Najam Sethi

Najam Aziz Sethi
نجم عزیز سیٹھی
Najam Sethi at the launch of PSL in 2015
Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board
In office
23 December 2022  22 June 2023
Appointed byShehbaz Sharif
PresidentArif Alvi
Prime MinisterShehbaz Sharif
Preceded byRamiz Raja
Succeeded byZaka Ashraf
In office
10 August 2017  20 August 2018
Appointed byNawaz Sharif
PresidentMamnoon Hussain
Prime MinisterNawaz Sharif
Imran Khan
Preceded byShahryar Khan
Succeeded byEhsan Mani
In office
24 June 2013  16 May 2014
Appointed byNawaz Sharif
PresidentMamnoon Hussain
Prime MinisterNawaz Sharif
Preceded byZaka Ashraf
Succeeded byShahryar Khan
Chairman of the Pakistan Super League
In office
20 September 2015  20 August 2018
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byEhsan Mani
Caretaker Chief Minister of Punjab
In office
27 March 2013  6 June 2013
Preceded byShehbaz Sharif
Succeeded byShehbaz Sharif
Chairman of Mitchell's
In office
2020  10 November 2022
Preceded byS.M. Mohsin
Succeeded byShahzad Ghaffar
CEO of Mitchell's
Assumed office
10 November 2022
Preceded byNaila Bhatti
Personal details
Born
Najam Abdul Aziz Sethi

(1948-05-20) 20 May 1948
Lahore, West Punjab, Pakistan
(present-day Punjab, Pakistan)
Spouse
(m. 1983)
ChildrenMira Sethi (daughter)
Ali Sethi (son)
Alma materSt. Anthony High School, Lahore
OccupationJournalist, TV Anchor
ProfessionJournalist
Businessman
Known forEditor-in-Chief The Friday Times
AwardsCPJ International Press Freedom Award (1999)
Golden Pen of Freedom Award Courage in Journalism Award, Amnesty International(2009)
Hilal-i-Imtiaz Award in 2011
Websitenajamsethi.com

Najam Aziz Sethi (Punjabi, Urdu: نجم عزیز سیٹھی; born 20 May 1948) is a Pakistani journalist, businessman and cricket administrator. He is the current chief executive officer (CEO) of Mitchell's. Previously, he served as the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in three different tenures and as a caretaker Federal Minister of Pakistan and Chief Minister of Punjab one time. He is also the founder of The Friday Times and Vanguard Books.

As a journalist, he is a left-leaning political commentator who serves as the editor-in-chief of The Friday Times and formerly served as the Chairman of the Pakistan Super League. He has also served as the caretaker chief minister of Punjab during the 2013 election. He formerly used to host primetime current affairs show Aapas ki Baat on Geo News. He was briefly the President of AAP Media Media Network / Indus News.

Najam Sethi began his sociopolitical endeavours with the socialist movement working for the rights of Balochistan, leading to his arrest in 1975 before being discharged in 1978. He consequently left politics and established Vanguard Books, a progressive book publishing company.

In 1989, Sethi along with his wife Jugnu Mohsin launched an independent English weekly, The Friday Times. He was arrested by the second Nawaz Sharif government in 1999 on trumped-up charges of treason before being released by the Supreme Court of Pakistan. In 2002, he founded the Daily Times of Pakistan and became its editor until leaving in October 2009. He also served as the Pakistan correspondent of The Economist from 1990 to 2008.

Sethi won the 1999 International Press Freedom Award of the US-based Committee to Protect Journalists and the 2009 World Association of Newspapers' Golden Pen of Freedom Award and Courage in Journalism Award from Amnesty International. On 26 March 2013, his name was approved for the interim position of the chief minister of Punjab as a result of consensus between members of the selection committee comprising individuals from both the governing and the opposing political parties. He took the oath on 27 March 2013, and left the office after the May 2013 elections on 6 June 2013.