Makhdoom Shahabuddin


Makhdoom Shahabuddin is a Pakistani politician and was a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan who has held federal ministerial portfolios for finance, health and textiles. He has been elected as MNA from constituency NA-194 three times in 1990 Pakistani general election, 1993 Pakistani general election and 2008 Pakistani general election.
He is from Rahim Yar Khan, a city in the Saraiki belt of southern Punjab and his political affiliation is with the Pakistan Peoples Party.

Shahabudin Status in Politics

has been related from Pakistan Peoples Party since the age of Bhutto. He is the senior most person in Peoples Party. He was considered to be "The Left Hand" of PPP Ex Chairman Benazeer Bhutto. At a time he was most powerful politician in district Rahim Yar Khan. Later after the death of Benazeer Bhutto, he was considered to be a candidate for Prime Minister of Pakistan. But in general elections of 2008, Yousaf Raza Gillani was preferred by new PPP Leader the president Asif Ali Zardari. Makhdoom Shahabudin is the ex-President of Pakistan Peoples Party South Punjab.
On 19 June 2012, in the aftermath of Yousaf Raza Gilani's conviction and disqualification by the Pakistan Supreme Court on contempt of court charges, Shahabuddin was appointed by the PPP as its candidate for the office of Prime Minister of Pakistan but the nomination was cancelled after a warrant for his arrest was issued by the ANF under suspicious circumstances upon the very day he was nominated.
He was Ex Federal Minister of Pakistan of Textiles.
He is a descendant of a famous Sufi saint.

Sexual Assault Allegations

On 5 June 2020, American journalist Cynthia Ritchie accused former federal minister Makhdoom Shahabuddin along with former Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani of having sexualy assaulting her at President House Islamabad in 2011.Meanwhile, She also accused former Interior Minister of Pakistan Senator Rehman Malik of having raped her during his tenure as Federal Minister.

Legal trouble

On the day of his nomination as PM the Anti-Narcotics Force issued a non-bailable warrant for his arrest. The Supreme Court of Pakistan in its decision to grant him bail observed that it was not merely a coincidence that the warrants for his arrest were issued upon the very day that he was nominated by the PPP.
According to some sources, Disqualified Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani's son was also involved in the case and Gillani misused it secretly to stop the nomination of Makhdoom Shahabuddin. Shahab ud Din's nomination was cancelled in less than 24 hours.