Spouse Musarrat Asif Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif Parents Khawaja Muhammad Safdar | Name Khawaja Asif Constituency NA-110 Role Pakistani Politician Party Pakistan Muslim League | |
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Children Khawaja Muhammad Asad, Ameera Safdar Khawaja, Fatima Safdar Khawaja, Atika Safdar Khawaja Similar People Khawaja Saad Rafique, Nawaz Sharif, Nisar Ali Khan, Kashmala Tariq, Shehbaz Sharif | ||
Islamic Republic of Pakistan: Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif
Khawaja Muhammad Asif (Urdu: خواجہ محمد آصف; born 9 August 1949) is a Pakistani politician who is the current Minister for Foreign Affairs, in office since August 2017. A leader of Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N), he previously simultaneously served as the Minister for Defence and Minister for Water and Power in the third Sharif ministry from 2013 to 2017.
Contents
- Islamic Republic of Pakistan Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif
- Pakistan FM Says Country Not Responsible for Afghanistans Problems
- Early life and education
- Political career
- References
Asif began his political career after getting elected to the Senate of Pakistan during the Sharif's first ministry in 1991. Since 1997, he had served as a member of the federal cabinet, in various positions. From 1997 to 1999, he was as the chairman of the Privatization Commission of Pakistan during the second government of Nawaz Sharif. He briefly held the cabinet portfolios of the Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources in the Gillani ministry in 2008, with an additional charge as Minister for Sports.
Asif has been an elected member of the National Assembly of Pakistan since 1993 representing Sialkot. In 2013, Asif was appointed as the Minister for Water and Power and Minister for Defence of Pakistan.
Pakistan FM Says Country Not Responsible for Afghanistan's Problems
Early life and education
Asif was born on 9 August 1949 in Sialkot, Punjab, to Khawaja Muhammad Safdar. He received his early education at Cadet College Hasan Abdal. He attained his bachelor's degree from Government College Lahore, and an L.L.B. degree from the University Law College, Lahore. Asif is a banker by profession and has worked in the different banks of the United Arab Emirates where he lived for several years until 1999. He has a son and three daughters.
Political career
Asif started his political career in 1991 after returning to Pakistan after living in the United Arab Emirates for many years following the death of his father. In 1991, for the first time he was elected as the member of the Senate of Pakistan on seat of PML-N only for three years. He was elected to the National Assembly of Pakistan from constituency NA-110 (Sialkot) in Pakistani general election, 1993 for the first time.
He was re-elected to the National Assembly for the second time in Pakistani general election, 1997 and was appointed as the chairman of the Privatization Commission of Pakistan with the status of a minister during Sharif's second ministry. His tenure was terminated in October 1999 after the 1999 Pakistani coup d'état in which then Chief of Army Staff, Pervez Musharraf, overthrew elected Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his existing elected government. National Accountability Bureau took Asif into its custody soon on corruption charges after the military takeover but later, he was released for the lack of any evidence against him. Asif came closer to Nawaz Sharif during the Musharraf rule for keeping the PML-N alive.
In Pakistani general election, 2002, Asif was re-elected as the member of National Assembly for the third time. After getting re-elected as member of the National Assembly in Pakistani general election, 2008 for the fourth time, he was briefly appointed as the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Resources, as well as the Minister of Sports during the Gillani ministry, before his party pulled out of the Pakistan Peoples Party-led coalition government.
In June 2012, a petition admitted by the Supreme Court of Pakistan's registrar stated that Asif holds dual nationality, and hence, according to Pakistan's constitution, he is not eligible to hold public office in Pakistan. Following which the Federal Investigations Agency and the Supreme Court began an investigation pursuing inquiries of Asif's dual nationality charges. The court did not find him guilty of the charges petitioned against him; the petitioner who levelled the charges withdrew the accusations and issued a formal apology.
In Pakistani general election, 2013, Asif was re-elected as the member of National Assembly for the fifth time. In June 2013, he was appointed as the Minister of Water and Power and later given additional portfolio of Minister of Defence in November 2013 under Sharif's third ministry. Asif's seat challenged by Usman Dar from PTI, alleging him for fake votes. On 10 November 2016 Supreme Court dismissed this petition. In 2013, Dawn reported that Asif enjoyed the strong support of his Kashmiri community from his home constituency, Sialkot and was considered close to Nawaz Sharif.
He had ceased to hold ministerial office in July 2017 when the federal cabinet was disbanded following the resignation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif after Panama Papers case decision. Following the election of Shahid Khaqan Abbasi as Prime Minister of Pakistan, Asif was inducted into the federal cabinet of Abbasi and was appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs for the first time. Earlier, Pakistan had no Minister for Foreign Affairs since the PML (N) came to power in May 2013 as former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif himself held the cabinet portfolio of foreign affairs. Asif's appointment was termed controversial by Daily Times for being undiplomatic. However The News welcomed his appointment.