Rehman Malik

In 1973, Malik joined the National Alien Registration Authority (NARA) as the immigration agent and subsequently served in the various services of the intelligence community, working in various criminal offense cases.[13] In the 1980s, allegedly on the recommendation of Chaudhry Zahoor Elahi, he joined the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) as a special agent and initially investigated cases against KHAD's terrorist-sponsored operations in the country. Eventually he was appointed an Additional Director General of the FIA in 1993. His appointment was personally approved by Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.[13]

As Director of the FIA, Malik launched a secret war against the Islamist elements in Pakistan, which amounted to a direct attack on the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).[14] His efforts equally dismayed the military establishment by reports of the FIA contacting the Israeli secret service, the Mossad, to investigate Islamist terrorists. The FIA leadership under Malik also angered Taliban supporters within the conservative establishment, because they allowed the extradition of Ramzi Yousef to the United States for trial on the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.[14]

In the ending months of 1996, President Farooq Leghari exercised the constitutional option to dismiss his party's own government.[14] One of the first acts of President Leghari, after dismissing Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto on 5 November 1996, was to imprison Ghulam Asghar, Director General of the FIA, on non-specified corruption charges. Malik, Additional Director General of FIA, was also arrested and remained in prison for one year.[15][14] Later, he also survived assassination attempt.[15]

Immediately, Malik was terminated from the FIA by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in 1997. In November 1998, Malik termed the termination of his service by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif an "act of retaliation" because of the 200-page report, which he had sent to then-President Rafiq Tarar, disclosing large-scale corruption of the Sharif family. Malik then flew to London and made a corruption accusation against the Sharif brothers.[16] With the dismissal of the government of the PPP, Malik left the country and settled in the United Kingdom, where he set up his own private security firm, DM Digital Network. Malik, serving at the capacity as firm's president, established its head office at Manchester. Through this firm, he assisted Benazir Bhutto during her exile, and he was her Chief of Security when she returned home in 2007.[3]

During his nine-year-long exile in England, Malik obtained British citizenship. However, he stated that he gave up his British nationality in 2008 before holding public office.[17] He was the Founder President of DM Digital Network with head office at Manchester, but he resigned after his appointment as Advisor/Minister to the Prime Minister for the Interior.

Over his years in the United Kingdom, he grew closer to the elite central committee of the PPP. In 2007, he replaced Amin Fahim as the most trusted political aide of Benazir Bhutto, and was appointed the chief of security of Benazir Bhutto in 2007.[18][19]

He became extremely known in public after breaking a "political deal" between Benazir Bhutto and Pervez Musharraf, which allowed Benazir Bhutto to return to the country.[20] Earlier in 2002, Fahim had formed the extension of PPP (although later merged it) and acted as the leader of PPP in the absence of Benazir and her husband Asif Ali Zardari.[18]

It was also reported in The News International that after Malik took over the role of top "adviser and broker" of Benazir on important matters ranging from politics to business, Fahim seemed to have become an "obsolete political commodity."[18]

On 15 September 2014, angry passengers at a domestic flight forced Rehman from boarding a Pakistan International Airlines plane, after the plane reportedly waited for over two hours for the former minister.[21] The passengers refused to let him on board, and a verbal altercation occurred, resulting in the denial of Malik's boarding.[22][23]

Former Interior Minister Senator A. Rehman Malik was awarded Sitar e Shujat for his bravery as FIA officer in his valiant actions against criminals and terrorists and Nishan-e-Imtiaz for his unmatched services for the country and its people. University of Karachi also awarded him PhD degree.

The Constitution bars a foreign national (or dual nationality holder) from holding any public office of the Government of Pakistan.[26] The Supreme Court of Pakistan retroactively suspended and terminated the electoral membership of Farahnaz Ispahani over the issue of dual nationality on 25 May 2012.[27]

In a reference filed against Malik, the Supreme Court began the hearings against Malik over the suspicion of his British nationality.[27] Effectively, the Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry suspended the electoral membership of Malik when he had shown reluctance to submit a declaration by the United Kingdom's Border Agency to establish that his client had surrendered British nationality on 6 June 2012.[27] Despite the Supreme Court's verdict, he was reinstated by Prime Minister Gillani after issuing directives to the cabinet division to reinstate him as an advisor to the prime minister on interior affairs.[28]

On 5 October 2012, Malik informed the Supreme Court that he renounced his British citizenship on 25 March 2008.[29]

Shortly after the verdict, Malik tendered his resignation to the Senate to Chairman Senate on 10 July 2012. He continued his work with the Ministry of Interior at the behest of Prime Minister Pervez Ashraf.[30]

On 4 June, his membership in the Senate was suspended by the Supreme Court for being a dual national.[5] This resulted in the loss of his position as the Interior Minister, because Article 63-A of the Constitution of Pakistan requires each member of the cabinet to be a member of the Parliament. On 10 July 2012, Malik resigned from the Senate.[31]

He was awarded an honorary PhD degree from Karachi University. It has been debated that this degree was given to reconcile political affiliations with MQM.

In 2007 the case of alleged corruption against Malik was dropped under the amnesty of the National Reconciliation Ordinance.[32] However, the Anti Corruption court issued Arrest Warrants for Rehman Malik in December 2009.[33]