| Honorable Right Farahnaz Ispahani |
|
|---|---|
| Spokeswomanof the Prime minister Secretariat | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 9 September 2008 |
|
| President | Asif Ali Zardari |
| Prime Minister | Yousaf Raza Gillani |
| Preceded by | Major-General Rashid Qureshi |
| Member of Parliament to the Pakistan Parliament | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office June 13th, 2008 |
|
| Constituency | Sindh-XI |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Farahnaz Isphani 1963 (age 48–49)[1] Karachi, West-Pakistan |
| Citizenship | Pakistan |
| Nationality | Pakistani |
| Political party | Pakistan People's Party (PPP) |
| Spouse(s) | Husain Haqqani |
| Residence | Islamabad, Islamabad Capital Territory |
| Alma mater | Wellesley College (B.Sc.) |
| Profession | Media Administrator and Political scientist |
| Committees | Member, Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Information and Broadcasting and Youth Affairs, and the Human Rights Committee |
| Religion | Islam |
Farahnaz Ispahani (Urdu: فرح ناز اصفهانی) is currently serving as a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan and as a spokesperson for the President of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari. She is married to Husain Haqqani, the former Pakistan Ambassador to the United States, and is the granddaughter of Pakistan's first ambassador to the United States, Mirza Abol Hassan Ispahani.[2] Her uncle, Zia Ispahani has also served as a politician and former ambassador for Pakistan. Ispahani was born in Karachi, and grew up in Karachi, Dhaka and London. She graduated from Wellesley College in Massachusetts, majoring in political science.
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Ispahani spent two decades in journalism -- both print and television -- before entering politics. She worked in broadcasting, working with MSNBC, CNN, (ABC) and (VOA) assisting in the launch of new programs including CNN's Paula Zahn Now and Anderson Cooper 360°. In addition, she served as the Managing Editor and Executive Producer for the Voice of America Urdu language television program Beyond the Headlines.[3] She served as Editor Special Reports for the leading Pakistani news magazine The Herald, and was the Editor of Zameen, a magazine oriented toward Pakistanis living abroad. She is a regular contributor in The News, Pakistan's second largest English-language newspaper.
In 2006, Ispahani began working for the Pakistan Peoples Party under then-chair Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in its media relations department. She is Media Advisor to the Co-Chairman of the Pakistan People's Party, Asif Ali Zardari.[4]
In early 2008, she took a reserved seat for women in Pakistan's parliament as a member from the Pakistan Peoples Party, representing the Sindh province,[5] and also serves as a spokesperson for President Zardari. She is a member of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Information and Broadcasting and Youth Affairs, and the Human Rights Committee.[5][6]