# Nabil Gabol

Sardar Nabil Ahmed Gabol (Urdu: سردار نبیل احمد گبول) is a Pakistani politician who has been a Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan since 2024. Previously he had been a member of the National Assembly from 2002 to 2015 and a member of the Provincial Assembly of Sindh from 1988 to 1990 and again from 1993 to 1996. He served as Minister of State for Ports and Shipping from 2008 to 2011 and as Deputy Speaker of the Sindh Assembly from 1993 to 1996.

## Political career

He was elected to the Provincial Assembly of Sindh as a candidate of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) from Constituency PS-85 (Karachi South-I) in Pakistani general election, 1988. He received 29,247 votes and defeated Khawaja Gulzar Nadeem, a candidate of Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (IJI).
He was re-elected to the Provincial Assembly of Sindh as a candidate of PPP from Constituency PS-88 (Karachi South-IV) in Pakistani general election, 1993. He received 21,587 votes and defeated Muhammad Aslam, a candidate of Haq Parast Group (HPG). He served as Deputy Speaker of the Provincial Assembly of Sindh from October 1993 to November 1996.
He ran for the seat of the Provincial Assembly of Sindh as a candidate of PPP from Constituency PS-88 (Karachi South-IV) in Pakistani general election, 1997 but was unsuccessful. He received 11,968 votes and lost the seat to Liaquat Ali Qureshi, a candidate of HPG.
He was elected to the National Assembly as a candidate of PPP from Constituency NA-248 (Karachi-X) in Pakistani general election, 2002. He received 32,424 votes and defeated Naseer Uddin Swati, a candidate of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA).

### 2008 election

He was re-elected to the National Assembly as a candidate of PPP from Constituency NA-248 (Karachi-X) in Pakistani general election, 2008. He received 84,217 votes and defeated Abdul Shakoor Shad. In November 2008, he was inducted into the federal cabinet of Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani and was appointed as Minister of State for Ports and Shipping. During this period, then Interior Minister, Rehman Malik, appointed his son Nadir to the Consulate General of Pakistan in New York without considering seniority or merit. In 2013, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) deemed the appointments illegal and unlawful and ordered the Interior Secretary to address the irregular posting of Nadir at the Consulate General of Pakistan in New York. However, as of 2015, despite the court's orders, the government had not recalled Nadir, who was serving as the officer in charge of the machine readable passport section at the Consulate General.
He served as Minister of State for Ports and Shipping until February 2011. In February 2016, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) launched an investigation against Gabol over allegations of causing significant financial losses to the exchequer during his tenure as Minister of State for Ports and Shipping. He was accused of various offenses, including making illegal appointments in Karachi Port Trust and Pakistan National Shipping Corporation, unauthorized allotment of plots, improper reimbursement of medical expenses, and unauthorized retention of vehicles.

### 2013 election

After he was marginalized by the leadership PPP, he announced to quit PPP in 2013 and joined Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM). He said PPP was no longer the party of Benazir Bhutto and therefore he left it.
He was re-elected to the National Assembly as a candidate of MQM from Constituency NA-246 (Karachi-VIII) in Pakistani general election, 2013. He received 137,874 votes and defeated Amir Sharjeel, a candidate of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). In the same election he also ran for the seat of the National Assembly as a candidate of MQM from Constituency NA-248 (Karachi-X) but was unsuccessful. He received 6,489 votes and lost the seat to Shah Jahan Baloch. During a 2015 interview on Geo News, he disclosed of electoral rigging in his constituency,NA-246 (Karachi-VIII), from which he emerged victorious in the 2013 general elections. He recounted visiting polling stations on election day and observing minimal voter turnout. He claimed to have been informed that his victory was assured and that voters were not required. Furthermore, he expressed surprise upon discovering that he had received 140,000 votes despite the reported low voter turnout.
In 2015, MQM demanded Gabol's resignation from the National Assembly seat. Following which, he quit MQM and relinquished his National Assembly seat. In 2016, Gabol declared his support for Imran Khan and announced to join the protest organized by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). Afterward, he announced his intention to organize a public gathering to determine whether he should rejoin PPP or join the PTI.
In February 2017, he re-joined PPP. Opinions among residents of Lyari regarding Gabol's return to the PPP were divided, with some considering him irrelevant to Lyari's politics and holding him accountable for the presence of gangs in the area. PPP politicians in District South also expressed discontent, stating that the PPP leadership had not consulted them before readmitting Gabol into the party and emphasized his notoriety in Lyari. Additionally, there were rumors suggesting that Gabol was considering joining either the PTI or the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N). However, a faction within the PTI Sindh opposed his inclusion in the party, leading to his decision to rejoin the PPP.

### 2024 election

He was re-elected to the National Assembly in the 2024 Pakistani general election as a candidate of the PPP from constituency NA-239 Karachi South-I. He received 40,077 votes, defeating independent candidate supported (PTI) Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Mohammad Yasir Baloch, who received 37,234 votes. Baloch alleged election irregularities and contested Gabol's victory. However, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) dismissed the petition and instructed Baloch to contest the constituency results in an election tribunal.

## Lyari unrest

In August 2015, Dr. Jamil Ahmed, Deputy inspector general of police of Karachi's South district accused Gabol of attempting to instigate a law and order crisis in Lyari Town with the assistance of gangsters. In a press conference, he claimed that "Nabil Gabol had asked Ghaffar Zikri, one of the ringleaders of Lyari gang-war, to create disturbances in Lyari and that he (gangster) would be provided arms, ammunition and money for this purpose." PPP politicians from Lyari, including Provincial Minister of Sindh for Human Settlement (then Katchi Abadis) Javed Nagori, and Sindh Assembly member Saniya Naz, also accused Gabol of deploying armed individuals to the Lyari area with the intention of fomenting unrest.
His critics also accused Gabol of contributing to the rise of notorious gangs in Lyari. Gabol, however, denied the accusations. In January 2011, hundreds of protesters from Lyari staged a demonstration outside the Karachi Press Club, blaming Gabol and holding him responsible for patronizing gangsters in Lyari.

## Controversies

In August, 2018, he physically attacked an individual passenger at Karachi airport, which sparked widespread coverage in the media. Gabol also issued threats of severe repercussions against the individual. Gabol claimed that the person in question was persistently hurling profanities at Pakistani politicians.
In March 2020, police filed an attempted murder case against Gabol for purportedly assaulting and shooting at the residence of the chairman of the Fishermen’s Cooperative Society. The complainant alleged that Gabol forcefully took a firearm from the guard at the chairman's residence and issued death threats.
In April 2023, Gabol sparked outrage with misogynistic remarks, stating, "If rape is imminent, just enjoy it." In response, the PPP issued a show cause notice to Gabol.