A BRIEF PROFILE OF SENATOR MIAN RAZA RABBANI
Mian Raza Rabbani, born on 23rd July, 1953, has been one of the most effective politician in terms of producing concrete results to strengthen democracy and democratic institutions. He studied law from Karachi University and is now considered the most seasoned authority on the Constitution of Pakistan. He has been affiliated with Pakistan People’s Party since his student days, he was a core team member of Benazir Bhutto and has never changed party affiliations during his political career. He was elected Senator from Sindh, seven times since 1993. He has been leader of the Opposition and later Leader of the House of the Senate. He was appointed as the State Minister for Law and Justice and later, the Minister of Interprovincial Coordination in the Cabinet. He has served as the Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan after being elected unanimously from the House. He performed outstanding work from 2015 to 2018. He has been elected a Senator again in 2018 Senate elections and enjoys high credibility, pride and ownership of the Senators from all parties and all provinces. He is, in particular, popular and respected by the provincial leadership, as he has always stood for the rights and autonomy of the provinces.
He has a lifetime of achievements but those that stand out include, being a core member of the team that wrote the Charter of Democracy. He led the process of 18th Constitutional amendment, which was a breakthrough in the history of Pakistani politics and brought back the skewed constitution closer to its original parliamentary form. He also led the process of implementation of devolution of powers to the Provinces. As a Chairman, he strengthened the Senate as an institution by getting it more authorities and political space and brought people closer to the Parliament through various initiatives, which included making the Senate more transparent and accessible through a comprehensive interactive website, sharing the history of the Constitution and the Senate through displays for people to visit, acknowledging citizens who struggled for democracy through a monument inside the Parliament building and in general shifting the ownership of the Parliament back to people.
He continues to make political statements as guidance to steer the democratic process of Pakistan towards the true spirit of democracy. He is considered to be a voice of the conscience of Pakistan and has been named as “Mr. Clean”, “Man of Law”, “the most honest politician ever” by media and public. He is certainly among the finest Statesmen Pakistan has had.