Yusuf Raza Gilani

His great-grandfather Makhdoom Syed Sadar-ud-din Shah Gilani was invited to the Delhi Darbar in 1910 whereas Sadar-ud-Din Shah Gilani's Brother Makhdoom Syed Rajan Baksh Gilani remained a member of the legislative council and later served as the first Muslim mayor of Multan.

His uncle Miran Muhammad Shah was a landlord and spiritual leader from Rahim Yar Khan whose daughter married the Pir of Pagaro VII.

His grandfather Makhdoom Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah also served as the chairman of the Municipal Corporation of Multan and later got elected as a member of the legislative assembly in the 1945–46 general elections.

Yusuf Raza Gilani (born 9 June 1952) is a Pakistani politician who served as the 16th prime minister of Pakistan from 2008 to 2012.

He is a veteran of Pakistan People's Party, and is currently serving as the vice-chairman of the party's Central Executive Committee, and in 2021 was elected as a Senator.

Born into an aristocratic clan of Multan, Gilani studied political journalism from the Government College University and University of the Punjab in Lahore.

Yusuf Raza Gilani was born on 9 June 1952 in Multan, Punjab.

His family is purportedly descended from Sunni theologian Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani and Sufi saint Musa al-Jilani.

His father Makhdoom Syed Alamdar Hussain Gilani was one of the signatories of the Pakistan Resolution and later served as the Federal and Provincial minister of Pakistan and Punjab respectively.

His uncle Makhdoom Syed Wilayat Hussain Shah served as the chairman of the District council Multan whereas he also remained a member of the legislative assembly.

Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani was born on 9 June 1952, in Multan, Punjab, West-Pakistan.

Gillani moved to Lahore, Punjab.

Gillani attended Government College University and obtained his B.A. in journalism in 1970, and followed by an MA in Political journalism from the University of the Punjab in 1976.

In an interview given to Vasatolah Khan of BBC Urdu, Gilani maintained that "if he had not pursue his career in the national politics, he would have been a civil engineer."

Gillani is married to Fauzia Gillani, together they have four sons and one daughter.

In 1978, he joined the Pakistan Muslim League and worked in the military government of president Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq.

Yousaf Raza Gillani's political career started in the military government of President General Zia-ul-Haq in 1978, after he joined as a member of the Central Working Committee (CWC) of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML), alongside industrialist Nawaz Sharif.

Gilani resigned from the Muslim League in 1986 and subsequently joined the Pakistan People's Party in 1988.

He served in the cabinet of Benazir Bhutto as the Minister of Tourism in 1989–1990, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development in 1990–1993 and Speaker of the National Assembly in 1993–1997.

Gilani was arrested in 2001 on accusations of corruption by military president Pervez Musharraf and was imprisoned for around six years at the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.

Following the 2008 general elections, Gilani was elected the Prime Minister of Pakistan by consensus of the Central Executive Committee of the People's Party.

Upon inauguration, he strengthened parliamentary democracy and began an impeachment motion against Musharraf, which prompted the latter to abscond from the country.

His eldest son, Abdul Qadir Gillani, started his own political career from Multan, and in 2008 he married the granddaughter of Pir Pagara Shah Mardan Shah II, an influential political and religious leader of Sindh.

Abdul Qadir is alleged to have been involved in a corruption case over arrangements for pilgrims to Mecca and in a scandal at a state-owned insurance company.

Gillani's three other sons Ali Qasim Gillani, Ali Musa Gillani and Ali Haider Gillani are triplets.

Qasim Gillani is currently doing his undergraduate studies at Brunel University of London.

Gillani's daughter Fiza Gillani is the Good-Will Ambassador of Women and has one son called Asfandyar Gillani.

He is commonly credited with ending the judicial crisis in March 2009 and improving nuclear energy projects throughout the country.

Musa Gillani in 2009 and was an MNA in his father's cabinet.

Ali Haider Gillani studied at School of Economics in Lahore.

Ali Musa Gillani after completing his studies is now actively participating in politics.

Ali Musa was questioned by the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) agents over a scandal.

Furthermore, Gilani initiated effective foreign policies, nationalisation programmes and founded the University of Swat in July 2010.

In June 2012, Gilani was controversially disqualified by the Supreme Court of Pakistan, which was widely perceived to be judicial dictatorship.

His cousin Jalil Abbas Jilani is a diplomat who served as the Foreign Secretary of Pakistan in 2012–2013.

On 9 May 2013, his son, Ali Haider Gilani, was kidnapped by several armed men in Multan in central Pakistan during an election rally.

A group called the Al Mansuri Brigade kidnapped him.

He spent three years in captivity, before being rescued in a joint operation between American-led NATO special forces and Afghan forces in May 2016.

He briefly exiled from national politics until April 2017, when his disqualification term ended.

He was the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate of Pakistan from 2021 to 2022.