Khawaja Muhammad Asif

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Khawaja Muhammad Asif (born August 9, 1949 in Sialkot) is the current Pakistani Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources, with additional portfolio of Sports Ministry in the PM Yousaf Raza Gillani cabinet.[1] He is politically affiliated the center-right party PML-N. He is renowned for his oratory skills and denunciation of military intervention in the political domain.[2]

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[edit] Political career

In the 2008 general election, he was elected for the fourth term as a member of the National Assembly on PML-N's ticket. He was previously elected as an MNA for in the years 1993, 1997 and 2002. He also served as a senator during years 1990-1993. In the Nawaz Sharif cabinet of 1997-1999, Khawaja Asif held the portfolio of Chairman Privatisation Commission, with the status of a federal minister.

[edit] Row with General Musharraf

Hassan Abbas in his book Pakistan's Drift Into Extremism claims that during the Nawaz Sharif government, General Pervez Musharraf informed Shahbaz Sharif, Nawaz's brother and the then chief minister of Punjab and Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, an influential cabinet member that some politicians including Khawaja Asif were advising Sharif to remove General Musharraf as the army chief. Asif rejected these claims, but the reconciliation with Musharraf was proved late, as the General overthrew Sharif ahead of time.[3]

The row with General Musharraf in particular and Army leadership in general again surfaced in the budgetary sessions of 2006-07, when two videos of Khawaja Asif appeared on the internet challenging and rebuking the military regimes of the country.[4][5]

[edit] Personal life

Khawaja Asif is the son of Khawaja Muhammad Safdar, an active politician of the Pakistan Movement. A businessman and a banker by profession, he received B.A/L.L.B degrees from University of the Punjab in 1970. He is married with a son and three daughters.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Sajjad Malik, "24-member federal cabinet takes oath" Daily Times, April 01, 2008
  2. ^ Rana Qaisar. 'Asif and Bhindara slug it out' Daily Times, August 8, 2006
  3. ^ Hassan Abbas. 'Pakistan's Drift into Extremism' Google Books, P-180
  4. ^ Video: Khawaja Asif debate on budget in October 2006 Google Video, uploaded October 21, 2006
  5. ^ Video: Khawaja Asif Revolts against Army Feudalism pkpolitics.com, uploaded March 15, 2008

[edit] External links