Humayun Akhtar Khan ( Urdu: ) is a Pakistani politician, business tycoon, and

actuary An actuary is a business professional who deals with the measurement and management of risk and uncertainty. The name of the corresponding field is actuarial science. These risks can affect both sides of the balance sheet and require asset man ...

. He has been elected as a member of the National Assembly four consecutive times between 1990–2007, having served as Federal Minister for Trade and Commerce from 2002–2007 and as Chairman Board of Investment from 1997–1999. Khan is the Chairman of Akhtar Fuiou Technologies and Institute for Policy Reform, and owns one of the largest conglomerates in Pakistan, comprising Tandlianwala Sugar Mills Group, Zamand Steel, Superior Textile Mill, and Lotte Akhtar Beverages (

PepsiCo PepsiCo, Inc. is an American multinational food, snack, and beverage corporation headquartered in Harrison, New York, in the hamlet of Purchase. PepsiCo's business encompasses all aspects of the food and beverage market. It oversees the manuf ...

Franchise).

Early life and education

Khan received his early education from Army Burn Hall College and Saint Mary's Academy,

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 ...

. He then received a bachelors degree from

Government College University, Lahore The Government College University, Lahore (colloquially known as GCU), is a public research university located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Opened as Government College, Lahore, in 1864, it became a university in 2002. Overview In 1864, Gov ...

, and a masters degree in actuarial science and

business administration Business administration, also known as business management, is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. From the point of view of management ...

from University of Manitoba, Canada. He is a Fellow of the

Society of Actuaries The Society of Actuaries (SOA) is a global professional organization for actuaries. It was founded in 1949 as the merger of two major actuarial organizations in the United States: the Actuarial Society of America and the American Institute of Act ...

, USA since 1980, and the Canadian Institute of Actuaries since 1981.

Business

Lotte Akhtar Beverages

Khan, along with his brothers, decided to move back to Pakistan in 1988 after the death of their father, General

Akhtar Abdur Rahman Akhtar Abdur Rahman Khan NI(M), HI(M), TI(M), SBt (Urdu: اختر عبد الرحمن‎; 11 June 1924 – 17 August 1988), was a Pakistani senior army general who served as the 5th Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee of the Pakistan ...

, in a plane crash which also killed President Zia-ul-Haq. The Akhtar brothers, along with their cousin Jahangir Khan Tareen and his brother-in-law Makhdoom Ahmed Mehmood, together bought Riaz Bottlers ( bottling and

distribution Distribution may refer to: Mathematics *Distribution (mathematics), generalized functions used to formulate solutions of partial differential equations * Probability distribution, the probability of a particular value or value range of a vari ...

franchise for

beverages in Pakistan) from former Chief Minister of Punjab Sadiq Hussain Qureshi. The

consortium A consortium (plural: consortia) is an association of two or more individuals, companies, organizations or governments (or any combination of these entities) with the objective of participating in a common activity or pooling their resources for ...

managed to turn around the fortunes of Riaz Bottlers from

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...

to being the standout company in the beverage industry with key sponsorship deals such as that with the Pakistan cricket team and a vast portfolio of beverages including Pepsi,

Mountain Dew Mountain Dew, stylized as Mtn Dew, is a carbonated soft drink brand produced and owned by PepsiCo. The original formula was invented in 1940 by Tennessee beverage bottlers Barney and Ally Hartman. A revised formula was created by Bill Brid ...

, 7-Up, Aquafina, Mirinda,

Slice Slice may refer to: *Cutting Food and beverage *A portion of bread, pizza, cake, or meat that is cut flat and thin: :*Sliced bread :*Pizza by the slice, a fast food dish *Slice (drink), a line of fruit-flavored soft drinks In Australia and New ...

Sting Sting may refer to: * Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger * Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself Fictional characters and entities * Sting (Middle-eart ...

. In 2018, South Korean

chaebol A chaebol (, ; ) is a large industrial South Korean conglomerate run and controlled by an individual or family. A chaebol often consists of multiple diversified affiliates, controlled by a person or group whose power over the group often exc ...

