Farooq Ahmad Khan Leghari ( ur, ; 29 May 194020 October 2010), was a Pakistani politician who served as the eighth

president of Pakistan The president of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=s̤adr-i Pākiṣṭān), officially the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is the ceremonial head of state of Pakistan and the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces.Baloch to have been elected as president. Born into a Baloch tribal and influential feudal family, Leghari was educated at

Aitchison College Aitchison College ( ur, ایچیسن کالج) is an independent, semi-private boys school for boarding and day students from grade 1–13 in Lahore, Pakistan. It has a tradition of providing an education that uses academics, sports, and co-curri ...

, the

Forman Christian College Forman Christian College is an private liberal arts university in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It was founded in 1864 and is administered by the Presbyterian Church. The university follows an American-style curriculum. Founded in 1864 by American ...

in Pakistan, and

St Catherine's College, Oxford St Catherine's College (colloquially called St Catz or Catz) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford and is the newest college admitting both undergraduate and graduate students. Tracing its roots back to 1868 (although th ...

in United Kingdom. Upon return from the UK, he sat for the Civil Services Exam in 1964 and started his career as a

civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

, remained commissioner sargodha division, prior to getting in to

politics Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...

in 1973 and tenured as

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

representing the

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

on the

Pakistan Peoples Party The Pakistan People's Party ( ur, , ; PPP) is a centre-left, social-democratic political party in Pakistan. It is currently the third largest party in the National Assembly and second largest in the Senate of Pakistan. The party was founded ...

(PPP) platform from 1975 to 1977. He contested the 1977 he won the National Assembly Elections on Pakistan People's Party ticket and was appointed Minister for Industries. In 1980s, he led

demonstrations Demonstration may refer to: * Demonstration (acting), part of the Brechtian approach to acting * Demonstration (military), an attack or show of force on a front where a decision is not sought * Demonstration (political), a political rally or prote ...

aimed against President

Zia-ul-Haq General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq HI, GCSJ, ร.ม.ภ, ( Urdu: ; 12 August 1924 – 17 August 1988) was a Pakistani four-star general and politician who became the sixth President of Pakistan following a coup and declaration of martial ...

administration Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal ** Administrative assistant, Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an admini ...

and successfully ran in

general elections A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

held in 1988. From 1990 to 1993, he worked under

Benazir Bhutto Benazir Bhutto ( ur, بینظیر بُھٹو; sd, بينظير ڀُٽو; Urdu ; 21 June 1953 – 27 December 2007) was a Pakistani politician who served as the 11th and 13th prime minister of Pakistan from 1988 to 1990 and again from 1993 t ...

as her deputy

Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...

and participated in the 1993 Pakistani general elections. His credential and reputation eventually led him to secure a nomination for the

presidency A presidency is an administration or the executive, the collective administrative and governmental entity that exists around an office of president of a state or nation. Although often the executive branch of government, and often personified by a ...

by Prime Minister

and was elected as

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

in 1993. However, he began receiving criticism over the controversial appointments of Senior Justices of the

Supreme Court of Pakistan The Supreme Court of Pakistan ( ur, ; ''Adālat-e-Uzma Pākistān'') is the apex court in the judicial hierarchy of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Established in accordance to thePart VIIof the Constitution of Pakistan, it has ultimate a ...

and was implicated in

Mehran Bank scandal The Mehrangate, also known as the Mehran bank scandal, was a major political scandal that took place in the first administration of Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in 1990. The active-duty army officers and ISI agents engaged in conspiring agai ...

. Differences began to emerge with Prime Minister

on policy issues in 1995 and he surprisingly Benazir Bhutto#Dismissal, dismissed his leader's government in 1996. His political ambitions later clashed with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his intervention to retain List of Justices of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, Justice Sajjad Ali Shah as Chief Justice of Pakistan, Chief Justice finally led to his resignation in 1997. He remained active in politics starting his own Political Party "Millat Party" which was party of the "National Alliance" in the 2002 General Elections, the party merged into the Pakistan Muslim League (Q), PML(Q) in 2004. He was returned to the National Assembly in 2008 Elections. Leghari died from a long heart illness at the Combined Military Hospital Rawalpindi, Combined Military Hospital in Rawalpindi on 20 October 2010.

