PM Gilani appoints Sherry Rehman ambassador to US

KARACHI: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Wednesday appointed Sherry Rehman as ambassador to US.

According to the state television, Sherry Rehman met Prime Minister Gilani before her appointment as envoy.

Hussain Haqqani was asked to resign on Tuesday by Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani over the "Memogate " scandal.

Four names were under consideration for Haqqani’s replacement. The possible nominees were Salman Bashir, Gen (Retd.) Jehangir Karamat, Lt Gen (Retd.) Ehsan and Dr Maleeha Lodhi1. However, the nomination of Sherry Rehman for the slot brought to an end the speculation .

Born in Karachi to a prominent Sindhi family, she attended Smith College and the University of Sussex where she studied art history and political science.

Sherry Rehman practiced as a professional journalist for twenty years, writing for national and international newspapers and newsmagazines. She was Editor-in-Chief of Pakistan’s leading newsmagazine, The Herald (Pakistan), for ten years and served as a member of the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) from 1988-1998.

Sherry Rehman remained Member of the National Assembly (MNA) from 2002 to 2007, where she acted as Central Information Secretary.

During this time she was also President of Policy Planning for the Pakistan People s Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) and served on the Foreign Relations Committee in the PPP.

In March 2008 Sherry Rehman was re-appointed by declaration as MNA from Sindh province to the reserved MNA seat for women.

Pakistani Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Gilani appointed her Minister for Information & Broadcasting.

On March 31, 2008 she was sworn in by President Pervez Musharraf.

During her tenure in parliament, Sherry Rehman authored all five PPP bills tabled in the National Assembly: Women Empowerment Bill, Anti-Honour Killings Bill, Domestic Violence Prevention Bill, Affirmative Action Bill and Hudood Repeal Bill.

She also moved two Bills for the Media: the Freedom of Information Bill and the Press Act, which prevents working journalists from being arrested under the 1999 Press Ordinance.

Sherry Rehman resigned her post as Federal Information Minister on Saturday, March 14, 2009, over differences of opinion with President Asif Ali Zardari on imposing restrictions on the media.

Sherry Rehman was the first Pakistani to be recognized with an award for independent journalism by the UK House of Lords in its Muslim World Awards Ceremony in the year 2002.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2011

Copyright PPI (Pakistan Press International), 2011