Chaudhry Abid Raza

Abid Raza was born on 2 September 1972 in Kotla Arab Ali Khan, Kharian, Gujrat District.{{cite web|title=Detail Information|url=http://www.pildat.org/mna/rsDetail.asp?detid=107|accessdate=9 July 2017|date=21 April 2014|url-status=bot: unknown|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140421165251/http://www.pildat.org/mna/rsDetail.asp?detid=107|archivedate=21 April 2014}} His father was elected chairman UC Kotla in the 60s, his family being well-known in local politics.

He belongs to a Punjabi Gujjar family with Deobandi affiliation.{{Cite web |last=Warraich |first=Shehryar |date=15 July 2018 |title=Banned but not out |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/565906-banned |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230821200705/https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/565906-banned |archive-date=21 August 2023 |access-date= |website=The News International |quote=Chaudhry Abid Raza Gujjar became PML-N MNA from Gujrat in 2013 [...]}}

In terms of education, he has a Shahadat-ul-Almia degree, considered an equivalent to an MA in Arabic and Islamic Studies, while by profession he's a rice trader.{{Cite web |title=Profile |url=https://www.politicpk.com/profile-ch-abid-raza-na-71-gujrat-mna |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230821200302/https://www.politicpk.com/profile-ch-abid-raza-na-71-gujrat-mna-profile/ |archive-date=21 August 2023 |website=PoliticPK|date=21 November 2018 }}

He has been handed down a death sentence through an anti-terror act in 1998, for murdering six peoples in an attempt to assassinate Ghulam Sarwar Bhooch, the nazim of Gujrat and a family rival, as well as having links with Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Sipah-e-Sahaba, while in 2003 he was accused of helping Amjad Farooqi, an Islamist who planned to kill Musharraf. He denied all these allegations and connections with militant outfits, while he didn't get the death sentence because he spent five years in jail and was released after reconciling with the opposing party, as per Islamic law.[https://www.thenews.com.pk/archive/print/630316-lej-terror-suspect-contesting-on-pml-n-ticket "LeJ terror suspect contesting on PML-N ticket"] (6 May 2013), The News International. Retrieved 22 April 2020.

Raza began his political career with Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) where he served in the Provincial Assembly of Punjab until 2008. His family joined PML-Q in 2003. He joined Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N) in 2008.{{cite web|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/796171|title=Man having links with banned outfit may get PML-N ticket|first=Muhammad|last=Azeem|date=18 March 2013|publisher=}} Hamza Shahbaz Sharif is supposed to be the one who pushed his inclusion in the PML-N despite the controversies, "to appease the Kotlas."Muhammad Azeem (18 March 2013), [https://www.dawn.com/news/796171 "Man having links with banned outfit may get PML-N ticket"], Dawn News. Retrieved 22 April 2020.

He was elected to the National Assembly of Pakistan as a candidate of PML-N from Constituency NA-107 (Gujrat-IV) in 2013.{{cite web|title=NA-107 Results|url=http://election2013.geo.tv/constituency/results/107/NA-107.html|website=Geo TV|accessdate=10 January 2015|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150110190939/http://election2013.geo.tv/constituency/results/107/NA-107.html|archivedate=10 January 2015}}{{cite news|title=Tough contest between N, PPP in NA-107|url=http://nation.com.pk/national/30-Mar-2013/tough-contest-between-n-ppp-in-na-107|accessdate=5 March 2017|work=The Nation|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170306133022/http://nation.com.pk/national/30-Mar-2013/tough-contest-between-n-ppp-in-na-107|archivedate=6 March 2017}}{{cite news|title=Democratic terror|url=http://nation.com.pk/columns/09-Sep-2014/democratic-terror|accessdate=5 March 2017|work=The Nation|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170306135019/http://nation.com.pk/columns/09-Sep-2014/democratic-terror|archivedate=6 March 2017}}{{cite news|title=Crushing defeats deal a severe blow to PPP|url=http://nation.com.pk/editors-picks/14-May-2013/crushing-defeats-deal-a-severe-blow-to-ppp|accessdate=5 March 2017|work=The Nation|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170306132928/http://nation.com.pk/editors-picks/14-May-2013/crushing-defeats-deal-a-severe-blow-to-ppp|archivedate=6 March 2017}}{{cite news|title=SC restores death sentence of PML-N MNA|url=http://nation.com.pk/national/17-Jun-2016/sc-restores-death-sentence-of-pml-n-mna|accessdate=5 March 2017|work=The Nation|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170306135547/http://nation.com.pk/national/17-Jun-2016/sc-restores-death-sentence-of-pml-n-mna|archivedate=6 March 2017}} He received 94,196 votes and defeated Chaudhry Muhammad Ilyas, a candidate of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).{{cite web|title=2013 election result|url=https://ecp.gov.pk/Documents/General%20Elections%202013%20report/Election%20Report%202013%20Volume-II.pdf|publisher=ECP|accessdate=12 May 2018|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180201140612/https://ecp.gov.pk/Documents/General%20Elections%202013%20report/Election%20Report%202013%20Volume-II.pdf|archivedate=1 February 2018}}

He was re-elected to the National Assembly as a candidate of PML-N from Constituency NA-71 (Gujrat-IV) in 2018. He received 88,588 votes and defeated Muhammad Ilyas Chaudhry, a candidate of PTI.{{cite news |title=PML-N's Chaudhary Abid Raza wins NA-71 election |url=https://www.app.com.pk/pml-ns-chudhary-abid-raza-wins-na-71-election/ |accessdate=2 August 2018 |work=Associated Press Of Pakistan |date=26 July 2018}}

• List of Deobandis

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Category:Living people

Category:Pakistan Muslim League (N) MNAs

Category:Pakistani people convicted of murder

Category:Pakistani MNAs 2013–2018

Category:1957 births

Category:Deobandis

Category:People from Gujrat District

Category:People convicted on terrorism charges

Category:Pakistani MNAs 2018–2023

Category:Pakistani Islamists

Category:Politicians from Gujrat, Pakistan

Category:Muslim Gujjars