Raja Pervez Ashraf

Raja Pervez Ashraf, born on December 26, 1950, is a prominent Pakistani politician, businessman, and agriculturist. He served as the 17th Prime Minister of Pakistan from June 2012 to March 2013 and held the position of Speaker of the National Assembly from April 2022 to March 2024. Representing the NA-58 constituency in Rawalpindi-II, Ashraf has been a significant figure in the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), an alliance opposing Imran Khan's PTI party.

Before ascending to the premiership, Ashraf was the Minister for Water and Power in the government led by Yousaf Raza Gillani from March 2008 to February 2011. His elevation to Prime Minister came on June 22, 2012, following the disqualification of Gillani over contempt of court charges. Ashraf was selected as the PPP's candidate and was elected with a decisive vote of two hundred eleven to eighty-nine in the National Assembly.

During his tenure, Ashraf faced various challenges, including corruption scandals, but he is particularly noted for his commitment to developing hydroelectric projects. One of his key achievements was the initiation of the nine hundred seventy megawatt Neelum-Jhelum project, which encountered significant hurdles when the Chinese Exim Bank withheld a loan of four hundred forty-eight million dollars due to a link with the halted Safe City Project in Islamabad, as mandated by the Supreme Court of Pakistan. Under his leadership, the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) launched several major and medium-sized projects in Gilgit–Baltistan.