Biography

Farooq Leghari was born on 2 May 1940 in Choti Zareen, a village located in Dera Ghazi Khan District, Punjab (British India), Punjab, British Indian Empire, British India. The prefix ''Sardar'', a title of nobility, added before his name that indicated the ''Tumandar'' (Chief) of his Leghari Tribe. Leghari's family was a Baloch of Punjab and known for its wealth that has served as Tribal chief, hereditary chiefs and has been remain active in politics since the times of British Rule of India. His mother was a pashtun from mardan district one of his sisters married allahyar who was the son of the Nawab of Kalabagh. Leghari was 185 cm tall.t His father, ''Nawabzada'' Muhammad Khan Leghari and his grandfather ''KhanBahadur, Khan Bahadur Nawab'' Sir Muhammad Jamal Khan Leghari, both were progressive leaders who introduced their Pakistan Tribal Areas, Tribe to Modernism, modern ideas. His father took prominent part in the Pakistan Movement and was confined as a political prisoner in 1946. After the partition of India, his father served as minister in the Government of Punjab, Pakistan, provincial government of

from 1949 until 1955. Farooq Leghari was initially schooled at the famed

in Lahore where he was the "College Prefect" and "Head Boy" and graduated at top of his class winning the coveted "Rivaz Gold Medal" for the "Best Graduating Student" in 1957. He went onto attend the Forman Christian College University where he gained Bachelor of Arts, BA with Honours degree, Honours in Economics in 1960. He went to United Kingdom to attend the

where he received master's degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE). Leghari was an avid and competitive sportsman and played tennis, captaining the Aitchison College Tennis team and became a regular on the Polo Sport, polo field. In 1974, he represented Pakistan as Shooting sport, shooter in 1974 Asian Games, 7th Asian Games held in Tehran, Iran. Farooq Leghari was the major landowner in the country and owned approximately of land. After the death of Farooq Khan Leghari his son Jamal Khan Leghari became the 23rd Chief of Leghari tribe.

Civil service and politics

Upon returning to Pakistan, he joined the Central Superior Services (CSS) in 1964 and worked as civil servant in East Pakistan before posting back to Pakistan. In 1973, he resigned from the civil service and joined the

(PPP) on the invitation of Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. In 1975, he was elected as

that represented

on PPP platform and participated in 1977 Pakistani general elections, general elections held in 1977 on List of constituencies of Pakistan, DG Khan constituency. He was appointed as Ministry of Defence Production (Pakistan), Minister of Defence Production and was appointed Secretary-General of the PPP in 1978. In 1980s, he became known as a leading figure of presiding Movement for the Restoration of Democracy, mass demonstrations against President

and was House arrest, imprisonment several times by Police Service of Pakistan, Police. Leghari participated well in

held in 1988 on Constituencies of Pakistan, DG Khan's constituency. He was appointed as Minister for Water and Power (Pakistan), Minister for Water and Power under Prime Minister

. His term was abruptly ended by President Ghulam Ishaq Khan he dismissed Prime Minister Bhutto and successfully defended his constituency in 1990 Pakistani general elections, general elections held in 1990. He served as Deputy

under Benazir Bhutto, serving in opposition against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. In 1993, he witnessed the resignations of President Ghulam Ishaq Khan and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, and joined the Qureshi caretaker ministry, caretaker cabinet of caretaker Prime Minister Moeenuddin Ahmad Qureshi as Finance Minister of Pakistan, Finance Minister. During this period, he presided over the 21st Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers held in Karachi from 25 to 29 April 1993. He successfully participated well in 1993 Pakistani general elections, general elections held in 1993 and retained his seat in the National Assembly of Pakistan, National Assembly as he was the only PPP member from Dera Ghazi Khan. Leghari was named and appointed as Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Foreign Minister by Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto on 13 November 1993 but soon win the nomination for presidency by Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

President of Pakistan

His credentials and "clean reputation" as opposed to politicians accused of Corruption in Pakistan, mass corruption and white collar crimes won him the support from Prime Minister Bhutto and

