National Assembly of Pakistan
The National Assembly ( ur, , translit=Aiwān-e-Zairīñ, , or ur, قومی اسمبلی, Romanization, romanized: ''Qaumi Assembly'') is the lower house, lower legislative house of the bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Pakistan, which al ...
since February 2024.
Early life and education
He received an
LLB (Hons)
Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...
degree from the
University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
.
Political career
In December 2021, a First Information Report (FIR) was filed against Tarar after he, along with a mob of armed individuals, forcibly entered the residence of Syed Mir Wasiq, a candidate of
Pakistan Peoples Party
The Pakistan People's Party ( ur, , ; PPP) is a centre-left, social-democratic political party in Pakistan. It is currently the third largest party in the National Assembly and second largest in the Senate of Pakistan. The party was founded ...
(PPP) during the by-election in Khanewal. Allegations were made that Tarar threatened, intimidated, and harassed women and family members of Wasiq.
He held the position of Deputy Secretary-General of the
Pakistan Muslim League (N)
The Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) ( ur, , translit=Pākistān Muslim Līg (Nūn) PML(N) or PML-N) is a Centre-right politics, centre-right and Liberal conservatism, liberal conservative political party in Pakistan. Alongside the Pakistan Teh ...
(PML-N) and has previously served as an additional secretary.
On 24 May 2022, Chief Minister of Punjab Hamza Shahbaz appointed him as the spokesperson of the Government of Punjab, on an honorary and non-remunerative basis. On May 30, 2022, Tarar was appointed as the Home Minister in the shortlived cabinet of Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shahbaz.
In June 2022, he faced criticism on social media after a video of him went viral, wherein he was observed displaying the middle finger in the Punjab Assembly, while holding a copy of the Constitution. After facing criticism on social media for allegedly showing disrespect towards the Constitution and violating the decorum of the Assembly, Atta posted an "apology".
On July 28, 2022, he was appointed as the Special Assistant to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, with the status of a Federal Minister. On December 16, 2022, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif appointed Tarar as his special assistant on interior and legal affairs.
Following the
May 9 riots
The May 9 riots were a series of violent clashes that took place on 9 May 2023, in Pakistan. Following the arrest of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party's leader, Imran Khan, from the grounds of the Islamabad High Court, demonstrations held b ...
, he held frequent media interactions, criticizing
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI; ur, , ) is a political party in Pakistan. It was founded in 1996 by Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, who served as the country's prime minister from 2018 to 2022. The PTI is one of the thre ...
founder
Imran Khan
Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi ( ur}; born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician and former Cricket captain who served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan from August 2018 to until April 2022, when he was ousted through a no-confidenc ...
.
In 2022, Farah Khan, a friend of Bushra Bibi, issued a final legal notice to Tarar, asking him to stop making defamatory statements about her.
He was elected to the
National Assembly of Pakistan
The National Assembly ( ur, , translit=Aiwān-e-Zairīñ, , or ur, قومی اسمبلی, Romanization, romanized: ''Qaumi Assembly'') is the lower house, lower legislative house of the bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Pakistan, which al ...
as a candidate of PML-N from Constituency
NA-127 Lahore-XI
NA-127 Lahore-XI () is a constituency for the National Assembly of Pakistan. NA-127 covers the areas of Liaqatabad, Model Town Ext (Q, R and S blocks), Pindi Rajputan, Ismail Nagar, Kot Lakhpat, Chungi Amar Sadhu, Teharta Pind, Bagrian, Green Town ...
in
2024 Pakistani general election
General elections are scheduled to be held in Pakistan on 8 February 2024 to elect the members of the 16th National Assembly. The detailed schedule was announced by Election Commission of Pakistan on 15 December 2023.
The two major parties ar ...
. He received 98,210 votes and defeated PTI-backed independent candidate Malik Zaheer Abbas who received 82,230 votes and also
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari ( ur, بلاول بھٹو زرداری; born 21 September 1988) is a Pakistani politician who is serving as the 37th Minister of Foreign Affairs, in office since 27 April 2022. He became the chairman of Pakistan Peopl ...
who received 15,005 votes. However, Malik Zaheer Abbas contested Tarar's election victory in court, accusing the Election Commission of Pakistan of manipulating and forging Forms 45 and 47 to declare Tarar the winning candidate.
On 11 March, he was inducted into the federal cabinet of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and was appointed as Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting. On May 17, 2024 Tarar was assigned additional portfolio of National Heritage and Culture.
In May 2024, during Shehbaz Sharif's visit to Iran, Tarar, acted as his personal photographer upon landing at the airport, which prompted criticism from the public..