Mr. Ahmed Bilal Mehboob
President, PILDAT
A thought leader, a public intellectual and a social entrepreneur, Mr. Ahmed Bilal Mehboob established the first-of-its-kind globally recognized political, non-partisan and public policy think tank: Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT) in 2002. PILDAT’s research, analysis, advocacy and capacity-building has helped broaden and inform public and stakeholder discourse reflected in various constitutional, legal and policy reforms across many areas of democracy, democratic institutions and democratic governance.
Mehboob’s special expertise lies in assessment of quality of governance and democracy, electoral reforms and monitoring, parliamentary performance and development, civil-military relations, strengthening political parties, leadership and political development of youth, promotion and assessment of the rule of law, right to information and much more. He is a thought leader and has set-up various eminent intellectuals groups to find innovative solutions to Pakistan’s problems such as the Dialogue Group on Civil Military Relations (DGCMR), Democracy Assessment Group (DAG), Governance Assessment Group (GAG), Citizens Group on Electoral Process (CGEP), etc. He has designed and conducted trainings and capacity-building courses on a large variety of policy issues for Parliamentary Leaders, MPs, Legislative and Government officials, political party office bearers and youth leaders, among others. Mr. Mehboob has employed exceptional networking and interpersonal skills in bringing various political parties and leaders to converge on various reform initiatives, in addition to successful efforts in bridging the perception and knowledge gap between the civil and the military, constitutional reform initiatives, reforms on internal democracy, legislative strengthening and various aspects of crucial public policies. Mr. Ahmed Bilal Mehboob regularly delivers lectures at Pakistan’s premium public policy institutions, including National School of Public Policy and its affiliates, defence institutions such as the National Defence University and Command and Staff College, public and private institutions of academic excellence, as well as many national, regional and international think tanks and research institutions. His expert views and analysis is sought across national and international media. Apart from his regular column in Pakistan’s prestigious newspaper, the daily Dawn, he is often requested to provide analysis and views for news stories, columns and news reports across national and international publications. He tweets @ABMPildat
Dr. Muhammad Manshad Satti
CEO IT Butler & Eduserv, Former Chairman Internet
Voting Task Force (IVTF) Created by the Supreme
Court of Pakistan (2018)
Dr. Muhammad Manshad Satti holds a B.E (Elec.) and M Eng. (Telecom) from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney, and a Ph.D. (Comp Engr) from Deakin University Melbourne Australia. He has over twenty-five years of industrial experience in Electronics, IT, and Telecoms.
Dr. Satti was appointed as Chairman for Internet Voting Task Force (IVTF) in April 2018 by the order of the Supreme Court of Pakistan for scrutinizing the efficacy and cyber resilience testing of the I-Voting application developed by NADRA.
He has served as chief information security officer (CISO) of Australia’s largest corporate telecom where he developed telecom security policies, risk assessment, security strategies, Innovation and leadership, and complex design for dedicated hosting, co-location, e-commerce, and online businesses. During this tenure, he has contributed to several forums and worked on Information Security Management System (ISMS).
He has been engaged in research and development at a leading R & D Security research Laboratory, studying Deep Packet Inspection (DPI), Lawful Interception (LI), monitoring and Analysis, (LIMA) Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS), and Data mining techniques for 3-tier security architecture.
He has authored more than thirty publications on ICT Security, Risk Analysis, and GRC and conducted over forty international lectures and seminars. He is a member of IEEE (USA), the Institute of Engineers Australia (MIE Aust.), and earned Chartered Engineer (CEng.) recognition. Dr. Satti is enlisted at National Professional Register (NPR) Australia in IT, Telecom, and Electrical Engineering chapters.
His research interests are on Data mining, DPI, LIMA, Mobile Location Tracking, LBS Data Analytics, Telecoms signaling security, and advance Detection systems used for mitigating future DOS / DDOS attacks at Internet and Corporate networks, where ISPs and Mobile Network Operators (MNO) are most victims of such attacks.