Lotte Chilsung acquired a controlling stake in Riaz Bottlers (now known as Lotte Akhtar Beverages) although the Akhtar brothers maintain a significant minority share and are Lotte's

strategic partners FIN: Atlantic International Film Festival (known as The Atlantic International Film Festival until 2017) is a major international film festival held annually in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada since 1980. FIN is the largest Canadian film festival eas ...

in Pakistan.

Tandlianwala Sugar Mills

After success in the beverage industry, the Akhtar brothers entered the Pakistan's sugar industry. They later expanded into production of downstream products such as carbon dioxide and ethanol. Tandlianwala Sugar Mills is the second-largest publicly listed producer of sugar and its allied products on the

Pakistan Stock Exchange The Pakistan Stock Exchange ( ur, , abbreviated as PSX) is a stock exchange in Pakistan with trading floors in Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore. PSX was classified by MSCI as a frontier market on 8 September 2021. The PSX was established on 11 ...

in terms of revenue,

market capitalization Market capitalization, sometimes referred to as market cap, is the total value of a publicly traded company's outstanding common shares owned by stockholders. Market capitalization is equal to the market price per common share multiplied by t ...

, production, and capacity, while it is also the largest exporter of ethanol in the country, comprising 17% of Pakistan's total ethanol exports. As of February 2022, it has a

of Rs.15.7 billion. The group includes three

sugar mills A sugar cane mill is a factory that processes sugar cane to produce raw or white sugar. The term is also used to refer to the equipment that crushes the sticks of sugar cane to extract the juice. Processing There are a number of steps in prod ...

in Tandlianwala, Muzaffargarh, and Dera Ismail Khan with a combined sugarcane crushing capacity of 48,000 tons of cane per day (480,000 metric tonnes of sugar per year); three ENA ethanol distilleries in Tandlianwala and Muzaffargarh with a production capacity of 380,000 liters of ethanol per day (100,000 metric tonnes of ethanol per year), and a carbon dioxide recovery plant with a capacity of 48 tons per day (annual production of 16,000 tonnes).

Akhtar Fuiou Technologies

Akhtar Fuiou Technologies is a fintech platform that has attained in-principal approval from the State Bank of Pakistan for an electronic money institution license. It is a joint venture between Akhtar Group, one of the largest industrial groups in Pakistan, and Shanghai Fuiou Payment Service Corporation, one of the leading players in the payments space in China. AFT offers cloud based payroll solutions to unbanked rural employees of the sugar, textile, beverage, and construction industries, enabling it to secure a large number of mobile wallets which can be used to make payments and receive foreign remittances. AFT eventually aims to digitize payments across the entire

supply chain In commerce, a supply chain is a network of facilities that procure raw materials, transform them into intermediate goods and then final products to customers through a distribution system. It refers to the network of organizations, people, acti ...

in these sectors. In addition, AFT also facilitates cross border payments for e-commerce platforms, merchants and freelancers and distributes point of sale terminals manufactured by Chinese brands to acquiring institutions in Pakistan in order to create an enabling ecosystem for digital payments in the country.

Nonprofit Organizations

Institute for Policy Reforms

In March 2014, the Akhtar Brothers founded Institute for Policy Reforms, a

nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

nonpartisan Nonpartisanism is a lack of affiliation with, and a lack of bias towards, a political party. While an Oxford English Dictionary definition of ''partisan'' includes adherents of a party, cause, person, etc., in most cases, nonpartisan refers sp ...

think tank. It regularly publishes

research reports A research report is a publication that reports on the findings of a research project or alternatively scientific observations on or about a subject. Research reports are produced by many sectors including industry, education, government and non-g ...

, analysis, briefs, and fact sheets on key public policy issues concerning Pakistan with a particular focus on

economic policy The economy of governments covers the systems for setting levels of taxation, government budgets, the money supply and interest rates as well as the labour market, national ownership, and many other areas of government interventions into the e ...

national security National security, or national defence, is the security and defence of a sovereign state, including its citizens, economy, and institutions, which is regarded as a duty of government. Originally conceived as protection against military atta ...

