Najam Sethi
Najam Aziz Sethi (Urdu, Punjabi: نجم سیٹھی; born 20 May 1948) is a Pakistani journalist, businessman and cricket administrator who formerly served as the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Management Committee. He also is the founder of The Friday Times and Vanguard Books. He has served as a caretaker Federal Minister of Pakistan and Chief Minister of Punjab.
Najam Aziz Sethi نجم عزیز سیٹھی | |
|---|---|
Najam Sethi at the launch of PSL in 2015 | |
| Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board | |
| In office 23 December 2022 – 22 June 2023 | |
| Appointed by | Shehbaz Sharif |
| President | Arif Alvi |
| Prime Minister | Shehbaz Sharif |
| Preceded by | Ramiz Raja |
| Succeeded by | Zaka Ashraf |
| In office 10 August 2017 – 20 August 2018 | |
| Appointed by | Nawaz Sharif |
| President | Mamnoon Hussain |
| Prime Minister | Nawaz Sharif Imran Khan |
| Preceded by | Shahryar Khan |
| Succeeded by | Ehsan Mani |
| In office 24 June 2013 – 21 July 2014 | |
| Appointed by | Nawaz Sharif |
| President | Mamnoon Hussain |
| Prime Minister | Nawaz Sharif |
| Preceded by | Zaka Ashraf |
| Succeeded by | Shahryar Khan |
| Chairman of the Pakistan Super League | |
| In office 20 September 2015 – 20 August 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Ehsan Mani |
| Caretaker Chief Minister of Punjab | |
| In office 27 March 2013 – 6 June 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Shehbaz Sharif |
| Succeeded by | Shehbaz Sharif |
| Chairman of Mitchell's | |
| In office 2020 – 10 November 2022 | |
| Preceded by | S.M. Mohsin |
| Succeeded by | Shahzad Ghaffar |
| CEO of Mitchell's | |
| Assumed office 10 November 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Naila Bhatti |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Najam Abdul Aziz Sethi 20 May 1948 Kasur, West Punjab, Pakistan (present-day Punjab, Pakistan) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Mira Sethi (daughter) Ali Sethi (son) |
| Alma mater | St. Anthony High School, Lahore |
| Occupation | Journalist, TV Anchor |
| Profession | Journalist Businessman |
| Known for | Editor-in-Chief The Friday Times |
| Awards | CPJ International Press Freedom Award (1999) Golden Pen of Freedom Award (2009) Hilal-i-Imtiaz Award in 2011 |
| Website | www |
As a journalist, he is a left-leaning political commentator who serves as the editor-in-chief of The Friday Times and formerly served as the Chairman of the Pakistan Super League. He has also served as the caretaker chief minister of Punjab during the 2013 election. He formerly used to host primetime current affairs show Aapas ki Baat on Geo News. He is currently the President of AAP Media Media Network / Indus News.
Najam Sethi began his sociopolitical endeavours with the socialist movement working for the rights of Balochistan, leading to his arrest in 1975 before being discharged in 1978. He consequently left politics and established Vanguard Books, a progressive book publishing company.
In 1989, Sethi along with his wife Jugnu Mohsin launched an independent English weekly, The Friday Times. He was arrested by the second Nawaz Sharif government in 1999 on trumped-up charges of treason before being released by the Supreme Court of Pakistan. In 2002, he founded the Daily Times of Pakistan and became its editor until leaving in October 2009. He also served as the Pakistan correspondent of The Economist from 1990 to 2008.
Sethi won the 1999 International Press Freedom Award of the US-based Committee to Protect Journalists and the 2009 World Association of Newspapers' Golden Pen of Freedom Award. On 26 March 2013, his name was approved for the interim position of the chief minister of Punjab as a result of consensus between members of the selection committee comprising individuals from both the governing and the opposing political parties. He took the oath on 27 March 2013, and left the office after the May 2013 elections on 6 June 2013.