Mr. Abdul Khalique Shaikh , Secretary, Ministry of Human Rights
Mr. Abdul Khalique Shaikh assumed charge as Federal Secretary, Ministry of Human Rights, in June 2025, bringing with him over three decades of distinguished public service across Pakistan's law enforcement, intelligence, and human rights institutions.
A career officer of the Police Service of Pakistan, Mr. Shaikh has held several senior command positions, including Inspector General of Police, Balochistan, where he oversaw the province's police force and led major institutional reforms in policing and human rights protection. He has also served as Director General, National Police Bureau, and in senior intelligence and administrative roles across Sindh and Punjab.
Mr. Shaikh holds a PhD in Law from the Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto University of Law (SZABUL), Karachi, for which he was awarded the Gold Medal for top academic standing. He also holds an LLM in Criminal Justice from Oxford Brookes University, United Kingdom, where he studied as a British Chevening Scholar, and is a Barrister-at-Law, called to the Bar by the Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, London. He is the author of four books and training manuals on policing, criminal investigation, and human rights, in addition to a body of published research and commentary on counterterrorism, justice sector reform, and human rights protection.
His career reflects sustained engagement with human rights issues at every level, from designing and leading provincial training and reform initiatives including Sindh Police's prevention programme on honour killings and violence against women, for which he served as designated Focal Person to representing Pakistan at international forums including the UN Human Rights Council, the UN Commission on the Status of Women, and reviews of Pakistan's obligations under the Convention Against Torture and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Mr. Shaikh has represented Pakistan's law enforcement and human rights community internationally, including as a Civilian Police Officer with the United Nations Peace Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and currently serves as an invited Advisory Board Member of the GLO.ACT Women's Network, a UNODC-EU initiative against human trafficking. He has been recognized with Pakistan's President's Police Medal for Gallantry on two occasions, and was selected for Stanford University's Draper Hills Summer Fellowship in 2021.