Faisal Vawda
{{Short description|Pakistani politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{Use Pakistani English|date=September 2024}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = Senator
| name = Faisal Vawda
| image = Faisal Vawda.png
| office1 = Senate of Pakistan
| term_start1 = 25 April 2024
| term_end1 =
| constituency1 = Sindh
| term_start2 = 12 March 2021
| term_end2 = 9 February 2022
| constituency2 = Sindh
| office3 = Ministry of Water Resources (Pakistan)
| term_start3 = 5 October 2018
| term_end3 = 3 March 2021
| primeminister3 = Imran Khan
| president3 = Arif Alvi
| successor3 = Moonis Elahi
| office4 = Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan
| term_start4 = 13 August 2018
| term_end4 = 3 March 2021
| constituency4 = NA-249 (Karachi West-II)
| successor4 = Qadir Mandokhail
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1974|June|11|df=yes}}
| residence = Sindh
| spouse = Nazli Vawda{{cite news|url=https://www.24newshd.tv/04-Mar-2021/faisal-vawda-s-marriage-with-anchorperson-saadia-afzaal-confirmed|title=Faisal Vawda's marriage with anchorperson Saadia Afzaal confirmed|date=4 March 2021|work=24 News HD}}
{{marriage|Saadia Afzaal|2020|2024|reason=divorce}}{{Cite web|date=2021-03-04|title=Faisal Vawda is Married to Anchorperson Saadia Afzaal Khan|url=https://www.oyeyeah.com/celebrity/faisal-vawda-is-married-to-anchorperson/|access-date=2021-03-09|website=Oyeyeah|language=en-US}}
| birth_place = Illinois, United States
| nationality = Pakistani
| party = IND (2025-present)
| otherparty = PTI (2010-2022)
| occupation = Politician
Businessman
}}
Faisal Vawda is a Pakistani politician and businessman who was the Federal Minister for Water Resources from 5 October 2018 to 3 March 2021. He has previously been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from August 2018 till March 2021. He was elected as a senator after winning in the 2021 Senate Elections on a seat from Sindh and held the seat until he was disqualified for being a dual national on 9 February 2022. He was a member of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) from 2010 to 2022, when his membership was terminated by the party.
Business career
Faisal Vawda hails from the Farid Ahmed Vawda business family and, prior to his political career, was involved in the family-owned FAV Group of Companies, established in 1984, specializing in textile dyes, chemicals, masterbatches, plastic manufacturing, air compressors, industrial inverters, security equipment, and toner distribution, with operations in Karachi, Lahore, and Faisalabad.“[https://www.mustakbil.com/companies/company/70908. About FAV Group of Companies],” Mustakbil.com, company profile, accessed 10 June 2025. FAV & Co is described as a leading provider of dyes and chemicals to Pakistan’s textile industry.“[https://vawda.com/ Welcome to FAV Group of Companies],” Vawda & Co., accessed 10 June 2025.
Political career
= Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (2010-2022) =
Faisal Vawda was elected to the National Assembly of Pakistan from the Constituency NA-249 (Karachi West-II) as a candidate of Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf in the 2018 General Elections. He received 35,344 votes and defeated Shahbaz Sharif.{{cite news |title=LIVE UPDATES: PTI leads in election 2018 results |url=https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2018/07/25/live-updates-polling-ends-counting-of-votes-begins/ |accessdate=4 August 2018 |work=www.pakistantoday.com.pk}}{{cite news |title=Imran Khan's PTI on top as election results come in |url=https://www.geo.tv/latest/204922-imran-khans-pti-on-top-as-election-results-come-in |accessdate=26 July 2018 |work=Geo |date=26 July 2018}} Following his successful election, a petition was submitted in the Sindh High Court seeking the disqualification of Faisal Vawda for not disclosing the details of his foreign bank accounts and properties in the affidavit submitted to the Election Commission of Pakistan.{{cite news |title=Petition seeking Faisal Vawda's disqualification filed in SHC {{!}} The Express Tribune |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/1776799/1-petition-seeking-faisal-vawdas-disqualification-filed-shc/ |accessdate=9 August 2018 |work=The Express Tribune |date=9 August 2018}}
On 5 October 2018, he was inducted into the federal cabinet of Prime Minister Imran Khan{{cite news |last1=Reporter |first1=The Newspaper's Staff |title=Six federal ministers administered oath |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1437168/six-federal-ministers-administered-oath |accessdate=6 October 2018 |work=DAWN.COM |date=6 October 2018}} and was appointed as Federal Minister for Water Resources.{{cite web |title=Notification - 5 October 2018 |url=http://www.cabinet.gov.pk/userfiles1/file/noti-fm-mos-05-10-2018.pdf |publisher=Cabinet Division |accessdate=6 October 2018 |archive-date=6 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181006235253/http://www.cabinet.gov.pk/userfiles1/file/noti-fm-mos-05-10-2018.pdf |url-status=dead }}