Mr. Atif Majeed
Programme Manager, GP Partners Australia
Former Team Member of first EVM prototype developed in Pakistan from COMSATS Institute of Information and Technology (2011)
Mr. Atif Majeed is currently serving as the Programme Manager at GP Partners in Adelaid Australia. Mr. Majeed is also a founding CEO of a Start-up focused on developing a digital marketplace for the disability sector in Australia. He possesses more than 10 years of experience in enterprise development, innovation management, new product development and IP management. Mr. Majeed was the Former Team Member of first EVM prototype developed in Pakistan from COMSATS Institute of Information and Technology (2011). He also helped to launch a number of tech-based start-ups and he enjoys creating new business opportunities, leveraging strategic assets and matching them with market gaps. Mr. Majeed also occasionally teach in Pakistani, the UK and Australian universities. Mr. Majeed is a Fulbright Scholar who holds a MBA from New York, USA, specializing in Technology Management and Entrepreneurship. Prior to that, he did his Masters in Digital Communications Engineering, CASE (Centre for Advanced Studies in Engineering), Islamabad and a Bachelors in Electrical Engineering from COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Islamabad.
Dr. S.Y. Quraishi
Former Chief Election Commissioner of India
Dr. S.Y. Quraishi is the former Chief Election Commissioner of India (July 2010- June 2012). He joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1971 and after holding several strategic and key positions, rose to become the 17th Chief Election Commissioner of India, the world’s largest democracy. He also served as the Election Commissioner of India from June 2006 to July 2010. Dr. S.Y. Qureshi was figured in The Indian Express list of 100 Most Powerful Indians in 2011 and in 2012. He was also figured in India Today's Power List of 100 most powerful Indians in 2012. As the Election Commissioner and Chief Election Commissioner of India (2006-2012), he introduced a number of innovative electoral reforms, established an Expenditure Control Division and a Voter Education Division in the Commission. By this he controlled money power elections and brought about a participation revolution among voters. He also founded the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management IIIDEM to professionalize election management and share it with the emerging democracies of the world. Over 70 countries have received training in this institute within five years. Dr. S.Y. Qureshi holds a M.A (History) from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University and a Ph.D Deptt. of Social Work from J M I University, Delhi.
Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, MNA
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting
Government of Pakistan
Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, scion of Jat family of Vains Clan of district Jhelum, is a lawyer by profession and a politician by passion and lineage. Chaudhry’s family has strong political credentials and has played a very significant role in local as well as national politics. His grandfather and other family members have also served on important positions in the government as well as in the superior judiciary. Chaudhry Fawad Hussain served as Special Assistant to Prime Minister (2012-13).
After joining the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), he has been handling media-related issues as Secretary Information of the party. In addition to being Federal Minister for Information & Broadcasting, he is also Secretary Information and Central Spokesman for the ruling party.
A few years ago, he joined the electronic media and emerged as a powerful voice on TV screens due to his eloquence and grip on current affairs. He co-hosted a television programme ‘Khabar Kay Peechay’ on Neo News.
Chaudhry Fawad was elected Member National Assembly from Jhelum (NA-67) in the general elections 2018 held on July 25. He also won a provincial assembly seat (PP-27) from Jhelum, which he vacated in order to retain his National Assembly seat.
Fawad Chaudhry has been given the portfolio of Information and Broadcasting for the second time. Earlier he headed this Ministry from 20 August 2018 to 18 April 2019 before assuming the charge of Minister for Science and Technology in cabinet reshuffle. He is determined to revamp the Ministry and its operations through bringing structural changes in it according to the vision of Prime Minister and aspirations of the people of Pakistan.
Fawad Chaudhry is fully determined to convert PTV News and PTV Soprts on HD, transform APP into a digital news agency, make PID and its advertisement system paperless, bring revival of film and drama industry, revamp External Publicity Wing and above all, introduce condusive environment for growth of digital media in Pakistan.
