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Naveed Qamar
Pakistani politician From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Syed Naveed Qamar (Urdu: سید نوید قمر; born 22 September 1955) is a Pakistani politician who has been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan since February 2024, and previously served in this position from August 2018 till August 2023 and between 1990 and May 2018. He served as Minister for Defence and Minister for Finance between 2008 and 2013.
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He served as Federal Minister of commerce from April 2022 to August 2023.
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Early life and education
Qamar was born in Karachi, Sindh on 22 September 1955 to the former Deputy Speaker of the Sindh Assembly Qamar-uz-Zaman Shah.[3][2][1][4] His grandfather Miran Mohammad Shah was also a prominent political figure, being a Pakistan Movement activist and a contemporary of Allama Iqbal; he later served as the first Speaker of the Sindh Assembly.[5]
Qamar received his B.Sc (Hons) degree in Computer Science from Manchester University in 1976. He did his MS in Management from Northrop University in 1978 and received his MBA degree from California State University in 1979.[1][4]
Qamar is married and has three daughters and a son.[4]
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Academic career
For a short time, in 1988-89, Qamar served as part of Computer Science faculty at National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences (NUCES), then called FAST. He taught the BASIC languages to the first batch of students at FAST.[6]
Political career
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Early political career (1988–1990)
Qamar began his political career by electing to the Provincial Assembly of Sindh in the 1988 Pakistani general election on Pakistan Peoples Party's platform from PS-37 Hyderabad, where he served from 19 November 1988 till 6 August 1990. He held the portfolio as Provincial Minister of Sindh for Information.[1][4][7]
Entry to National Assembly and privatization portfolio (1990–1997)
He was elected to the National Assembly of Pakistan in the 1990 Pakistani general election on PPP ticket.[8][1][4][9][10][11]
He was re-elected to the National Assembly in the 1993 Pakistani general election on PPP ticket[8] and became chairman of the Privatisation Commission of Pakistan.[1][4][12]
He was re-elected to the National Assembly in the 1997 Pakistani general election on PPP ticket[8] and was appointed as the Federal Minister for Finance and Privatisation.[1][4][12]
Continued legislative roles (2002–2008)
He was re-elected to the National Assembly in the 2002 Pakistani general election on PPP ticket from NA-222.[8][1][4][13]
Cabinet appointments in PPP government (2008–2013)
He was re-elected to the National Assembly in the 2008 Pakistani general election from NA-222 constituency on PPP ticket[8][1][4] and was made Federal Minister for Privatisation[14] with the additional portfolio of Port and Shipping.[15][16] He also briefly held the portfolio of Federal Minister for Finance for five months in 2008.[1]
In August 2009, he was made Federal Minister for Petroleum & Natural Resources with additional charge of Minister for Privatisation.[1] He was removed from the post of Federal Minister for Petroleum & Natural Resources[17] and was given portfolio of Ministry of Water and Power in March 2011.[18][19][1] In 2011, he was made Federal Minister for Defence.[1][20]
Parliamentary leadership and 2017 PM nomination (2013–2018)
He was re-elected to the National Assembly from NA-222 constituency on PPP ticket in the 2013 Pakistani general election.[21][22] He served as the Chairman Standing Committee on Railways from 2013 till 2018. In 2016, he was made Parliamentary Leader of PPP in the National Assembly, where he served until 2018.[7]
After Nawaz Sharif resigned as Prime Minister of Pakistan in July 2017, Qamar was nominated by PPP as the party's candidate for the office of Prime Minister. He secured 47 votes by the National Assembly members against his PML (N) candidate Shahid Khaqan Abbasi who secured 221 votes.[23]
Return to parliament and commerce leadership (2018–2023)
He was re-elected to the National Assembly as a candidate of PPP from NA-228 (Tando Muhammad Khan) in the 2018 Pakistani general election.[24] He is serving as the Chairman Standing Committee on Commerce from September 2018.
He was re-elected to the National Assembly as a candidate of PPP from NA-221 Tando Muhammad Khan in the 2024 Pakistani general election. He received 111,738 votes and defeated Muhammad Irfan, an independent candidate supported by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).[25]
Engagement with Silicon Valley and technology initiatives (2022–present)
He was appointed Federal Minister for Commerce and Investment during the first Shehbaz Sharif government on 19 April 2022 and served in this capacity until 10 August 2023.[26]
In his capacity as Federal Minister for Commerce and Investment, Qamar had actively promoted partnerships between Pakistan and the global tech ecosystem, particularly focusing on Silicon Valley. On 26 January 2023, he addressed the USAID‑organized “Accelerating Silicon Valley Technology Investment in Pakistan” conference, emphasising the potential of Silicon Valley–based Pakistani diaspora to contribute to Pakistan’s digital economy and the importance of strengthening academia–industry collaboration in information technology, data science, and startup incubation.[27][28]
In June 2025, as Special Assistant to the Sindh Chief Minister on Investment, Qamar played a key role in establishing the province’s first “Silicon Valley–style Special Technology Zone” in Karachi Education City, Sindh. The 500-acre initiative, backed by Pakistan’s Special Technology Zone Authority, aims to foster a high-tech ecosystem centered on smart manufacturing, cybersecurity, health tech, agri-tech, blockchain, 5G, and clean energy, furthering efforts to integrate local academia with industry.[29][30][31]
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Other activities
Think-tank involvement
Qamar has been actively engaged in policy research and parliamentary capacity building through his involvement with various think-tanks and research institutions. He has served on the Board of Governors of the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), a prominent Pakistani policy research organization focused on sustainable development and public policy reforms. Additionally, he has been a member of the Board of the Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services (PIPS), an organization dedicated to supporting legislators through research, training, and institutional strengthening.[5]
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Publications
Qamar has contributed to various national and international seminars and has authored or presented papers on governance, legislative transparency, and regional cooperation.[5]
References
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