Sherry Rehman

Senator; PPP Parliamentary Leader in the Senate; Chair, Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change — Senate of Pakistan / Pakistan Peoples Party

About Sherry Rehman

Key facts Role: Senator; PPP parliamentary leader in the Senate; chair, Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change Organisation: Senate of Pakistan / Pakistan Peoples Party Country: Pakistan Sector: Politics & Government Headline figures: Climate ministry development allocation cut to Rs2.478bn from Rs3.5bn in the 2026–27 budget When Pakistan's 2026–27 budget cut the climate ministry's development allocation, the strongest objection in parliament came from Sherry Rehman. Chairing the Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change in June, she called the reductions "shocking", Dawn reported. The ministry's Public Sector Development Programme allocation had fallen to Rs2.478bn from Rs3.5bn. "Climate risks are increasing, not decreasing, yet allocations continue to shrink," she said. She warned of a "climate polycrisis" of heatwaves, glacier melt, erratic rainfall and water scarcity, and called monsoon preparedness an "immediate national priority". The role Rehman is a senator, parliamentary leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in the Senate and a vice-president of the party. Her power lies in oversight and in her ability to hold up legislation. In June she said PPP senators had stopped a telecoms and right-of-way bill sent from the National Assembly because it "still contained draconian clauses" they had asked to remove, The News reported. She insisted it go to a Senate standing committee. "There is no hurry to push it through without satisfying us and other representatives," she wrote. She also suggested a public hearing. “Climate risks are increasing, not decreasing, yet allocations continue to shrink,” — Rehman, chairing the Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change in June (Dawn) Scrutiny of the climate authority In August her committee reviewed the new Pakistan Climate Change Authority (PCCA). She questioned whether it added anything beyond the climate ministry, which she said was already short of money. "The question is what additional value is this Authority creating when the functions listed under its mandate are already the responsibility of the ministry?" she asked, according to The News. She noted that 24 posts had been sanctioned for the authority while the ministry's budget shrank. She tied the issue to state spending more broadly, citing losses at state-owned enterprises of Rs832.848bn in fiscal 2025 and cumulative losses of Rs6.563tn. She said her concerns were about institutional duplication, not individual officers. Climate credibility Her climate credibility is international. As Pakistan's climate change minister during the 2022 floods, which Dawn reported left nearly a third of the country under water and affected more than 30 million people, she was part of the negotiating effort at COP27 in Egypt that ended with agreement to create a "loss and damage" fund for climate-vulnerable countries. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked her and her team at the time. She called the fund the end of a "long 30-year journey from demand to formation", Dawn reported. Background Her earlier career spans journalism, government and diplomacy. According to her Senate profile, she edited the Herald news magazine, served as information and broadcasting minister in 2008–09, and was Pakistan's ambassador to the United States from 2011 to 2013. She was also Pakistan's first woman Leader of the Opposition in the Senate. She founded and is president of the Jinnah Institute, a policy think-tank. She remains active in foreign policy. In a September interview with Russia's RT, reported by Pakistan TV, she said Pakistan "strongly opposes unilateral suspension or alteration" of the Indus Waters Treaty, which India suspended in April 2025, as PTV noted. She said Islamabad would pursue "all available legal avenues". What to watch: whether the government funds climate adaptation after this year's cuts, and the future of the climate authority after the Senate committee's challenge. Also watch the outcome of the telecoms bill in committee and Pakistan's legal strategy on the Indus Waters Treaty. She ranks 50th for her long record and international climate standing. Her present influence comes from parliamentary oversight and her party's votes in the Senate rather than executive office. Sources Dawn, BUDGET 2026-27: 'Shocking' climate budget cut draws warning from Sherry Rehman , 19 Jun 2026 The News, Sherry questions need for climate change authority , 12 Aug 2026 The News, Sherry demands IT/PTA law scrutiny by Senate panel , 23 Jun 2026 Pakistan TV Digital, Pakistan has emerged as a regional stabilizer: Sherry Rehman , 18 Sep 2026 Dawn (Reuters/AFP), Pakistan hails 'pivotal step' as countries adopt COP27 deal with 'loss and damage' fund , 20 Nov 2022 Senate of Pakistan, member profile

Why this entry is on the list

She ranks 50th for her long record and international climate standing. Her present influence comes from parliamentary oversight and her party's votes in the Senate rather than executive office. As chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change she challenged this year's climate budget cuts, and as climate change minister during the 2022 floods she was part of the COP27 negotiating effort that agreed a loss and damage fund.