Three years later, he joined the PPP and defeated sitting Punjab Chief Minister Nawaz Sharif in the polls. He was re-elected to the National Assembly in 1990 and 1993, but lost the polls in 1997, when the PPP did not win any seats in Punjab province.
In 2001, an anti-corruption court awarded Gillani a 10-year prison term and fined him Rs 100 million in a controversial case related to some illegal appointments he had allegedly made during his tenure as Speaker. He spent four years in jail, during which his sister and mother died.
In October 2006, Gillani's prison term was set aside by the Punjab High Court and he was released on bail. Gillani could have secured his release from jail by ditching the PPP, but refused to do so. He wrote a book while in jail and the book was well received across the country.
In the book, Gillani shares his experience with the readers, a first hand account of Pakistan's political leaders and their contribution to the political system starting from Zia Ul Haq and ending with the current Musharraf regime.
Gillani, a father of five, was made senior vice chairman of the PPP in 1998. In last month's general election, he returned to the National Assembly by defeating a federal minister.
Image: A file photo shows Pakistani policemen arresting Gillani near the residence of Bhutto during the period when the country was under President's rule.
Photographs: Aarif Ali/AFP/Getty Images
Also read: 'Election won't change anything'
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