On 3 March 2021, the day of the 2021 Senate Elections, he resigned from his seat as a member of the National Assembly.{{Cite news|title=Vawda submits resignation from National Assembly in IHC, lawyer argues dual nationality case now 'invalid'|work=Dawn.com|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1610465}} He became a Senator after winning in the 2021 Senate Elections and held the seat till 9 February 2022 when he was disqualified by the ECP for being a dual national.{{Cite news|last=Yusuf|first=Nausheen|date=9 February 2022|title=Dual nationality case: ECP disqualifies Faisal Vawda|work=Geo Tv|url=https://www.geo.tv/latest/398054-ecp-disqualifies-faisal-vawda|access-date=10 February 2022}}{{Cite news|last=Virk|first=Saqib|date=9 February 2022|title=ECP disqualifies Vawda for life in dual nationality case|work=The Express Tribune|url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/2342730/ecp-disqualifies-vawda-for-life-in-dual-nationality-case|access-date=10 February 2022}}
== Termination ==
As a senior member of PTI, Faisal Vawda held a press conference on 26 October 2022, where he talked about Imran Khan's Azadi long march and disclosed the party's policy about the march.{{Cite web |date=2022-10-26 |title=PTI to issue show cause notice to Faisal Vawda over remarks about long march |url=https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/26-Oct-2022/pti-to-issue-show-cause-notice-to-faisal-vawda-over-remarks-about-long-march |access-date=2022-10-31 |website=Daily Pakistan Global |language=en}} According to the PTI, Faisal Vawda's press conference was against the party policy as he talked to media without notifying the party. As a result, Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf issued him a show cause notice and need answer for his press talk.{{Cite web |title=PTI issues show-cause notice to Faisal Vawda for trying to 'damage long march' |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1003867-pti-issues-show-cause-notice-to-faisal-vawda-for-trying-to-damage-long-march |access-date=2022-10-31 |website=www.thenews.com.pk |language=en}} On 29 October 2022 the PTI issued a termination letter to Faisal Vawda undersigned by Chairman of Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf Imran Khan as he failed to respond to the party's show cause notice.{{Cite web |date=2022-10-29 |title=Imran terminates Vawda's PTI membership |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/2383812/imran-terminates-vawdas-pti-membership |access-date=2022-10-31 |website=The Express Tribune |language=en}}
Assets
As of 2010, Faisal Vawda is owner of Faisal Vawda Group.{{cite news |title=EGIBL's merger with Al Baraka challenged |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/984014 |accessdate=18 September 2020 |work=DAWN.COM |date=22 June 2010 |language=en}}
In 2016, NAB summoned Faisal Vawda for an inquiry pertaining to fraudulent allotment of amenity plots. A notice issued by NAB said that hundreds of amenity plots have been allotted to Faisal Vawda Group, a company owned by Vawda himself.{{cite news |title=Corruption case: Faisal Vawda summoned by NAB |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/1169969/corruption-case-faisal-vawda-summoned-nab |accessdate=18 September 2020 |work=The Express Tribune |date=25 August 2016 |language=en}}
In 2019, Saudi Pak Leasing Company Limited filed a plea against Vawda and his father for not returning the loan taken for business purposes.{{cite news |title=Faisal Vawda summoned by SHC over unpaid loan |url=https://dailytimes.com.pk/378478/faisal-vawda-summoned-by-shc-over-unpaid-loan/ |accessdate=18 September 2020 |work=Daily Times |date=19 April 2019}}
In 2020, the Federal Board of Revenue released its 2018 tax directory for parliamentarians which noted that Vawda did not pay any taxes. He later denied the allegations by posting his tax returns on his Twitter feed.{{cite news |title=Shahid Khaqan paid most in taxes; Vawda, Buzdar among lawmakers who paid none: FBR 2018 data |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1580350/shahid-khaqan-paid-most-in-taxes-vawda-buzdar-among-lawmakers-who-paid-none-fbr-2018-data |accessdate=18 September 2020 |work=DAWN.COM |date=18 September 2020 |language=en}}
In early October 2021, Faisal Vawda was named in the Pandora Papers.{{Cite web|title=Shaukat Tarin, Moonis Elahi among over 700 Pakistanis named in Pandora Papers leaks|url=https://www.geo.tv/latest/373780-shaukat-tarin-moonis-elahi-among-700-pakistanis-named-in-pandora-papers|access-date=2021-10-05|website=www.geo.tv|language=en}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Khan Cabinet}}
{{Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf|state=collapsed}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vawda, Faisal}}
Category:Pakistani MNAs 2018–2023
Category:Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf MNAs
Category:American people of Pakistani descent
Category:Pakistani businesspeople
Category:Pakistani people of Gujarati descent