Firdous Ashiq Awan: professional doctor to seasoned parliamentarian

The politician earned fame in the initial days of her political journey despite switching sides

Firdous Ashiq Awan waived goodbye to Pakistan People's Party (PPP) on Tuesday to join the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). According to the former information minister, Imran Khan is the centre of hope for the nation and she will serve the PTI to work towards materialising the party's dream of a "new Pakistan."

She earned fame in the initial days of her political journey and which was not affected even as she kept on switching sides.

Awan has to her profile some important achievements and impressive performance as far as her career is concerned.



She started her political career in the mid 90s, when she was undergoing her house-job at Ganga Ram Hospital, Lahore after successfully getting her MBBS degree from Fatima Jinnah Medical College.

Back then, she laid the foundation of the Society for Health and Development Exchange (SHADE) to ensure public relief work in the department of health.

Later, during the tenure of former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf, Awan was elected a district council member in Sialkot on a PML-Q ticket, after the former increased the number of special seats for women in local bodies.

In the general elections of 2002, she was elected an MNA on the same party's ticket and was also appointed a parliamentary secretary. Unlike several other women who step in politics coincidentally, Awan continued to progress and initiated development work in a village of Sialkot near the Indian border.

There Awan faced a difficult task as then National Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain belonged to the same constituency and maintained public gatherings. Awan refused to be influenced or take pressure and continued her political journey.



As a self-made politician and woman, Awan did not flee and stood her ground firmly against Hussain. While it was quite impossible for her to bypass the politician, Awan called on former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in London and subsequently announced to join the PPP before the general elections.

In 2008, she defeated Hussain with a huge margin, creating an upset for the opposing party. Under the PPP government, Awan first became a minister for population welfare and then an information minister.

PTI claims to be a representative of the youths and is the torchbearer of change. So one might predict that PTI is Awan's final destination, but who knows what tomorrow might bring for the politician.

This article originally appeared on BBC Urdu