Gender Empowerment | Negotiation & Conflict Resolution | Strategic Planning & Implementation | Diversity Equity Inclusion | Social Protection | Policies & Procedures Execution | Advocacy Program Management | Quality Assurance & Compliance | Research & Development | Resource Allocation & Utilization | Consultative Faculty Advisory | Relationship Development Management |

• Led a complex organization with a yearly fund size of $1.25 billion Social Safety Net serving 6 million beneficiaries over 400 offices, with 2300 employees. Ensured financial inclusion and economic inclusion for chronically poor families, enrolling 2 million children into school thus saving them from child labour.
• Elected for two consecutive terms to Parliament of Pakistan, and served as Federal Minister in the Cabinet of Pakistan.
• Selected as the first parliamentarian worldwide to be awarded Democracy Award by the UK House of Commons.(2017)
• Received the French President’s National Order of Merit. (2017)
• Appointed Member of the World Bank Gender Advisory Council. (2017)
• Appointed Member of the World Bank Advisory Council for Partnership for Economic Inclusion (2021)
• UNDP Youth Council Advisory. (2015)
• Received recognition on passing two internationally acclaimed legislations, one of which was the basis for a documentary that won an Oscar on Acid Crime Control enhancing women empowerment.
• Led and won key public interest litigations at Supreme Court level on human rights and climate change commissions.
• Collaborated with civil and military officials to negotiate with warring factions during Pakistan’s War on Terror.
• Served as an Election Observer for Commonwealth in Malawi General Elections 2019; led domestic election campaigns.
• Served as the youngest woman CEO of a multinational corporation in the country and founded Pakistan’s first vehicle satellite tracking company, Trakker that later became a Public Limited Company at age 27.
• Set up a modern Media Management Cell for the President of Pakistan and Armed Forces, and introduced Media Reform Parliamentary Commission Legislations.
• Served as Investment Advisor and generated the highest Foreign Direct Investment for Pakistan’s economic development.
• Policy Advisor for UN’s International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).
• Represented the Prime Minister and Cabinet at Bilateral FATF negotiations and multilateral / international conferences.
• Authored 4 books – firsts for Pakistan on parliament, election & poverty management, gendered approach to peacebuilding.
• Fluent in English, French, Urdu, and Sindhi; with basic understanding of Arabic and Spanish.

CEO, Lifelong Learners Consultancy. (2018 to Present)

• Leverage quality communication and policy skills on negotiation, peacebuilding, gender, development, national security, conflict resolution, women empowerment, DDR, media management, poverty alleviation, and social safety nets.
• Member of the World Bank Advisory Council for Partnership for Economic Inclusion (2021)
• Policy Advisor for International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) (2020).
• Guest Speaker on Peacebuilding in 2021 at: UN-Univ CRIS Bruges, University of St Andrews, and Paris Talks.
• Guest Speaker on conflict resolution, poverty alleviation, women empowerment (2019-2020) at: UN-Univ CRIS Bruges, SciencesPo France, ILO Geneva, UNICEF Geneva, University of Essex, University College Dublin, Centre for Applied Policy Research Munich, University of Lyon, Paris Talks, Birkbeck College London, The London School of Economics, KU Leuven Belgium, the Hertie School of Governance Berlin, Institute for Security and Development Policy Stockholm, NIAS Copenhagen.

Federal Minister | Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), Cabinet of Pakistan, Islamabad. (2015 to 2018)

• Ensured poverty alleviation with a fund size of $1.25 billion yearly, through quarterly unconditional cash stipends for ~6 million chronically poor families, with over 2300 employees through 400+ offices nationwide.
• Chaired an independent board of Directors of BISP comprising of eminent Pakistanis in the social sector.
• Managed development partner relations and negotiations with all UN Agencies, and IFIs like WB, ADB, and DFID.
• Implemented a co-responsibility Educational cash stipend, to enroll 2 million out of children into school.
• Operationalized 65,000 BISP women committees that are the largest women empowerment network compromising of ~1.7 million women who were trained on financial inclusion, nutrition and women empowerment.
• Ensured BISP beneficiaries graduated out of poverty, utilizing micro credit, e-commerce, and vocational training.
• Ensured that Pakistan’s premier demographic database (BISP’s National Socio-Economic Registry) of 150 million surveyed households was utilized towards targeted subsidies to maximize impact of all development spending through data analytics.
• Introduced latest biometric payment modes to integrate beneficiaries into the banking systems of Pakistan ensuring their graduation out of poverty and women financial inclusion.
• Ensured SDG targets on poverty, hunger, employability, justice, education, health were met for the most vulnerable populations of Pakistan including vast majority of rural poor by creating linkages to other state services.
• In this role, represented the interests of the BISP program inside parliament and in cabinet reporting to the Prime Minister.

Member National Assembly, Chairperson of the Standing Committee for Information Broadcasting and Cultural Heritage | National Assembly of Pakistan, Islamabad. (2008 to 2015)

• As Chairperson of Information Standing Committee of Parliament, collaborated with Cabinet, Parliament, and civil society to maintain Information legislative oversight over the Executive branch.
• Devised and implemented peacebuilding strategies including negotiating with warring factions, to ensure delivery of quality support for Internally Displaced Persons in war against extremists during Pakistan’s military operations while serving as Civil Military Coordinator.
• Tabled 4 significant Reports in Parliament: The National Language Commission Report, Right to Information Bill Report, Media Commission and Media Laws Review Task Force Report, and Media Person’s Security Report.
• Authored 2 internationally acclaimed legislations namely the Acid Crime Control Legislation (Oscar winning documentary called ‘Saving Face’ made on the same) and Legislation to set up Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services, which is Pakistan’s first Research and Training Institute for Parliamentarians.
• Developed a rural feudal constituency in Thatta, which hosts UNESCO heritage sites.

Additional Work Experience (1993-2007)

• Advisor, Board of Investment   Board of Investment, Government of Pakistan, Islamabad, Pakistan
• Director, Media Monitoring ISPR   ISPR/Presidency of Pakistan, Islamabad, Pakistan
• Chief Executive Officer   Trakker (Pvt.) Ltd., Karachi, Pakistan
• Quality Assurance Manager   Citibank Pakistan, Karachi, Pakistan
• Business Unit Research Analyst International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Karachi, Pakistan.

• Inaugural Democracy Award, House of Commons, UK Parliament, 2017
• French Presidential National Order of Merit, 2017
• Member World Bank Advisory Council on Gender, 2017
• Member World Bank Advisory Council for Partnership for Economic Inclusion, 2021

• 4 UN Official Languages: English, French, Spanish, Arabic, as well as Sindhi & Urdu.

• ‘My Diaries’ (First Parliamentary Diaries of Pakistan) 2012.
• ‘The day the jogis woke up’ (Book written on experiences contesting elections in feudal territory as a woman) 2013.
• ‘Those who matter the most’ (Book on Pakistan’s largest Social Safety Net, BISP) 2018.
• ‘Gender, Pakistan, UN Peacekeeping’ (Book on Gendered approach to UN peacekeeping) 2020.
• Podcast on Vulnerabilities (international human rights causes) 2020.
• Regular Policy Briefs, newspaper articles, columns, TV talk shows participants, TEDx Speaker.

• Executive Masters Global Studies (Development) – SciencesPo, Paris School of International Affairs, (2020)
• Bachelor of Science Economics Honors (International Relations) – The London School of Economics, London. (1993)
• A-Levels – The British School of Paris, France (1990)