Zafarullah Khan Jamali

Zafarullah Khan Jamali

Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali (Balochi, Urdu: میر ظفراللہ خان جمالی‎; born January 1, 1944) is a nationalist conservative politician and former sports administrator, serving as the thirteenth Prime Minister of Pakistan from 2002 until his resignation in 2004.

Originally a supporter of Pakistan Peoples Party, Jamali emerged in the politics of Balochistan Province in the 1970s, under military governor Rahimuddin Khan. He became a national figure as a part of the government of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, and served as the Chief Minister of Balochistan in two non-consecutive terms from June 1988 to December 1988, and 1997 to 1996. Although a senior leader in the Pakistan Muslim League (PML) and Sharif's confidante, Jamali's relations went cold, and he subsequently joined the dissident's party after the 1999 coup led by General Pervez Musharraf. After participating successfully in the 2002 general election, Jamali won the bid for the Office of Prime Minister after his supporters and colleagues left their respected parties to support him. On 21 November 2002, Jamali was appointed as thirteenth Prime Minister of Pakistan, becoming the first ethnic Baloch to hold that office.

Jamali vowed to transform Pakistan's economy into broader free-market principles, and implemented intensive economic shock therapy, price liberalization and privatization programmes. His political and economic philosophy emphasized the macroeconomics principles and subsequently improved the financial services, revenue and taxation in an attempt to control foreign debt, hyperinflation and social problems. His economic policies reached to expanded record level, producing 13.6% GDP per capita for the national economy. Jamali successfully oversaw the country's transformation of two-party system into the multiparty democracy system, and oversaw the implementation of constitutional restoration in the country. On 26 June 2004, Jamali announced a surprising announcement of his resignation, leaving the office into hand of his economic minister Shaukat Aziz (although Shuja'at Hussain served as an active Prime minister).