Gohar Ayub Khan ( ur, گوہر ایوب خان; born 15 January 1937) is a Pakistani politician,

business oligarch A business oligarch is generally a business magnate who controls sufficient resources to influence national politics. A business leader can be considered an oligarch if the following conditions are satisfied: # uses monopolistic tactics to domina ...

, retired army officer, and conservative figure of the Pakistan Muslim League, who held ministerial positions during the administration of prime minister

Nawaz Sharif Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif (Urdu, Punjabi language, Punjabi: ; born 25 December 1949) is a Pakistani businessman and politician who has served as the Prime Minister of Pakistan for three non-consecutive terms. He is the longest-serving prime ...

. Gohar Ayub Khan hails from the village of Rehana, located in the Haripur District of

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, ...

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

and belongs to the Tareen tribe of ethnic

Pashtuns Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically re ...

. He is fluent in

Hindko Hindko (, romanized: , ) is a cover term for a diverse group of Lahnda dialects spoken by several million people of various ethnic backgrounds in several areas in northwestern Pakistan, primarily in the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Pun ...

and

Pashto Pashto (,; , ) is an Eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family. It is known in historical Persian literature as Afghani (). Spoken as a native language mostly by ethnic Pashtuns, it is one of the two official languages ...

. He is the son of former

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 ...

and

field marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

Ayub Khan Ayub Khan is a compound masculine name; Ayub is the Arabic version of the name of the Biblical figure Job, while Khan or Khaan is taken from the title used first by the Mongol rulers and then, in particular, their Islamic and Persian-influenced s ...

and played an influential role in sustaining his father's presidential rule after the 1965 presidential election. Educated at the

Royal Military Academy Sandhurst The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS or RMA Sandhurst), commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is one of several military academies of the United Kingdom and is the British Army's initial officer training centre. It is located in the town of ...

, after graduation Gohar Ayub Khan was commissioned in the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the Army, land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the partition of India, Partition of British India, wh ...

in 1959. During his military service he served as his father's aide-de-camp, travelling with him on several foreign trips. Upon his resignation in 1962 with the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

, he established a business conglomerate and entered in politics in 1974. He first contested the 1977 general election through the Independence Movement platform, but later joined the

Islamic Democratic Alliance The Islami Jamhoori Ittehad ( Islamic Democratic Alliance; Acronym and initialism, acronym: IJI; ur, ) was a Right-wing politics, right-wing conservative alliance formed in September 1988 to oppose the democratic socialist Pakistan Peoples Part ...

(IDA) in 1988. After the 1990 general election he was appointed as the fourteenth

speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** In ...

of the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...

. He became the

20th 20 (twenty; Roman numeral XX) is the natural number following 19 and preceding 21. A group of twenty units may also be referred to as a score. In mathematics *20 is a pronic number. *20 is a tetrahedral number as 1, 4, 10, 20. *20 is the ba ...

minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...

after securing his seat with a heavy margin in the 1997 general election. Later he shifted to the energy department, serving as

Minister for Water and Power The Minister for Water and Power heads the Ministry of Water and Power. The following is the list of all the previous Water and Power ministers of Pakistan to date. List of Ministers for Water and Power of Pakistan See also *Constitution of P ...

beginning 7 August 1998. His term abruptly ended on 12 October 1999, by General Pervez Musharraf, and he subsequently retired from national politics.

Early life and military career

Gohar Ayub Khan was born in the village of Rehana, in Haripur District during the

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...

in the

North-West Frontier Province The North-West Frontier Province (NWFP; ps, شمال لویدیځ سرحدي ولایت, ) was a Chief Commissioner's Province of British India, established on 9 November 1901 from the north-western districts of the Punjab Province. Followin ...

(present day

) into a military family on 15 January 1937. Although a

speaker, Gohar Ayub is fluent in his native language

and comes from a

Pashtun Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically re ...

family that belongs to the Tareen tribe of

. His father,

, was a senior commanding officer in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

and later ascended to staff and field operational assignments in the

. Ayub Khan subsequently became

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 ...

of Pakistan through a bloodless military coup that commenced in 1958. Gohar Ayub was sent to study at the military-controlled Army Burn Hall College and eventually moved on to attend Saint Mary's Academy, a private school in

Rawalpindi Rawalpindi ( or ; Urdu, ) is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad, and third largest in Punjab after Lahore and Faisalabad. Rawalpindi is next to Pakistan's ...