, and international relations. IPR's

Board of Advisors An advisory board is a body that provides non-binding strategic advice to the management of a corporation, organization, or foundation. The informal nature of an advisory board gives greater flexibility in structure and management compared to th ...

includes prominent personalities from various fields of Pakistani society including diplomats, lawyers, legislators, academic scholars, corporate executives, military officers, and bureaucrats.

Political career

Joining IJI and PML-N (1990–1999)

Humayun Akhtar Khan started his political journey in 1990 when he contested the elections representing Islami Jamhoori Ittehad from NA-92 Lahore constituency (now NA-123 and NA-127), which was then considered a

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 ...

stronghold. Khan won the election, beating PPP's Rafiq Ahmed Sheikh. He became a member of

Pakistan Muslim League (N) The Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) ( ur, , translit=Pākistān Muslim Līg (Nūn) PML(N) or PML-N) is a Centre-right politics, centre-right and Liberal conservatism, liberal conservative political party in Pakistan. Alongside the Pakistan Teh ...

after it broke from the IJI. In the 1993 general election, he contested for the National Assembly seat from the NA-93 Lahore constituency (now NA-129 and NA-131), which was then known as the 'Larkana of Lahore' as it was another PPP stronghold. He beat PPP's Aitzaz Ahsan, and was thus elected as a Member of the National Assembly for a second time.

Formation of PML-Q (1999–2002)

After the military coup in 1999 in which Nawaz Sharif was overthrown by General Pervez Musharraf, Humayun Akhtar. along with many of Nawaz Sharifs close aides. were under

house arrest In justice and law, house arrest (also called home confinement, home detention, or, in modern times, electronic monitoring) is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to their residence. Travel is usually restricted, if all ...

for months. For two years, the National Accountability Bureau launched thorough investigations against Humayun's family and placed him on the Exit Control List. After being cleared of all allegations leveled against him, Humayun resumed his political career in 2001. In 2002, General Pervez Musharraf, who by then had also become the

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.General Elections in October. Because Nawaz Sharif had been

exile Exile is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons and peoples suf ...

d to Saudi Arabia and the military establishment gave the impression that he was gone for good, many of his most prominent party leaders including Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, Ijaz-ul-Haq, Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, Shaikh Rasheed Ahmad,

Mian Azhar Mian may refer to: People and languages *Mian (surname), including a list of people with the surname *Mian (given name), including a list of people with the given name *Mian family of Baghbanpura, a noble Arain family of Lahore, Pakistan *Mian p ...

and Humayun Akhtar Khan formed a new party called Pakistan Muslim League- Quaid-e-Azam. Humayun contested from constituency NA-125 which was in fact part of what was once called NA-93, the constituency he won from in

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...

. This time, his main opponents were

Akram Zaki Akram Zaki (27 October 1931 – 30 November 2017) was a Pakistani politician. He held the role of senior leader of the Pakistan Muslim League and chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs. Career Zaki also served as Paki ...

of PML-N and Naveed Chaudhry of PPP.

Prime Ministerial candidacy (2002–2004)

When PML-Q was forming its government in 2002, Humayun Akhtar was one of the candidates considered for the post of Prime Minister. However, President Musharraf and the PML-Q eventually decided to choose the Prime Minister from one of the smaller provinces and hence gave the honor to Zafarullah Khan Jamali of Balochistan. By early 2004, it was clear that Jamali had fallen out of favor with

President 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 ...

and his own party members. Jamali did not support Musharraf's decision to keep on his uniform amongst other things while Musharraf was fed up of Jamali's incompetence and poor governance. By May 2004, the party decided to sack Jamali, and in his place, a number of potential candidates were listed. After many high level consultations between the President and his close political and military aides, it was decided that Humayun was the best choice to lead the nation. Although Humayun had a strong backing of 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 ...

and the

ISI ISI or Isi may refer to: Organizations * Intercollegiate Studies Institute, a classical conservative organization focusing on college students * Ice Skating Institute, a trade association for ice rinks * Indian Standards Institute, former name of ...

