Mazhar Saeed Shah

Mawlānā Peer Mazhar Saeed Shah
پیر مظہر سعید شاہ
Mazhar in c. 2024
Information Minister of AJK
In office May 23, 2024 – Oct 14, 2025
President	Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry
Prime Minister	Chaudhry Anwar-ul-Haq
Member of the Azad Kashmir Assembly
Incumbent
Assumed office 2021
Personal details
Born	(1975-01-13) 13 January 1975 Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
Nationality	Pakistani
Other political affiliations	JEM (2000-2004) MMA (2006-2007) JUI (2016-2019) PTI (2021-2023) Independent (2023-)
Relations	Abu Lubaba Shah Mansoor (Brother)
Alma mater	Jamia Uloom-ul-Islamia Jamia Binoria Karachi University

Mazhar Saeed Shah (Urdu: مظہر سعید شاہ) formerly known by the nom de guerre Abdullah Shah Mazhar (Urdu: عبد الله شاه مظهر) is a Pakistani Islamic scholar, former militant leader and politician from Neelum Valley of Azad Kashmir who served as the Minister for Information of AJK and is a member of the Azad Kashmir Assembly since 2021.

He graduated from Jamia Binoria, Karachi and also holds an MA degree from Karachi University.

He is the younger brother of Abu Lubaba Shah Mansoor and the maternal grandson of Anwar Shah Kashmiri.

Political career

In 2006, Mazhar participated in the elections from Neelam Valley on the ticket of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal and got 4000 votes.

In 2011, Mazhar once again entered electoral politics but withdrew due to his party's alliance with the Muslim Conference. However, after that he withdrew from practical politics at the local level.

In 2021, Mazhar developed ties with Tehreek-e-Insaaf and got a ticket for the special seat of Ulama in exchange for PTI's support in the July 25 elections. In 2023, Mazhar ended his alliance with Tehreek-e-Insaaf.

In 2023, Mazhar came into the limelight once again when Pakistan Democratic Movement chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman visited the Neelum Valley. During this visit Maulana was hosted by him, and both of them addressed many public gatherings together.

In August 2025, Mazhar attended a religious event in Bangladesh hosted by Sirat Committee as a special guest. He discussed about religious harmony and peaceful coexistence.

Gaza Flotilla

In September 2025, Mazhar joined the Global Sumud Flotilla along with five others, including former senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan. The flotilla was a civilian-led effort to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and to break through the Israeli naval blockade.

Mazhar was forced to abandon the journey after his vessel experienced technical failure and no replacement ships were available.

On 6 October 2025, Mazhar returned to Pakistan, arriving at Islamabad International Airport via a flight from Doha.

Militancy era

In 2021, when Mazhar became a candidate for the AJK legislative assembly, many in the opposition to the ruling Tehreek-e-Insaaf party, including PPP's Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, criticized the move, alleging Mazhar's former association with jihadi groups, including the Afghan Taliban.

Mazhar himself later acknowledged his presence in Afghanistan under Taliban rule but denied any "official post", and also confirmed being a "key leader" of Masood Azhar's Jaish-e-Mohammed.

See also

• List of Deobandis