. Gohar Ayub joined the

in 1957, and trained at the

in the United Kingdom. Upon his return from the UK, he began serving active duty with the Pakistan Army and started to work on staff appointments. In 1958 he began to serve as his father's aide-de-camp, travelling with him on several foreign trips throughout Europe, the Americas, the Soviet Union and Asia. He did not rise beyond the rank of

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

during his time in the army, despite his father's support. In his army records, there are allegations of professional and behavioral misconduct. Gohar Ayub was prematurely given retirement in 1962 by the Army's Promotion Branch, despite his father's efforts to stop the investigations against his son. After his early retirement he and his father-in-law, General (retired)

Habibullah Khan Habibullah Khan (Pashto/Dari: ; 3 June 1872 – 20 February 1919) was the Emir of Afghanistan from 1901 until his death in 1919. He was the eldest son of the Emir Abdur Rahman Khan, whom he succeeded by right of primogeniture in October 1901. ...

established a private industrial firm, the Universal Insurance Co. Ltd. During the 1971 War, Gohar Ayub briefly returned to active service, seeing action in the Punjab border areas.

Politics

Business wealth and net worth

Gohar Ayub co-established an industrial firm under the business umbrella of Universal Insurance company Limited, founded by his father-in-law. During a short span of time, Ayub Khan intensified pro-Western and pro-Capitalism policies, and Gohar Ayub emerged as a powerful business oligarch. There is no evidence that suggests Gohar Ayub secured all these positions with the consent of his father. In 1969, a Western commentator estimated Gohar Ayub's personal wealth at $4 million, while his family's wealth was put in the range of $10–20 million.Pick, Franz, World Currency report. April 1969

Role in the 1965 presidential election

Gohar Ayub reportedly played an influential, but controversial, role in

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...

after his father's election in the allegedly rigged 1965 Presidential election against

Fatima Jinnah Fatima Jinnah ( ur, ; 31 July 1893 – 9 July 1967), widely known as Māder-e Millat ("Mother of the Nation"), was a Pakistani stateswoman, politician, dental surgeon and one of the leading founders of Pakistan. She was the younger sister of ...

. This move led to fierce clashes between rival political groups. Gohar Ayub also faced criticism during that time on questions of family corruption and cronyism through his business links with his father-in-law.

Speaker of the National Assembly

Gohar Ayub had been a long-standing member of the Pakistan Muslim League and was elected five times to the

from his home constituency. He first successfully contested a presidential election in March 1965 on a Muslim League platform. In 1977, he contested the National Assembly seat from Peshawar Jail and was elected on the ticket of Asghar Khan's Independence Movement party, defeating the candidate Akhtar Nawaz Khan of the Pakistan People's Party. After successfully contesting the 1990 general election, Gohar Ayub was appointed as the 14th

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** In ...

of the

National Assembly of Pakistan The National Assembly ( ur, , translit=Aiwān-e-Zairīñ, , or ur, قومی اسمبلی, Romanization, romanized: ''Qaumi Assembly'') is the lower house, lower legislative house of the bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Pakistan, which al ...

on 4 November 1990, remaining until 1993. He was succeeded by Yousaf Raza Gillani (later Prime minister) after the 1993 general election. Gohar Ayub also served as senior vice-president of the Pakistan Muslim League from 1990 to 1993. After his re-election in 1993, Gohar Ayub became deputy leader of the opposition in the National Assembly.

Acting President of Pakistan

Gohar Ayub Khan was the acting President of Pakistan from 1990–1990, when President Ghulam Ishaq Khan went abroad for medical treatment.

