Nilofar Bakhtiar

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Nilofar Bakhtiar (Urdu: نیلوفر بختیار) is a public official in Pakistan. She is the Federal Minister for Tourism. Recently, a fatwa was issued against her after she was photographed hugging a man in public.^[1] Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has rejected Bakhitar's resignation.^[1]

Ms Bakhtiar has been shown the door, both as Minister and President PML-Q Women Wing.

Previously, she served in the office of Prime Minister as the Advisor for Women's Development matters.

Her biography on the Government of Pakistan website states: Born in Banu [NWFP] Nilofar Bakhtiar is 45 years old. The family has a background of Social Worker and Military Service for over 4 generations.

Begum Ali Malik, mother of Nilofer Bakhtiar, was a renowned social worker and was also the founder and chairperson of The National Committee for the Repatriation of POWs after the 71 war. At that time Begum Ali Malik went all over the world and met with Heads of State, and politicians including the Pope in Italy. Nilofar got passionately involved in social work right from childhood.

1 Education
2 Social Activism
3 Politics
4 Family
5 Parachuting Controversy
6 See also
7 References
8 External links

[edit] Education

High School: Presentation Convent Rawalpindi

College: Bachelor of Arts Punjab University

Masters in Public Administration, Carnegie Mellon University

[edit] Social Activism

The government website states that her "main thrust of work has been on the uplift of women, health and educational projects".

[edit] Politics

Joined Pakistan Muslim League in 1990. Elected as a member of the Municipal Corporation for headed PML election campaigns in 1990, 1993, and 1997.

President of the Women's Wing of the Pakistan Muslim League in Rawalpindi. Appointed a member of the Central Working Committee in 1996. Imprisoned during Tehrik-e-Nijat after anti-government protests.

She serves on the board of numerous educational and civic bodies.

[edit] Family

Married, has two sons and one daughter.

[edit] Parachuting Controversy

In April 2007, Islamic clerics in Pakistan issued a Fatwa urging that she be punished and fired from the government after some newspapers printed photographs of her hugging and kissing a male colleague after landing from a parachute jump in France. The clerics stated that this was "an illegitimate and forbidden act, and that without any doubt, she has committed a great sin, and that Muslim women must stay at home and must not venture out uncovered.^[2]

Bahktiar described the hug as a congratulatory pat, after her parachute jump. "It was just a pat because he felt so proud of me, I did it for a good cause. I did not have any practice of parajumping. I thought it was brave on my part." ^[3]

Photos in the Pakistani media showed Bakhtiar being helped by a male instructor during a charity parachute jump in France last month to raise money for victims of the devastating October 2005 earthquake in Pakistan. Another picture showed a woman (apparently Bakhtiar) hugging the instructor.

The Lal Masjid Sharia court decreed that Ms. Bakhtiar had committed an “un-Islamic act” by hugging her French male coach for which she must be removed from the federal cabinet. The decree was issued at the request of “a resident of Islamabad”, who sought the Islamic court’s views on the issue.

On May 21 2007, Nilofar Bakhtiar announced her resignation as Tourism Minister, over the parachute controversy. Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz rejected this resignation.^[1]

Ms Bakhtiar complained of a campaign of intimidation against her, and had told a Senate Standing Committee that her life was under threat. Ms Bakhtiar said she was disappointed by her Cabinet colleagues who had failed to stand by her.^[4]