(PPP). He accepted the nomination and ran in the presidential elections against Wasim Sajjad, the Acting President of Pakistan, Acting President and Pakistan Muslim League (N), PML(N) nominee by Nawaz Sharif. As a result of Indirect election, indirect voting, Leghari received 274 votes in his favour against 168 votes for Wasim Sajjad. On 13 November 1993, Sardar Farooq Leghari was appointed as the President of Pakistan for a term of five years. He vowed to repeal the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan and expressed his support for Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. However, no bill was ever presented to repeal the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan, Eighth Amendment to the Constitution. The Law and order in Pakistan, law and order situation in the country worsen, especially in Karachi where the Operation Clean-up, police operation resulted in various and unaccountable deaths. In 1994–95, a major scandal was revealed by the sting operation led by the Federal Investigation Agency, FIA that gained national attention. Known as the Mehrangate, Leghari's and Bhutto's name was implicated in the corruption scandal in News channels in Pakistan, news media. However, the PPP forcefully suppressed the FIA's investigations and judicial inquires as well as media coverage. Leghari supported the Bainazir Bhuttoo Government, Bhutto administration's internal and foreign policies and staunchly backed Prime Minister Bhutto's initiatives at the national level. Leghari met with Indian Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao, Narasimha Rao and Elizabeth II, Queen Elizabeth when she paid a state visit to Pakistan during his tenure as president. His political relations with Benazir Bhutto drifted apart over on policy issues concerning the internal politics and judicial nominations for the

in 1996. In 1993, Leghari confirmed the nomination of Justice Sajjad Ali Shah as Chief Justice of Pakistan who was known to be closer to the PPP's ideology. In 1994, Prime Minister Bhutto nominated 20 senior judges for the appointment to the Supreme Court; of which, 13 had political relations with the PPP. Some of the nominated judges had not been practised judges and controversial reputations in the law circles. The PPP government began pressuring Sajjad Ali Shah, Chief Justice Shah to dissuade him from taking up to appeals against the nominations. President Leghari backed Chief Justice Shah over the appointment and confirmations that created problems with the Prime Minister Bhutto who saw this as a conspiracy being hatch by the Chief Justice Shah. Notoriety over the confirmations of additional judges in the High Courts of Pakistan, High Courts further maligned Leghari's image as the appointments were seen as "inappropriate." The situation with Prime Minister Bhutto further escalated when President Leghari raised issue of senior ministers' involvement in corruption and Asif Ali Zardari's appointment as Pakistan Board of Investment, Investment Minister. Leghari also suspected Benazir Bhutto and Asif Zardari involvement in controversial murder of Murtaza Bhutto that occurred in 1996, despite Prime Minister Bhutto hinted Leghari's involvement. On October–November 1996, there were several meetings between President Leghari and Prime Minister Bhutto to resolve the issue but the two sides used the Pakistani Intelligence Community, intelligence community against each other. The Economy of Pakistan, economic recession further escalated the situation and President Leghari surprisingly dismissed the Bainazir Bhuttoo Government, Benazir's administration using the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan, Eighth Amendment to the Constitution on charges of corruption, economic recession, lawlessness and extra judicial killings.

Resignation and post-presidency

A Caretaker government, caretaker set-up was formed under Acting Prime Minister Malik Meraj Khalid and 1997 Pakistani general elections, general elections were held in 1997 that witnessed the return of Nawaz Sharif with a Supermajority, heavy mandate in all over the country. Prime Minister Sharif decisively removed the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan, Eighth Amendment by approving the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan, Thirteenth Amendment and oversaw its complete effect that ultimately made President Leghari as figurehead. Leghari seek the nomination for the second term but the chances of his re-election were diminished due to PPP's dilution in the Parliament of Pakistan, Parliament. Problems between Chief Justice Shah and Prime Minister Sharif further escalated when Chief Justice Shah decided to listen to appeals against the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan, Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan, Fifteenth Amendment bills and the Pakistan Muslim League (N), PML(N) partisan attacked the Shah's court in 1997. President Leghari tried intervened in the matter in support of Chief Justice Shah but this only made it worse for Leghari when Prime Minister Sharif decided to bring the impeachment movement against President Leghari. On 2 December 1997, President Leghari resigned from the presidency to avoid the possible impeachment which also resulted in the resignation of the Chief Justice Shah, also the same year. His post-presidency marked with his active involvement in politics when he found the Millat Party which entered into a coalition of seven parties, known as the National Alliance (Pakistan), National Alliance, to participate in the 2002 Pakistani general elections, general elections held in 2002. The National Alliance won enough seats in the National Assembly of Pakistan, National Assembly to form government as a coalition with the Pakistan Muslim League (Q), PML(Q) that was supported by President Pervez Musharraf. In 2004, he left his own party and joined the PML(Q) and supported his son, Awais Leghari, becoming the cabinet member. His elder son, Jamal Leghari, was elected as member of Senate of Pakistan, Senate on PML(Q) platform. In 2003, Leghari reportedly marked that he dismissed the Prime Minister Bhutto once the rules of conducts were violated while responding to the criticism by the PPP.