Foreign affairs and water and power ministry

After securing a heavy mandate from his constituency, Gohar Ayub was appointed as the 20th

Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...

in 1997 by Prime Minister

. Gohar Ayub publicly backed Prime Minister Sharif in authorizing a nuclear testing programme in response to India's nuclear test in May 1998. Although the prime minister was much more subdued, Gohar Ayub reportedly issued hostile statements and began to call for atomic tests in response to India. He prematurely issued media reports to the media, which reportedly displeased the prime minister. On 7 August 1998, Gohar Ayub was replaced by economic minister

Sartaj Aziz Sartaj Aziz ( ur, ; born 7 February 1929) is a Pakistani economist and a strategist, having previously served as the deputy chairman of the Planning Commission of Pakistan, member of the federal cabinet as the ''de facto'' Minister for Forei ...

(who put forth efforts to make peace between India and Pakistan), and was reassigned as

, a position he filled until he was ousted and forced to resign on 12 October 1999 as a result of a military coup commenced by General

Pervez Musharraf General Pervez Musharraf ( ur, , Parvez Muśharraf; born 11 August 1943) is a former Pakistani politician and four-star general of the Pakistan Army who became the tenth president of Pakistan after the successful military takeover of the ...

. Gohar Ayub's relationship with Nawaz Sharif eventually became strained, causing Gohar Ayub to leave the Pakistan Muslim League in 1999. Gohar Ayub defected to the Pakistan Muslim League's

splinter group A schism ( , , or, less commonly, ) is a division between people, usually belonging to an organization, movement, or religious denomination. The word is most frequently applied to a split in what had previously been a single religious body, suc ...

in 2001. He was appointed as the first secretary general of the party. Unable to contest the 2002 election because of a graduation degree restriction introduced by Pervez Musharraf, Gohar Ayub instead endorsed and provide vital support to his family. His younger son, Omar Ayub Khan, won his Haripur District seat, while his wife Zeb Gohar Ayub was elected MNA on the reserved women seats. To date, Gohar Ayub's strongest political opponent in his constituency has been former Chief Minister

Raja Sikander Zaman Raja Sikandar Zaman Khan (Urdu/Pashto: راجہ سکندر زمان ; born 1935 died 16 March 2007) was a Pakistani politician and the former Chief Minister of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. During a 50-year political career he served as Minister, Senior ...

Business

Gohar Ayub Khan still serves as Chief Executive of Universal Insurance and is on the board of several other companies in his in laws the Khan Khattak family's corporation the

Bibojee Group Bibojee Group is a Pakistani conglomerate founded by retired military officer Lieutenant General Habibullah Khan Khattak. It is among the major enterprises in Pakistan, incorporating businesses in manufacturing – these are textiles, automo ...

Post-retirement and controversies

After his retirement from national politics in 2002, Gohar Ayub wrote ''Glimpses into the Corridors of Power'' and published his father's diary.Khan, Ayub (26 April 2007) Diaries of Field Marshal Mohammad Ayub Khan, 1966–1972. OUP Pakistan He opposed the proposal to rename the NWFP to

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the northwestern region of the country, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ...

, while supporting the creation of a separate

Hazara Hazara may refer to: Ethnic groups * The Hazaras, a Persian-speaking people of Afghanistan and Pakistan * Aimaq Hazara, Aimaq's subtribe of Hazara origin * Hazarawals, a Hindko-speaking people of the Hazara region of northern Pakistan * Hazar ...

province.

Books

* ''Glimpses Into the Corridors of Power'', Karachi: Oxford University Press, 2007, 354 p. Autobiography. * ''Testing Times as Foreign Minister'', Islamabad: Dost Publications, 2009, 352 p. Autobiography. * ''Shikar: In The Days Gone By'', Islamabad: Dost Publications, 2009, 148 p. On

hunting Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

. * ''Aivān-i iqtidār ke mushāhidāt'', Lahore: Sang-e-Mil Publications, 2018, 364 p. Autobiography.

External links

Universal Insurance: Board of Directors

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Ayub Khan, Gohar 1937 births Gohar Foreign Ministers of Pakistan Hindkowan people Living people Nawaz Sharif administration Pakistan Army officers Pakistan Muslim League (N) politicians Pakistani chief executives Pakistani industrialists People from Haripur District Speakers of the National Assembly of Pakistan Children of national leaders Grand Crosses 1st class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Children of presidents of Pakistan Pakistani MNAs 1977 Pakistani MNAs 1990–1993 Pakistani MNAs 1993–1996 Pakistani MNAs 1997–1999 Army Burn Hall College alumni