Nasreen Jalil

Nasreen Jalil, born in Lahore in 1944, is a Senator and Deputy Convener of the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) from Sindh. Daughter of ICS officer Zafarul Ahsan, she studied English Literature at Karachi University and also holds a Commercial Pilot License. She joined MQM in 1988, rising from grassroots work to leadership roles, including heading the party’s Research and Information Cell. Elected to the Senate in 1994, she was one of only two women in a House of 87 and chaired the Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights. Throughout her career, she faced arrests and political challenges, including imprisonment in 1994 and protests against the Kala Bagh Dam in 1999. She also represented Pakistan abroad, notably in South Africa for a conflict resolution study. In local politics, she served as Deputy Mayor of Karachi (2005) and later as Chairperson of the City Council (2010).