Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui - a profile
Pakistan
He ran for MNA from NA-169 Hyderabad in 1990 for first time as candidate of Haq Parast Group
By Ahad Khan
Early life and Education:
Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui was born in Hyderabad. He graduated from the Jinnah Sindh Medical University in 1989.
Lesser known facts:
1) Khalid Maqbool joined the All Pakistan Mojahir Students Organisation in 1982.
2) He became chairman of the All Pakistan Muttahidda Students Organisation in 1989.
3) He became an MNA in 1990 immediately after his graduation.
4) He remained in exile most of the time between 1992-2013 while also holding important government portfolios.
5) He was treated for cancer in 2015.
Political Career:
Khalid Maqbool ran for MNA from NA-169 Hyderabad in 1990 for the first time as a candidate of Haq Parast Group and became successful. Later, after operation against MQM in 1992, his party did not take part in 1993 elections.
He went to the US in exile. He returned to Pakistan in 1997 and participated in elections. He was elected an MNA from NA-169 Hyderabad. He joined Nawaz Sharif-led cabinet as Federal Minister for Industries and Production. He continued till August 1998.
After a break of almost 15 years, he came back from the US and was elected an MNA from NA-219 Hyderabad in the 2013 elections.
In 2018, he was made convener of MQM-P. He won the 2018 elections as MNA from NA-255 Karachi and was inducted into the federal cabinet of the PTI government as Minister of Information Technology and Telecommunication. He later resigned as minister in 2020.
On March 30, 2022, his party parted with the PTI government and voted against its PM in a vote of no-confidence.
In the upcoming election, MQM-P convener Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui is in a gladiatorial contest with PTI's social media wizard Dr Arslan Khalid in NA-248, Karachi.