as many of the top generals had served under his father who led these institutions in the 1980s, his own party leaders the Chaudhrys of Gujrat proved to be the last hurdle in his nomination as they fought tooth and nail to ensure that he did not become the next Prime Minister. Party President Chaudhry Shujaat went to the extent of asking Musharraf to delay the announcement of the new Prime Minister by three weeks till the

budget A budget is a calculation play, usually but not always financial, for a defined period, often one year or a month. A budget may include anticipated sales volumes and revenues, resource quantities including time, costs and expenses, environmenta ...

session concluded. Many political analysts believe that the main reason behind the delay was to postpone Humayun's candidacy as the Chaudhry's felt that he had intentions of hijacking the party from them and as a result threatening Pervaiz Elahi's own political ambitions of eventually becoming Prime Minister after the next election. Eventually, Musharraf adhered to the pressure and the only other viable option for Musharraf was Finance Minister

Shaukat Aziz Shaukat Aziz ( ur, ; born 6 March 1949) is a Pakistani former banker and financier who served as 17th prime minister of Pakistan from 28 August 2004 to 15 November 2007, as well as the finance minister of Pakistan from 6 November 1999 to 15 ...

who was a

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 ...

, not a Member of Parliament. Eventually, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain was made interim Prime Minister for two months and it was decided that

would contest an election for the national assembly via by-election. Shortly after contesting and winning the by-election,

replaced Chaudhry Shujaat as Prime Minister.

Alliance with PML-N (2012–2013)

In May 2012, the Pakistan Muslim League (Like-minded Group) formed an alliance with the PML-N in a bid to unite all Muslim League factions under the leadership of Nawaz Sharif, with the aim of defeating the

PTI PTI may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Pardon the Interruption'', an American television sports show * PTI, a musical group on the WTII Records label Organizations * Pacific Torah Institute, a yeshiva high school in Vancouver, British Columb ...

and the ruling coalition of PPP and PML-Q in the upcoming general elections. According to the seat adjustment formula that would accommodate several leaders of the Likeminded Group, Humayun was to be awarded a PML-N ticket from NA-124 Lahore instead of NA-125 while his brother Haroon Akhtar was to be awarded a PML-N senate seat in the 2015 senate elections. However, days before the election tickets were finalized, PML-N violated the agreement it signed in 2012 as Humayun did not receive a PML-N ticket from either of the two constituencies, although his brother

Haroon Harun, also transliterated as Haroon or Haroun ( ar, هارون, ) is a common male given name of Arabic origin, related to the Hebrew name of the Prophet Aaron. Both are most likely of Ancient Egyptian origin, from ''aha rw'', meaning "warrior li ...

was accommodated in June 2015 as a Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Revenue and was elected as a

on a PML-N ticket in the 2018 Senate Election. While Humayun stayed out out of the public eye for the next five years, he spearheaded new joint ventures,

mergers and acquisitions Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are business transactions in which the ownership of companies, other business organizations, or their operating units are transferred to or consolidated with another company or business organization. As an aspect ...

for his family businesses.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (2018–Present)

In July 2018, Humayun Akhtar joined

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI; ur, , ) is a political party in Pakistan. It was founded in 1996 by Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, who served as the country's prime minister from 2018 to 2022. The PTI is one of the thre ...

. Having served as a Member of the National Assembly several times from all of the areas comprising NA-131, he led

Chairman Imran Khan's campaign in the constituency and played an integral role in helping him defeat Khawaja Saad Rafique by a narrow margin of 680 votes. After Imran Khan decided to keep his MNA seat from Mianwali, Humayun Akhtar was declared PTI's candidate for the by-election from NA-131. In the by-election, he was defeated by Khawaja Saad Rafique, who received 60,476 votes compared to Akhtar's 51,329.

Personal life

His father, General

, headed the

from 1979–1987, eventually going on to become Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee of the Pakistan Armed Forces, while his brother

Haroon Akhtar Khan served as Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Revenue from 2015 to 2018.

References

External links

Official website

Tandlianwala Sugar Mills Ltd.

Institute for Policy Reforms
{{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Humayun Akhtar 1964 births Living people Pakistan Peoples Muslim League politicians Government College University, Lahore alumni University of Manitoba alumni Pakistani actuaries Commerce Ministers of Pakistan Pakistani industrialists