Gohar Ayub Khan
Encyclopedia
Gohar Ayub Khan is a Pakistan
i politician and a son of the late Pakistan
i dictator, President General Ayub Khan. A Tareen
/Tarin Afghan
/Pathan
, he was born in village Rehana
, Haripur
, Hazara
region. Khan studied at Army Burn Hall College
, Abbottabad
, and Saint Mary's Academy, Rawalpindi
, Rawalpindi
. Later, he graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
, U.K.. Thereafter, he joined the Pakistan Army
, from which he resigned as a captain in 1962. He began to serve as his father's ADC
during that period travelling with him on several foreign trips. Upon his resignation he began a lucrative business career and also entered politics.
after his father's election in the allegedly rigged 1965 Presidential elections
against Fatima Jinnah
is a subject of criticism by many writers. Gohar Ayub it is said to have led a victory parade right into the heartland of opposition territory in Karachi
, in a move that led to fierce clashes between opposing groups. Gohar Ayub also faced criticisms during that time on questions of family corruption and cronyism
through his business links with his father-in-law retired Lt. General Habibullah Khan Khattak
. One Western commentator in 1969 estimated Gohar Ayub's personal wealth at the time at $4 million dollars, while his families wealth was put in the range of $10–$20 million dollars.
from his home constituency. He was first elected in March 1965 as a Muslim League
candidate. In 1977, he contested the National Assembly seat from Peshawar Jail and was elected on the ticket of Asghar Khan
's Tehrik-e-Istiqlal
party. Gohar Ayub Khan has served as senior vice president of the Muslim League and was elected Speaker of the National Assembly after the 1990 general election, remaining in this post until 1993 elections. After re-election in 1993 Gohar Ayub became deputy leader of the opposition in the National Assembly. After the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz victory in 1997, he was appointed Foreign Minister by Nawaz Sharif
.
. In instead his son Omar Ayub Khan
contested and won from his Haripur District
seat, while his wife was elected MNA on the reserved women seats. His strongest political opponent in his constituency has been former Chief Minister Raja Sikander Zaman
. His son Raja Aamir Zaman defeated Omar Ayub for District Nazim
seat in 2002.
After retirement from electoral politics he authored Glimpses into the Corridors of Power and published his fathers diary. He has recently became a prominent opponent of the renaming of NWFP to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and a supporter of the creation of a separate Hazara
province.
Sam Manekshaw
had sold some of Indian Army
secrets to Pakistan during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
for 20,000 rupees. This was dismissed by the Indian defence establishment who saidd "Gohar Khan is a madcap, with a history of making dubious claims and exaggerating. Don’t give credence to him."
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i politician and a son of the late Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i dictator, President General Ayub Khan. A Tareen
Tareen
The Tareen are a prominent Sarbanri Pashtun tribe residing in Afghanistan and in Pakistan. They are one of the largest Pashtun tribes.-History:...
/Tarin Afghan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
/Pathan
Pashtun people
Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan...
, he was born in village Rehana
Rehana
Rehana is one of the 44 union councils, administrative subdivions, of Haripur District in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.The largest village in the union council is Rehana village itself, which is renowned for being the birth- and resting place of Field Marshal Muhammad Ayub Khan...
, Haripur
Haripur District
Haripur is a district in the Hazara region of Khyber-Pukhtunkhwa, province of Pakistan with an altitude of around above sea level. Haripur District has the highest Human Development Index of all the districts in the Hazara....
, Hazara
Hazara District
Hazara District was a district of Peshawar Division in the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan until 1976.The Imperial Gazetteer of India described the district as follows..-Khatris and Khokhran:...
region. Khan studied at Army Burn Hall College
Army Burn Hall College
Army Burn Hall College is situated in Abbottabad, Pakistan. There are separate wings for boys and girls. The girls section is located on Mall Road near the city center, the boys branch is in Mandian. Originally these were Junior Burn Hall and Senior Burn Hall Schools respectively...
, Abbottabad
Abbottabad
Abbottabad is a city located in the Hazara region of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, in Pakistan. The city is situated in the Orash Valley, northeast of the capital Islamabad and east of Peshawar at an altitude of and is the capital of the Abbottabad District...
, and Saint Mary's Academy, Rawalpindi
Saint Mary's Academy, Rawalpindi
St. Mary's Academy is a private English-medium school located in the heart of Rawalpindi, Pakistan.In its Senior Cambridge curriculum, St...
, Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi , locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad...
. Later, he graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
, U.K.. Thereafter, he joined the Pakistan Army
Pakistan Army
The Pakistan Army is the branch of the Pakistani Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The Pakistan Army came into existence after the Partition of India and the resulting independence of Pakistan in 1947. It is currently headed by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The Pakistan...
, from which he resigned as a captain in 1962. He began to serve as his father's ADC
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
during that period travelling with him on several foreign trips. Upon his resignation he began a lucrative business career and also entered politics.
Political Role in 1965 Presidential Election
His role in KarachiKarachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
after his father's election in the allegedly rigged 1965 Presidential elections
Pakistani presidential election, 1965
Presidential elections were held in Pakistan on 2 January 1965. The vote was held amongst the 80,000 "basic democrats", who were members of the urban and regional councils....
against Fatima Jinnah
Fatima Jinnah
Fatima Jinnah , was one of the figurative and pioneering woman figure in Pakistan Movement and was the younger sister of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan. An active political figure in the movement for independence from the British Raj, she is commonly known in Pakistan as Khātūn-e...
is a subject of criticism by many writers. Gohar Ayub it is said to have led a victory parade right into the heartland of opposition territory in Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, in a move that led to fierce clashes between opposing groups. Gohar Ayub also faced criticisms during that time on questions of family corruption and cronyism
Cronyism
Cronyism is partiality to long-standing friends, especially by appointing them to positions of authority, regardless of their qualifications. Hence, cronyism is contrary in practice and principle to meritocracy....
through his business links with his father-in-law retired Lt. General Habibullah Khan Khattak
Habibullah Khan Khattak
Lieutenant General Habibullah Khan Khattak was born in Wana, Waziristan, British India, now part of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. The son of Khan Bahadur Kuli Khan Khattak, his son Ali Kuli Khan Khattak also rose to the rank of Lt Gen and retired as the Chief of General...
