Ghulam Nabi Azad is an Indian Politician from Indian National Congress and is the former Minister of Health and Family Welfare of the Indian Government. Azad was the Parliamentary Affairs Minister of (former) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, till October, 2005, after which he became the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. He was considered as the Crisis Manager and attained success in many states like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala. Ghulam Nabi Azad led the Congress party to victory in the 2002 Assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir. Ghulam Nabi Azad was the 3rd Congress Chief Minister after G.M. Sadiq and Syed Mir Qasim.

Early Life of Ghulam Nabi Azad
Ghulam Nabi Azad was born on 7th March 1949, at Village Soti in Doda district to Shri Rahamatullah Batt and Shrimati Basa Begum. He successfully completed his Post-graduation in M. Sc in Zoology from University of Kashmir, in the year 1972. He also received his education at Government Degree College Bhadarwah, G.G.M. Science College, Jammu, S.P. College, Srinagar.

Political Career of Ghulam Nabi Azad
Ghulam Nabi Azad remained Block Secretary of Congress Committee, Blessa, from 1973 to 1975. Azad was nominated, in 1975, as President of Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Youth Congress. In the year 1977, he was attributed as President of Congress Committee, Doda district. In that same year, Azad was nominated as General Secretary of All India Youth Congress. He persisted as the President of All India Muslim Youth Conference from 1978 to 1981, besides this in the year 1986 he was designated as Member of Congress Working Committee and nominated as General Secretary of AICC in 1987.

In 1982, Azad was seated for the first time as Union Deputy Minister for Company Affairs and Law. Later in this Ministry, Ghulam Nabi Azad took over the office as Minister of State. From Washim Constituency in 1985, he was all over again elected as Member of Indian Parliament and was inducted in Union Cabinet as Minister of State for Home Affairs. Later, he was given Food and Civil Supplies portfolio. Azad was elected as Rajya Sabha Member in the year 1990. He was inducted as Cabinet Minister for Parliamentary Affairs in 1991 with Narasimha Rao Ministry and later given Tourism and Civil Aviation portfolio. Azad was made President of JKPCC during the Assembly elections in 2002. Congress under him bagged 21 seats and thus became the second largest party in the Assembly.

Ghulam Nabi Azad was Union Minister for Urban Development and Law and Parliamentary Affairs in the Dr. Manmohan Singh led UPA Government. Azad is a senior member of the Union council of ministers. In the 2nd United Progressive Alliance Government, under Dr. Manmohan Singh, Azad was appointed as the Health Minister of India.

Other Activities of Ghulam Nabi Azad

An outstanding N.C.C. Cadet in Government Degree College, Bhadarwah, G.G.M. Science College and S.P. College, Srinagar; courted arrest more than a dozen times and jailed during the Janata Government (1977-79) in different parts of the country; Chairman, First International Youth Conference, Delhi, 1982; Member, (i) Delegation to the 11th World Youth and Students` Festival, Havana (Cuba), 1978, (ii) Central Haj Committee, 1980-82,(iii) Governing Council, Rajaji International Institute of Public Affairs and Administration, 1980-82, (iv) Jammu and Kashmir Bhoodan Committee, (v) Parliamentary Delegation to Mexico and Greece and (vi) Indian Parliamentary Group; Leader, (i) Indian Delegation of Sarvodaya to Sri Lanka to visit one thousand Gandhian model villages, 1973, (ii) Youth Congress Delegation to Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Romania and Russia, 1980-82, (iii) Young M. P. s` Delegation to Iraq, 1981, (iv) Indian Goodwill Haj Delegation to Saudi Arabia, 1987, (v) Indian Parliamentary Delegation to Sweden, 1991 as Parliamentary Affairs Minister, (vi) Indian Parliamentary Delegation in the Inter-Parliamentary Union meeting held in New Delhi, 1992 as Parliamentary Affairs Minister and (vii) a number of Congress Party and Ministry of Civil Aviation Delegations to more than three dozen countries, 1991-96; Convener, (i) Central Campaign Committee of A.I.C.C. for 1998 Parliamentary Elections and (ii) Committee for Golden Jubilee Celebrations of India`s Independence of A.I.C.C. ; has held many positions in the Indian National Congress; Member, Congress Working Committee (CWC) since 1987; General Secretary, All India Congress Committee since 1999.

Ghulam Nabi Azad is also engaged in organising camps, symposia and seminars on the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi.


Personal Life of Ghulam Nabi Azad
Ghulam Nabi Azad got married to well known Kashmiri singer, Shameem Dev Azad in the year 1980 and the couple has a son and a daughter.