Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, the 20th Prime Minister of Pakistan, was born on January 1, 1944, at Dera Murad Jamali in Baluchistan. After getting his primary education in Baluchistan, he went to Lawrence College, Murree, for his O-levels. He did his A-levels from Aitchison College and graduation from Government College Lahore. He obtained his Masters Degree in History from Punjab University.

Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali began his political career as a member of the Pakistan Peoples Party, which he joined in the 1970's. He was elected member of the Baluchistan Provincial Assembly in 1977 and served as Minister of Food, Information and Parliamentary Affairs in the Baluchistan Cabinet. He also served in the national Cabinet of General Zia-ul-Haq in the 1980's, where he first served as the Provincial Minister for Information, Law and Parliamentary Affairs, and later as Minister of State for Local Government.

Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali was one of the contenders for premiership after the 1985 elections. Other contenders for the seat of Prime Minister were Muhammad Khan Junejo and Ilahi Bux Soomro. It was, however, Junejo who was selected from among the three by General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq. Jamali served as Minister for Water and Power in the Government of Prime Minister Muhammad Khan Junejo. He also served once as caretaker Chief Minister and three times as the Chief Minister of Balochistan, most recently in 1996. He has served as Chief Selector of the National Hockey Team, having been himself an active player of hockey at college.

 

Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali has traveled widely to Europe, U. S., Australia, Africa, Far East and Middle East, from 1975 to 2000. He represented Pakistan in the United Nations session in 1980 and 1991, and led Pakistan's delegation to the F. A. O. Conference in Rome, in 1981. He led Pakistan's delegation to the Islamic Agricultural Ministers Conference in Ankara, Turkey, and also led a 21-member delegation of the Majlis-i-Shoora to the United States in 1982. He represented Pakistan's delegation to the 17th F. A. O. Conference for Near East Region in Aden, in 1984.

Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali comes from a family with a rich political history. His father Mir Shah Nawaz Khan Jamali was a known politician of Baluchistan. Mir Shah Nawaz Khan Jamali and his brother Mir Jaffar Khan Jamali played a leading role in the Pakistan Movement and were instrumental in mobilizing public opinion in their area for the achievement of Pakistan. The former Chief Ministers of Baluchistan, Taj Mohammad Jamali and Jan Mohammad Jamali are his cousins. His son Farid Jamali was also elected as Member National Assembly in 1997.
 

Mir Zafarullah Jamali was among several senior members of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League party who defected after General Pervez Musharraf took over in 1999 and formed their own faction, the P. M. L. (Q). Mir Zafarullah Jamali is the Secretary General of the P. M. L. (Q) and was their candidate for premiership. Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali was elected Prime Minister on November 21, 2002, by securing 172 votes out of 329 votes cast. Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal and Shah Mahmud Qureshi of the Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians were the other main contenders.