Asfandyar Wali Khan
Encyclopedia
Asfandyar Wali Khan (born 19 February 1949) is a democratic socialist and the current the President of the Awami National Party
in Pakistan
.
His father, Khan Abdul Wali Khan, was the party's first President. He is the grandson of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan
, better known as Bacha Khan
; Abdul Ghaffar was the founder of the non-violent Pashtun political movement, Khudai Khidmatgar
("Servants of God") in undivided India and a follower of Mahatma Gandhi. Asfandyar's uncle Dr. Khan Sahib
was the Congress Party
's Chief Minister of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, during the waning days of the British Raj, and also the Chief Minister of the province during the early days of independent Pakistan
. Asfandyar is the present President of the Awami National Party
and has served as Member of Provincial Assembly, Member of National Assembly, senator and presently MP in Pakistan's Parliament.
, then a small village outside of Peshawar
, khyber Pakhtoonkhwa, Pakistan
. He is the eldest son of Khan Abdul Wali Khan and his first wife Taj Bibi. After the death of his mother in February 1949 his father remarried Mrs.Nasim Wali Khan
in 1954. Sangeen Wali Khan
was his stepbrother and eldest son of Nasim Wali Khan.
, Lahore
, High School from Islamia Collegiate School and his BA
from Islamia College, Peshawar Pakhtoon Khwa University of Peshawar
.
for 15 years. Released in 1978, he stayed away from electoral politics till 1990..
Asfandyar Wali Khan served as leader of the Pakhtun Student Federation
prior to being elected to the provincial Assembly in the 1990 election, while in the 1993 election he was elected to Pakistan's National Assembly. A seat to which he was re-elected to the National Assembly in the 1997 election and served as Parliamentary leader of the ANP and Chairman of the standing committee on inter-provincial co-ordination.
In 1999, he was elected party president for the first time. He was defeated in the 2002 election, in what was a repeat of his father's defeat in 1990, when a tactical alliance was formed by all the anti-ANP groups against him. After his defeat he resigned as President of his party, only to be re-elected unopposed in the subsequent party election. In 2003 he was elected to the Senate as Senator for a 6 year term. He was re-elected to the National Assembly in the parliamentary elections that was held on February 2008, leading his party to power both provincially and nationally, the former for the first time since 1947 and the latter since 1997.
In September 2008, he was elected as Chairman of the standing committee on foreign Affairs.
In 2008 it was reported by DAWNDawn (newspaper)
that he made a secret visit to the United States in which he made high level contacts with the U.S Central Command
.
. Shortly after the attack, Asfandyar Wali Khan left Charsadda in a helicopter sent by the Prime Minister. He has come under severe criticism by certain elements who alleged that he should have stayed after the attack and attended funerals of the deceased, instead of escaping his home. However, this charge has been dismissed by his supporters as concocted by supporters of Taliban. It has been stated that: "Asfandyar Wali Khan has not fled the country. He is away from the country, no doubt, and is busy with personal and party commitments abroad."
Awami National Party
The Awami National Party is an Pashtun nationalist, socialist, centre-left political party in Pakistan affiliated with Socialist International...
in 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...
.
His father, Khan Abdul Wali Khan, was the party's first President. He is the grandson of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan
Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan
Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan was an Afghan, Pashtun political and spiritual leader known for his non-violent opposition to British Rule in India...
, better known as Bacha Khan
Bacha Khan
Bacha Khan may refer to:* Bacha Khan is an alternate name for Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, a political ally of Mahatma Gandhi* Bacha Khan , appointed Governor of Paktia Province, see 2002 in Afghanistan* Bacha Khan...
; Abdul Ghaffar was the founder of the non-violent Pashtun political movement, Khudai Khidmatgar
Khudai Khidmatgar
Khudai Khidmatgar literally translates as the servants of God, represented a non-violent freedom struggle against the British Empire by the Pashtuns of the North-West Frontier Province....
("Servants of God") in undivided India and a follower of Mahatma Gandhi. Asfandyar's uncle Dr. Khan Sahib
Khan Abdul Jabbar Khan
Khan Abdul Jabbar Khan popularly known as Dr. Khan Sahib was a pioneer in the Indian Independence Movement and a Pakistan politician.-Early life:...
was the Congress Party
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
's Chief Minister of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, during the waning days of the British Raj, and also the Chief Minister of the province during the early days of independent 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...
. Asfandyar is the present President of the Awami National Party
Awami National Party
The Awami National Party is an Pashtun nationalist, socialist, centre-left political party in Pakistan affiliated with Socialist International...
and has served as Member of Provincial Assembly, Member of National Assembly, senator and presently MP in Pakistan's Parliament.