Syed Naveed Qamar, MNA
Chairperson, National Assembly Standing Committee on Commerce, Former Member Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reforms (2014-2017) and Former Federal Minister
Syed Naveed Qamar is serving as MNA and Chairman National Assembly Standing Committee on Commerce. He has earlier served as member of the Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reforms from 2014-2017 that shaped up the Elections Act, 2017.
Syed Naveed Qamar started his political career as Member Sindh Assembly in 1988, and became Provincial Minister for Information. Later on, in all the General Elections held in Pakistan since, he has successfully secured his seat as a Member National Assembly. He is a senior leader of the Pakistan People’s Party and a Member Central Executive Committee in the party. Mr. Qamar has the honour of working with former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto (late) and President Asif Ali Zardari as Federal Minister Defence, Federal Minister Finance, Federal Minister Water & Power, Federal Minister Petroleum & Natural Resources and Federal Minister Privatization. Currently, he is also a member of the National Assembly Standing Committees on Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs, Law and Justice and the Public Accounts Committee. His role in all the important Constitutional amendments especially in 18th, 19th and 20th Constitutional Amendment is remarkable in the Parliamentary history of Pakistan. Mr. Qamar takes keen interest in Social Sector Development and is Member Board of Governors of the policy think tank Sustainable Development Policy Institute. He is also serving as member Board of Governors at the Pakistan Institute of Parliamentary Services. He coined the idea of Parliamentarians for new South Asia under civil society organization's campaign Imagine New South Asia. He is member Executive Board of Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA) and remained a founder Convener for Peace and Democracy at its international network. Mr. Qamar is author of a number of papers prepared for National and International Seminars, Conferences and workshops. He was awarded President's Police Medal (PPM) in 1981.
Mr. Zahid Hamid
Former Federal Minister for Law and Justice
Former Member Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reforms (2014-2017)
Mr. Zahid Hamid was elected Member, National Assembly of Pakistan for three consecutive terms (2002, 2008 and 2013). He has served as Federal Minister in several Ministries. During the previous PML(N) Governments (2013-18), he held, at different times, the portfolios of Science and Technology, Climate Change, Human Rights and Law and Justice.
As a member of the PML(N) team participating in the Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Reforms, he helped finalize the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution in 2009-10. As Federal Minister he piloted some extremely important legislation, including constitutional amendments; anti-terrorist laws; Pakistan Climate Change Act; Public Interest Disclosures Act, Alternative Dispute Resolution Act, and Pakistan Commission of Inquiry Act. He was a member of the Parliamentary Electoral Reforms Committee which drafted the Elections Bill, 2017. He chaired the Sub-Committee which held detailed discussions on various aspects of the law, including, amongst others, the Electronic Voting Machines and voting by Overseas Pakistanis.
Mr. Zahid Hamid is a lawyer by profession, and an Advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan. He obtained his BA Honours and M.A. degrees from Cambridge University, UK and LL.B degree from University of the Punjab, Lahore. He was originally a member of the Civil Service of Pakistan and later a successful industrialist.
Ms. Aasiya Riaz
Joint Director, PILDAT
Ms. Aasiya Riaz, Joint Director of PILDAT coordinates various research projects within PILDAT and manages PILDAT’s projects and activities as PILDAT's co-director. She has over 15 years’ experience of working in the field of research, management and analysis. In her capacity as Joint Director, she has continued to oversee all programmes and projects of PILDAT in the fields of Quality of Democracy & Governance, Civil-Military Relations & Democratic Oversight of Defence & Security, Electoral Reforms, Parliamentary Development & Monitoring, Political Parties, Right to Information, Rule of Law, Youth and Women, etc.
Trained in the field of media and political communication at the London School of Economics, UK, Ms. Riaz has worked with the mainstream press and electronic media in Pakistan as well. She was also a Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellow at the National Endowment for Democracy, USA where she worked on US Think Tanks and the subject of Civil-Military Relations. She also graduated from the Stanford University, USA Course on Democracy, Development and Rule of Law in August 2007. She regularly appears on national and international media for political analysis and commentaries. She tweets @AasiyaRiaz
