Basma Riaz Choudhry (Urdu: بسمہ ریاض چوہدری; also spelt Baasima) is a Pakistani politician who has served as a Member of the Provincial Assembly (MPA) of Punjab. She is a member of the Chaudhry political family and has been affiliated with the Pakistan Muslim League (Q) (PML‑Q) and, more recently, with Pakistan Tehreek‑e‑Insaf (PTI).
Early life and education
Basma Riaz Choudhry was born on 5 March 1977 in Chicago, United States. She holds American citizenship. Details of her early education in the United States have not been widely published, though she is reported to have completed a Bachelor of Science in Management Marketing in 1998 and a Master of Computer Science from DePaul University, Chicago, in 2001.
Political career
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Entry into politics (2002‑2005)
Choudhry entered politics as a member of the Pakistan Muslim League (Q). She was first elected to the Punjab Provincial Assembly in a by‑election held in 2005. -
2008 general election
She contested the PP‑117 (Mandi Bahauddin‑II) constituency as the PML‑Q candidate but was defeated by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidate, Asif Bashir Bhagat. -
2013 and 2018 elections
Although she did not win a direct seat in the 2013 general election, Choudhry was appointed to a seat reserved for women in the Punjab Assembly. She again held a reserved‑seat position following the 2018 elections. -
2023‑present affiliation
In 2023, Choudhry joined Pakistan Tehreek‑e‑Insaf (PTI). She was nominated by PTI to contest the PP‑41 (Phalia) constituency in the 2024 general elections, where she reportedly secured over 70,000 votes.
Personal life and family
Basma Riaz Choudhry is the daughter of Chaudhry Riaz Asghar, who served as a district nazim, and the niece of Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, a senior Pakistani politician. She is married to Naveed Bilal Chaudhry and has two children.
References
- “Basma Riaz Choudhry.” Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved from the article on Basma Riaz Choudhry.
- Punjab Assembly Members’ Directory, profile for Basma Riaz Choudhry.
- Dawn.com, “At least four Gujrat, Mandi Bahauddin women to get reserved seats,” 31 July 2018.
Note: The above information reflects publicly available sources as of the latest revision of the cited Wikipedia article. Certain biographical details lack independent verification and should be treated accordingly.