. One Western commentator in 1969 estimated Gohar Ayub's personal wealth at the time at $4 million dollars, while his families wealth was put in the range of $10–$20 million dollars.
Speaker of National Assembly of Pakistan
Gohar Ayub had been elected five times to the National Assembly of PakistanNational Assembly of Pakistan
The National Assembly of Pakistan is the lower house of the bicameral Majlis-e-Shura, which also compromises the President of Pakistan and Senate . The National Assembly and the Senate both convene at Parliament House in Islamabad...
from his home constituency. He was first elected in March 1965 as a Muslim League
Pakistan Muslim League
The Pakistan Muslim League was founded in 1962, as a successor to the previously disbanded Muslim League in Pakistan. Unlike the original PML which ended in 1958 when General Ayub Khan banned all political parties, each subsequent Muslim League was in some way propped by the military dictators of...
candidate. In 1977, he contested the National Assembly seat from Peshawar Jail and was elected on the ticket of Asghar Khan
Asghar Khan
Air Marshal Asghar Khan is a Pakistani 3-star rank general and politician who was the first native Air Force Commander-in-Chief of Pakistan Air Force. A politician and world war II veteran fighter pilot, at the age of 36, he served as the youngest and first Pakistani head of the Pakistan Air Force...
's Tehrik-e-Istiqlal
Tehrik-e-Istiqlal
Tehrik-e-Istiqlal Pakistan is a political party in Pakistan. It was formed by Air Marshal Retd. Asghar Khan in 1970. Asghar Khan has retired from the post of President of the party and is currently headed by [Asaf Fasifuddin Vardag], former Member of the senate.In 1979 Tehrik-e-Istiqlal Pakistan...
party. Gohar Ayub Khan has served as senior vice president of the Muslim League and was elected Speaker of the National Assembly after the 1990 general election, remaining in this post until 1993 elections. After re-election in 1993 Gohar Ayub became deputy leader of the opposition in the National Assembly. After the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz victory in 1997, he was appointed Foreign Minister by Nawaz Sharif
Nawaz Sharif
Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif is a Pakistani conservative politician and steel magnate who served as 12th Prime Minister of Pakistan in two non-consecutive terms from November 1990 to July 1993, and from February 1997 to October 12, 1999...
.
Minister of Power and Water
In 1998 Gohar Ayub resigned his position and was reassigned as Federal Minister for Water and Power which he stayed until the ouster of the PML-N government in October 1999. Defecting from the PML-N to join the military-backed PML of Mian Azhar faction in 2001 he was appointed the Secretary General of the party. Unable to contest the 2002 election because of the graduation degree restriction introduced by Pervez MusharrafPervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf , is a retired four-star general who served as the 13th Chief of Army Staff and tenth President of Pakistan as well as tenth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. Musharraf headed and led an administrative military government from October 1999 till August 2007. He ruled...
. In instead his son Omar Ayub Khan
Omar Ayub Khan
Omar Ayub Khan Omar Ayub Khan Omar Ayub Khan (born January 26, 1970 to an influential Hindko speaking family of Hazara region, but originally of Pashtun Tareen (Tarin properly) descent, is a former Minister of State for Finance in Pakistan...
contested and won from his Haripur District
Haripur District
Haripur is a district in the Hazara region of Khyber-Pukhtunkhwa, province of Pakistan with an altitude of around above sea level. Haripur District has the highest Human Development Index of all the districts in the Hazara....
seat, while his wife was elected MNA on the reserved women seats. His strongest political opponent in his constituency has been former Chief Minister Raja Sikander Zaman
Raja Sikander Zaman
- Early History :The Gakhars were a fiercely independent and warlike clan now located in Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Jhelum, Kashmir, Gilgit, Khanpur and Mirpur regions in modern day Pakistan...
. His son Raja Aamir Zaman defeated Omar Ayub for District Nazim
Nazim
A nazim is the coordinator of cities and towns in Pakistan. Nazim is the title in Urdu of the chief elected official of a local government in Pakistan, such as a district, tehsil, union council, or village council....
seat in 2002.
After retirement from electoral politics he authored Glimpses into the Corridors of Power and published his fathers diary. He has recently became a prominent opponent of the renaming of NWFP to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and a supporter of the creation of a separate Hazara
Hazara District
Hazara District was a district of Peshawar Division in the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan until 1976.The Imperial Gazetteer of India described the district as follows..-Khatris and Khokhran:...
province.
Accusation against Sam Maneckshaw
In May 2007, Gohar claimed that retired Indian Army Field MarshalField Marshal
Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...
Sam Manekshaw
Sam Manekshaw
Field Marshal Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw, MC "Sam Bahadur" was a Field Marshal of the Indian Army. His distinguished military career spanned four decades and five wars...
had sold some of Indian Army
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...
secrets to Pakistan during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 was a culmination of skirmishes that took place between April 1965 and September 1965 between Pakistan and India. This conflict became known as the Second Kashmir War fought by India and Pakistan over the disputed region of Kashmir, the first having been fought in 1947...
for 20,000 rupees. This was dismissed by the Indian defence establishment who saidd "Gohar Khan is a madcap, with a history of making dubious claims and exaggerating. Don’t give credence to him."