Sania Ashiq

{{short description|Pakistani politician|bot=PearBOT 5}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Sania Ashiq

| honorific-suffix =

| image =

| office = Member of the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab

| term_start = 15 August 2018

| term_end = 14 January 2023

| Office1 = Member of the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab

| term_start1 = 24 February 2024

| term_end1 =

| office2 = Special Assistant to Chief Minister on Special Education Department

| term_start2 = 25 October 2024

| constituency = Reserved seat for women

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1993|2|17|df=y}}

| birth_place = Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan

| nationality = Pakistani

| party = PMLN (2018-present)

}}

Sania Ashiq Jabeen is a Pakistani politician who has been a member of the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab since 24 February 2024.

Early life and education

She was born on 15 February 1993 in Lahore.{{cite web |title=Profile |url=https://pap.gov.pk/members/profile/en/21/1577 |website=pap.gov.pk |publisher=Punjab Assembly |access-date=8 March 2024}}

She has received a degree of Pharmacy-D (Doctor of Pharmacy) from the University of Punjab.{{cite news |title=In Pakistan, 25-year-old woman becomes country's youngest parliamentarian |url=https://english.alarabiya.net/en/variety/2018/08/18/In-Pakistan-25-year-old-woman-becomes-country-s-youngest-parliamentarian.html |accessdate=14 October 2018 |work=english.alarabiya.net |date=18 August 2018 |language=en}}

Political career

Ashiq was a significant member of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's social media team. However, she later resigned from the party and joined the Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N), where she also oversaw the party's social media affairs.{{cite news |title=Tough toil for reserved seats |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/1149735-tough-toil-for-reserved-seats |access-date=8 March 2024 |work=www.thenews.com.pk |language=en}}

She was elected to the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab as a candidate of PML-N on a reserved seat for women in the 2018 Pakistani general election.{{cite news |last1=Reporter |first1=The Newspaper's Staff |title=ECP notifies candidates for PA reserved seats |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1426620/ecp-notifies-candidates-for-pa-reserved-seats |accessdate=13 August 2018 |work=DAWN.COM |date=13 August 2018}} At the age of 25, she became the youngest member of the Punjab Assembly to be elected in 2018 general election.{{cite news |title=25 year old Sania Ashiq becomes Pakistan's youngest lawmaker |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/355984-25-year-old-sania-ashiq-becomes-pakistans-youngest-parliamentarian |accessdate=16 August 2018 |work=The News |date=16 August 2018 |language=en}}{{cite news |title=PML-N's Sania Ashiq becomes youngest MPA of Punjab Assembly |url=https://dailytimes.com.pk/284302/pml-ns-sania-ashiq-becomes-youngest-mpa-of-punjab-assembly/ |accessdate=16 August 2018 |work=Daily Times |date=16 August 2018}}

She was re-elected to the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab as a candidate of PML-N on a reserved seat for women in the 2024 Pakistani general election.{{cite news |title=Punjab MPAs to take oath in first session today |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1816449 |access-date=8 March 2024 |work=DAWN.COM |date=23 February 2024 |language=en}}{{cite news |last1=Shafique |first1=Amjad |title=ECP issues list of reserved seats for women, minorities in PA |url=https://www.app.com.pk/national/ecp-issues-list-of-reserved-seats-for-women-minorities-in-pa/ |access-date=8 March 2024 |date=22 February 2024}}

Fake video scam

In October 2021, Ashiq filed a complaint with the FIA cybercrime cell, alleging that unidentified individuals had launched a defamation campaign against her on TikTok. In November 2021, a man in Taxila was arrested by the FIA for allegedly sharing a fake video of Ashiq on social media.{{cite news |title=FIA arrests suspect sharing MPA's fake video on social media |url=https://www.nation.com.pk/17-Nov-2021/fia-arrests-suspect-sharing-mpa-s-fake-video-on-social-media |access-date=8 March 2024 |work=The Nation |date=17 November 2021}}{{cite news |title=FIA takes action over sharing lady MPA's video on social media |url=https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2021/11/17/fia-takes-action-over-sharing-lady-mpas-video-on-social-media/ |access-date=8 March 2024 |date=17 November 2021}} The video allegedly depicting the former governor of Sindh Muhammad Zubair Umar engaging in sexual activities with an unidentified woman has circulated widely on the internet.{{cite news |title=PML-N's Muhammad Zubair on 'video leak scandal' |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/2322107/fake-doctored-pml-ns-muhammad-zubair-on-video-leak-scandal |access-date=8 March 2024 |work=The Express Tribune |date=26 September 2021 |language=en}}

References