[9] Following his election as a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan, he was made Minister of State for Overseas Pakistanis Labor and Manpower in the PPP-led Gillani government as a coalition partner from 2011 to 2012.

[10][11] He then served as Federal Minister of Education and Trainings in the Raja Pervaiz Ashraf government from 2012 to 2013, again as a coalition partner to PPP, while still being a member of the PML-Q.

[13] He could not take part in 2013 general elections because a returning officer rejected his nomination papers based on a letter sent by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC) about his declared fake degrees.

[17][18] On 9 February 2024, amid the 2024 Pakistani general election, independent candidate Sheikh Waqas Akram, supported by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), emerged victorious in the National Assembly seat for constituency NA-109 Jhang, as reported by Geo News.

[citation needed] Waqas Akram's campaign, which focused on major problems of Jhang with the youth, resonated with voters, leading to his decisive win.