Mushahid Ullah Khan

Mushahid Ullah Khan (Urdu: مشاہد اللہ خان) (30 November 1952 – 18 February 2021) was a Pakistani politician who served as Minister for Climate Change, in Abbasi cabinet from August 2017 to May 2018. A leader of the Pakistan Muslim League (N), Khan had been a member of the Senate of Pakistan since March 2018 and previously served as Minister for Climate Change in the third Sharif ministry in 2015. Mushahid died on 18 February 2021 after a prolonged illness.[2]

Mushahid Ullah Khan
Minister for Climate Change
In office
4 August 2017 – 31 May 2018
PresidentMamnoon Hussain
Prime MinisterShahid Khaqan Abbasi
In office
5 January 2015 – 15 August 2015
PresidentMamnoon Hussain
Prime MinisterNawaz Sharif
Succeeded byZahid Hamid
Member of Senate of Pakiatan
In office
3 March 2015 – 18 February 2021
In office
3 March 2009 – 3 March 2015
Personal details
Born(1952-11-30)30 November 1952
Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan
Died18 February 2021(2021-02-18) (aged 68)
Islamabad
Political partyPakistan Muslim League (N)
ChildrenRida Khan (daughter)
Afnan Ullah Khan (son)[1]

Early life and education

Khan was born in 1952 in Rawalpindi.[3]

His father, a Pashtun of the Yusufzai tribe who worked with the military, settled in Rawalpindi after moving from Uttar Pradesh during the 1947 partition, and Khan grew up with his four brothers and two sisters into a family which has been described by his son Afnan Ullah Khan as "devoutly religious" and which "adhered to conservative Islamic practices."[4]

Khan did his early education at Islamia High School in Rawalpindi and completed graduation at Gordon College in Rawalpindi.[3]

He has played professional cricket at first-class level for Rawalpindi during his youth.[4]

He received L.L.B. degree from Urdu Law College, University of Karachi in 1997.[5]

Political career

Early career in Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba

Because both of his parents were affiliated with the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), his mother being an influential figure in JI Rawalpindi, Khan started his political career with an influential student organization, the Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba, being active in student politics and winning several elections of JI. He eventually met Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1968, at the age of 15. He would then start handling public relations for a close aide of Bhutto who spotted him and saw his potential, Chaudhry Zahoor Elahi.[4]

Agitation against the Zia regime

In 1973-74, Khan started working in Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Ground Handling Services and became active in the workers’ union at PIA. When the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979, Khan opposed it, perceiving there the Soviets’ war against Islam. He'd move to Karachi with his family in 1982 as PIA's largest airport was found there, but would soon lose his job at the PIA because of his activism against Zia-ul-Haq.[4]

Pakistan Muslim League (N)

He joined Pakistan Muslim League (N) in 1990.[6]

In 2009, Khan was elected to the Senate of Pakistan as a candidate of Pakistan Muslim League (N).[7][8]

In 2015, Khan was re-elected to the Senate of Pakistan as a candidate of Pakistan Muslim League (N).[9]

In January 2015, he was inducted into the cabinet of then Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif and was appointed chairman of the Benazir Income Support Programme with the status of federal minister.[6] However he did not accept the portfolio.[10][11] Hence, later he was made Minister for Climate Change.[12]

In August 2015, he was forced to resign[13] as the Minister for Climate Change after he, in an interview to the BBC, alleged that Zaheer-ul-Islam wanted to overthrow the civil and military leadership of Pakistan[14] during the 2014 Azadi march.[15]

In 2017, following the election of Shahid Khaqan Abbasi as Prime Minister of Pakistan, he was inducted into the federal cabinet of Abbasi and was appointed Minister for Climate Change for the second time.[16][17] Upon the dissolution of the National Assembly on the expiration of its term on 31 May 2018, Khan ceased to hold the office as Federal Minister for Climate Change.[18]

He had been member of Senate of Pakistan from March 2009 until his death in February 2021.

Death

He died on 18 February 2021 in Islamabad Pakistan at the age of 68. He had been bedridden due to his illness.[2]

References
  1. Wasim, Amir (14 June 2018). "For PML-N, only family seems to matter". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  2. "PML-N leader Senator Mushahidullah Khan passes away aged 68". www.geo.tv. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
  3. "Profile" (PDF). Ministry of Climate Change. 30 December 2017. Archived from the original on 30 December 2017. Retrieved 30 December 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. Ullah Khan, Dr Afnan (21 June 2023). "Mushahid Ullah Khan – a fond remembrance". Horizon. Archived from the original on 6 July 2023.
  5. "Senate of Pakistan". www.senate.gov.pk. Archived from the original on 25 August 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  6. Ghumman, Khawar (6 January 2015). "Mushahidullah appointed federal minister". DAWN.COM. Archived from the original on 5 August 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  7. Hanif, Intikhab (19 February 2009). "Senators from Punjab elected unopposed: Accord among rivals". DAWN.COM. Archived from the original on 5 August 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  8. Mahmood, Amjad (31 January 2015). "Senate nominations: PML-N ignored Lahore in past". DAWN.COM. Archived from the original on 5 August 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  9. Syed Ali Shah; Arif Malik; Fahad Chaudhry; Ali Akbar; Raza Khan (5 March 2015). "Senate polls: Unofficial results emerging". DAWN.COM. Archived from the original on 5 August 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  10. "Mushahidullah snubs BISP office, likely to get Cabinet Division". Archived from the original on 5 August 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  11. Senator Mushahid Ullah Khan has passed away
  12. Ebrahim, Zofeen T. (6 February 2015). "Pakistan's new climate change ministry merely "cosmetic"". DAWN.COM. Archived from the original on 5 August 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  13. "Zahid Hamid inducted to federal cabinet as climate change minister". DAWN.COM. 17 November 2015. Archived from the original on 29 July 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  14. "Mushahidullah has sent resignation to PM: Pervaiz Rashid". DAWN.COM. 15 August 2015. Archived from the original on 5 August 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  15. "Nawaz seeks explanation from Mushahidullah over BBC interview". DAWN.COM. 14 August 2015. Archived from the original on 5 August 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  16. Sanaullah Khan (4 August 2017). "New cabinet takes oath: Khawaja Asif foreign minister, Ahsan Iqbal interior minister". DAWN.COM. Archived from the original on 4 August 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  17. Raza, Syed Irfan (5 August 2017). "PM Abbasi's bloated cabinet sworn in". DAWN.COM. Archived from the original on 5 August 2017. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  18. "Notification" (PDF). Cabinet division. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 June 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
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