 20, 2007

Education

Zill-e-Huma got a degree of LLB in 1997 and later she did her master's degree in political science from University of the Punjab, Lahore.[1]

Career

Usman married Dr Muhammad Usman Haider.[2] She was mother of two minor boys. She was the only member of family for political participation.[1] She was member of political party, Pakistan Muslim League (Q).[3]

In the 2002 Pakistani general election, Usman ran for the seat of the Punjab Assembly and got high number of votes. From 2003 to 2006, she served as the Parliamentary Secretary for Development and Planning. In 2006, she was appointed as the Social Welfare Minister for women.[1]

Death

While serving as the provincial minister for social welfare in Punjab, she was shot and killed on February 20, 2007[4] in Gujranwala, 70 km (43 miles) north of Lahore, where she was meeting her party members when a man among the participants, opened fire on her head. Usman was admitted to a local hospital in Gujranwala but then airlifted to Lahore, but she died during the surgery.[5][3]

Her assassin, Mohammed Sarwar, was reported to have been motivated by her refusal to abide by the Islamic code of dress and a dislike for the involvement of women in political affairs. The killer had previously been jailed in connection with the killing and mutilation of four prostitutes and told a television channel “I will kill all those women who do not follow the right path, if I am freed again”.[6] On March 20, 2007, Sarwar was sentenced to death.[7] he died in Central Jail Lahore on January 27, 2012.[8]

Participation of women in political activities as a candidate and a voter has always been a challenge in Pakistan,[9][10] whether this is the case of Fatima Jinnah, Benazir Bhutto, Malala Yousafzai, Wranga Loni or Zill-e-Huma Usman.[11][12][13]

See also

References
  1. "Zil-e-Huma Usman". Pakpedia | Pakistan's Biggest Online Encyclopedia. 20 February 2018.
  2. "Violent debate on women's rights in Pakistan". Christian Science Monitor. 6 March 2007.
  3. "Gunman kills Pakistani minister". 20 February 2007.
  4. "Provincial minister's murder condemned". DAWN.COM. 21 February 2007.
  5. "Woman minister killed by fanatic". DAWN.COM. 21 February 2007.
  6. Devika Bhat and Zahid Hussain: Female Pakistani minister shot dead for 'breaking Islamic dress code', The Times, February 20, 2007
  7. "Pakistani Judge Sentences Man to Death for Murdering Female Minister". Foxnews.com. 20 March 2007. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  8. "Prison death: Minister's killer dies of tuberculosis". The Express Tribune. 27 January 2012.
  9. Says, Krepon (28 August 2018). "An Uphill Battle: Women's Participation in the 2018 Pakistan Elections". South Asian Voices.
  10. "Women in Pakistan Politics- Botox or Fillers?". ViewPoint. 14 June 2018.
  11. Politics, iKNOW (20 October 2014). "Women's political participation in Pakistan". International Knowledge Network of Women in Politics.
  12. Daur, Naya (9 February 2020). "PTM Leaders Arrested In Loralai, Balochistan Ahead Of Public Meeting". Naya Daur.
  13. Sattar, Sidra (14 June 2018). "Participation Of Women In Pakistan's Politics". Jahangir's World Times.
  • The Australian Pakistani minister killed for refusing to wear veil.
  • APP Zille Huma Usman assassinated.


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