Personal background
Asfandyar Wali Khan was born in CharsaddaCharsadda
Charsadda is a town and headquarters of Charsadda District, in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is located at 34°8'43N 71°43'51E with an altitude of 276 metres and lies 29 kilometres from the provincial capital - Peshawar....
, then a small village outside of Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
, khyber Pakhtoonkhwa, 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...
. He is the eldest son of Khan Abdul Wali Khan and his first wife Taj Bibi. After the death of his mother in February 1949 his father remarried Mrs.Nasim Wali Khan
Nasim Wali Khan
Nasim Wali Khan is a politician in Pakistan. Nasim Wali Khan is a major leader of Awami National Party. Nasim Wali Khan is the former provincial president and parliamentary leader of the Awami National Party in Provincial Assembly of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa....
in 1954. Sangeen Wali Khan
Sangeen Wali Khan
Sangeen Wali Khan was a politician in Pakistan. He was son of Khan Abdul Wali Khan and Nasim Wali Khan, and the stepbrother of Asfandyar Wali Khan, leader of Awami National Party. Sangeen Wali Khan was contender for Senate seat from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa with a ticket from Awami National Party, in...
was his stepbrother and eldest son of Nasim Wali Khan.
Education
Asfandyar Wali Khan completed his early education from Aitchison CollegeAitchison College
Aitchison College, Lahore, is one of the most prestigious educational institutions of its kind in South Asia. Established in 1886, it has retained its character over the years, maintaining the public school tradition of providing an education that uses academics, sports and co-curricular activities...
, Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
, High School from Islamia Collegiate School and his BA
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
from Islamia College, Peshawar Pakhtoon Khwa University of Peshawar
University of Peshawar
The University of Peshawar is a public sector university in the city of Peshawar, Pakistan. The university was established in October 1950 by Mr...
.
Political career
Asfandyar Wali Khan joined the opposition to Ayub Khan as a student activist. In 1975, he was imprisoned and tortured by the government of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and convicted as part of the Hyderabad tribunalHyderabad tribunal
The Hyderabad tribunal , also known as Hyderabad conspiracy case, is the name of a former judicial tribunal used in Pakistan to prosecute opposition politicians of the National Awami Party on the charges of treason and acting against the ideology of Pakistan.The tribunal was set up on the orders of...
for 15 years. Released in 1978, he stayed away from electoral politics till 1990..
Asfandyar Wali Khan served as leader of the Pakhtun Student Federation
Awami National Party
The Awami National Party is an Pashtun nationalist, socialist, centre-left political party in Pakistan affiliated with Socialist International...
prior to being elected to the provincial Assembly in the 1990 election, while in the 1993 election he was elected to Pakistan's National Assembly. A seat to which he was re-elected to the National Assembly in the 1997 election and served as Parliamentary leader of the ANP and Chairman of the standing committee on inter-provincial co-ordination.
In 1999, he was elected party president for the first time. He was defeated in the 2002 election, in what was a repeat of his father's defeat in 1990, when a tactical alliance was formed by all the anti-ANP groups against him. After his defeat he resigned as President of his party, only to be re-elected unopposed in the subsequent party election. In 2003 he was elected to the Senate as Senator for a 6 year term. He was re-elected to the National Assembly in the parliamentary elections that was held on February 2008, leading his party to power both provincially and nationally, the former for the first time since 1947 and the latter since 1997.
In September 2008, he was elected as Chairman of the standing committee on foreign Affairs.
In 2008 it was reported by DAWNDawn (newspaper)
Dawn (newspaper)
Dawn is Pakistan's oldest and most widely read English-language newspaper. One of the country's two largest English-language dailies, it is the flagship of the Dawn Group of Newspapers, published by Pakistan Herald Publications, which also owns the Herald, a magazine, the evening paper The Star and...
that he made a secret visit to the United States in which he made high level contacts with the U.S Central Command
Central Command
Central Command may refer to:* United States Central Command* AFP Central Command * Central Command...
.
Assassination attempt
On 3 October 2008, he was targeted by a suicide bomber who attempted to kill him while he was greeting guests during Eid ul-FitrEid ul-Fitr
Eid ul-Fitr, Eid al-Fitr, Id-ul-Fitr, or Id al-Fitr , often abbreviated to Eid, is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting . Eid is an Arabic word meaning "festivity," while Fiṭr means "breaking the fast"...
. Shortly after the attack, Asfandyar Wali Khan left Charsadda in a helicopter sent by the Prime Minister. He has come under severe criticism by certain elements who alleged that he should have stayed after the attack and attended funerals of the deceased, instead of escaping his home. However, this charge has been dismissed by his supporters as concocted by supporters of Taliban. It has been stated that: "Asfandyar Wali Khan has not fled the country. He is away from the country, no doubt, and is busy with personal and party commitments abroad."