Family Political History/Legacy

''Grandfather: Khan Bahadur Nawab Sir (Tumandar) Muhammad Jamal Khan Leghari'' Punjab Legislative Council 1921, 1923, 1927, 1930 Punjab Legislative Assembly 1937 Minister Public Works, 1946, 1947 “The first sitting was held on January 5, 1948. Sir Robert Francis Mudie, Governor of West Punjab appointed Mr Muhammad Jamal Khan Leghari to perform the duties of Speaker till new Speaker was elected.” Punjab Legislative Assembly 1951, First Sitting Presided by Sardar Jamal Muhammad Khan Leghari ''Father: Nawabzada Sardar Muhammad Khan Leghari, B.A.'' Punjab Legislative Assembly 1951 Minister Public Works, Buildings and Roads, Electricity and Transport, Irrigation, Revenue, Excise and Taxation, Resettlements and Colonies. Provincial Assembly of West Pakistan 1956 ''Uncle: Nawabzada Sardar Atta Muhammad Khan Leghari'' Provincial Assembly of the Punjab 1972 ''Uncle: Nawabzada Sardar Mahmood Khan Leghari'' Provincial Assembly of the Punjab 1972 ''Cousin: Sardar Muhammmad Omer Khan Leghari'' Provincial Assembly of the Punjab 1985 Provincial Assembly of the Punjab 1988 ''Cousin: Sardar Muhammad Jaffar Khan Leghari, Jaffar Khan Leghari'' District Council Chairman Rajanpur Provincial Assembly of the Punjab 1985 Provincial Assembly of the Punjab 1988 Provincial Assembly of the Punjab 1993 National Assembly of Pakistan 1997 National Assembly of Pakistan 2002 National Assembly of Pakistan 2008 National Assembly of Pakistan 2013 National Assembly of Pakistan 2018 ''Cousin: Sardar Maqsood Ahmed Khan Leghari'' Provincial Assembly of the Punjab 1977 Chairman District Council Dera Ghazi Khan National Assembly of Pakistan 1985, Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Provincial Assembly of the Punjab 1985 Provincial Assembly of the Punjab 1988 Provincial Assembly of the Punjab 1990, Minister Provincial Assembly of the Punjab 1993, Minister Irrigation Provincial Assembly of the Punjab 1997 Zila Nazim Dera Ghazi Khan 2005 ''Cousin: Sardar Mansoor Ahmed Khan Leghari'' Chairman District Council Dera Ghazi Khan Provincial Assembly of the Punjab 1990 National Assembly of Pakistan 1993 Senate of Pakistan 1997-2000 Provincial Assembly of the Punjab 1985 ''Son: Jamal Leghari'' District Nazim Dera Ghazi Khan 2000 Senate of Pakistan 2016-20012 Provincial Assembly of the Punjab 2013 ''Son: Awais Leghari''

Provincial Assembly of the Punjab 1997 National Assembly of Pakistan 2002, Minister Information Technology and Telecommunication National Assembly of Pakistan 2010 National Assembly of Pakistan 2013, Minister Power Provincial Assembly of the Punjab 2018, (Deputy Leader of Opposition)

Death

Farooq Leghari briefly fought a heart illness since 2000s and initial reports claimed that he was ill for some time, owing to complications with his heart. Farooq Leghari died on 20 October 2010 in Rawalpindi due to a heart related illness and he was undergoing surgery at the CMH Rawalpindi, Combined Military Hospital in Rawalpindi at the time of his death. Residents of Dera Ghazi Khan and political dignitaries had attended his funeral services and he was laid to rest in Choti Zareen, Dera Ghazi Khan District, DG Khan District,

, Pakistan on 21 October 2010.

References

External links

Former President Laghari Passes Away
, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Leghari, Farooq 1940 births 2010 deaths 1996 controversies Alumni of St Catherine's College, Oxford Aitchison College alumni Baloch politicians Leghari family, Farooq Foreign Ministers of Pakistan Forman Christian College alumni Members of the Senate of Pakistan Pakistan People's Party politicians Pakistani civil servants Pakistani landowners Pakistani male sport shooters People from Dera Ghazi Khan District Presidents of Pakistan Shooters at the 1974 Asian Games Tumandars Water and Power Ministers of Pakistan Pakistani MNAs 2008–2013 Pakistani MNAs 2002–2007 Asian Games competitors for Pakistan