Khawaja Muhammad Asif (; born 9 August 1949) is a Pakistani politician currently serving as the Defence Minister of Pakistan since April 2022, He has been a member 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 ...

, since August 2018. Previously, he was a member of the National Assembly from 1993 to 1999 and again from 2002 to 2018 and till date. In May, 2019 he took the charge and became the Parliamentary Leader of

PML-N The Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) ( ur, , translit=Pākistān Muslim Līg (Nūn) PML(N) or PML-N) is a centre-right and liberal conservative political party in Pakistan. Alongside the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Peoples Party ...

in the National Assembly of Pakistan. He served as the

Minister for 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 coun ...

in the

Abbasi cabinet The Abbasi ministry was formed by Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on 4 August 2017 to begin a new government following the disqualification of former Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif until the end of May 2018 when justice Nasirul Mulk took oath a ...

from August 2017 to April 2018 and simultaneously served as the

Minister for Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

and

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 ...

in the

third Sharif ministry The third Nawaz Sharif ministry was formed at noon Pakistan Standard Time, PKT on 5 June 2013 when Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif became the Prime Minister of Pakistan, prime minister of Pakistan for the third time. Sharif ...

from 2013 to 2017. Asif began his political career after getting elected to the

Senate of Pakistan Senate of Pakistan or Aiwān-e-Bālā Pākistān ( ur, , , literally "Pakistan upper house"), is the upper legislative chamber of the bicameral legislature of Pakistan, and together with the National Assembly makes up the Parliament of Pakista ...

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 The Gilani ministry began its operation into office on 31 March 2008 after Yousaf Raza Gillani was elected as Prime minister of Pakistan by the National Assembly on 25 March 2008. The swearing-in of the cabinet was delayed for a few days until M ...

in 2008, with an additional charge as Minister for Sports.

Early life and education

Asif was born on 9 August 1949 in

Sialkot Sialkot ( ur, ) is a city located in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the capital of Sialkot District and the 13th most populous city in Pakistan. The boundaries of Sialkot are joined with Jammu (the winter capital of Indian administered Jammu and Ka ...

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 ...

, to

Khawaja Muhammad Safdar Khawaja Muhammad Safdar was a Pakistani politician from Pakistan Muslim League. Early life and career He was born in Sialkot and took an active part in the Pakistan Movement before 1947. In 1981, he was nominated as chairman of Majlis-e-Shoora, ...

. He received his early education at

Cadet College Hasan Abdal Cadet College, Hasan Abdal (CCH) Urdu/Pashto :کیدت کالج/کیڈٹ کالج حسن ابدال is a residential secondary school located in Hasan Abdal, Attock District, Punjab, Pakistan. The college has over 500 enrolled students aged 13 ...

. He attained his bachelor's degree from Government College University

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

, but was gifted 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 The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

on iqama where he lived for several years until 1999. He has a son and three daughters. In 2007, he was awarded honorary doctorate degree in international relations by the

Geneva School of Diplomacy and International Relations , neighboring_municipalities= Carouge, Chêne-Bougeries, Cologny, Lancy, Grand-Saconnex, Pregny-Chambésy, Vernier, Veyrier , website = https://www.geneve.ch/ Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ...

Political career

Asif began his political career in 1991 on returning to Pakistan following the death of his father after living in the United Arab Emirates for many years. In 1991, he was elected to the

as a candidate 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 ...

(PML-N) for three years. He was elected to the

from Constituency NA-110 (Sialkot) in 1993 general election. He was re-elected to the National Assembly in 1997 general election Khawaja Asif contested 2002 general election elections from NA 110 and won his seats by taking 42,743 votes. Asif contested 2008 general election from NA 110 and obtained 73,007 votes. In

2013 Pakistani general election General elections were held in Pakistan on Saturday 11 May 2013 to elect the members of the 14th National Assembly and the four Provincial Assemblies. The three major parties were the Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N) led by Nawaz Sharif, t ...

, Asif was re-elected as a member of the National Assembly from NA 110 taking 92,848 votes against his opponent

Usman Dar Usman may refer to: People *Usman (name), a name of Arabic origin. *Hadiza Bala Usman (born 1976), Nigerian activist and politician *Kamaru Usman, a mixed martial artist in the Ultimate Fighting Championship *Usman Janatin, an Indonesian marine exe ...

who obtained 71,573 votes. He was re-elected to the National Assembly as a candidate of PML-N from Constituency NA-73 (Sialkot-II) in

2018 Pakistani general election General elections were held in Pakistan on Wednesday, 25 July 2018 to elect the members of 15th National Assembly and the four Provincial Assemblies. The three major parties Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led by Imran Khan, the Pakistan Muslim ...

. He received 116,957 votes and defeated

who received 115464 votes and won by only 1700+ votes. In May, 2019 he took the charge and became the Parliamentary Leader of PMLN in the National Assembly of Pakistan.

Ministrial career

In 1997 Government

He was appointed as the chairman of the Privatization Commission of Pakistan with the status of a minister during

Second Nawaz Sharif ministry The Second Nawaz Sharif ministry began on 3 February 1997, when Nawaz Sharif was sworn in as the Prime Minister of Pakistan, and ended without completing its mandated term on 12 October 1999. Sharif, a conservative politician who presided the Pak ...

in 1997. His tenure was terminated following the counter-coup 1999 coup d'état in which then Chief of Army Staff,

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 ...

, overthrew Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in response to Sharif indirectly hijacking Musharraf's plane and ordering it to land outside Pakistan.

During 2008 coalition government

He was briefly appointed as the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Resources, as well as the Minister of Sports in the

in 2008 before his party pulled out of 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 ...

-led coalition government.

During 2013
Third Nawaz Sharif ministry The third Nawaz Sharif ministry was formed at noon PKT on 5 June 2013 when Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif became the prime minister of Pakistan for the third time. Sharif successfully led the right-of-centre and conservat ...

In June 2013, he was appointed as the Minister of Water and Power and later given additional portfolio of

Minister of Defence A defence minister or minister of defence is a Cabinet (government), cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from coun ...

in November 2013 under

Third Nawaz Sharif ministry The third Nawaz Sharif ministry was formed at noon PKT on 5 June 2013 when Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif became the prime minister of Pakistan for the third time. Sharif successfully led the right-of-centre and conservat ...

During 2017
Abbasi ministry The Abbasi ministry was formed by Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on 4 August 2017 to begin a new government following the disqualification of former Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif until the end of May 2018 when justice Nasirul Mulk took oath a ...

He had ceased to hold ministerial office in July 2017 when the federal cabinet was disbanded following the resignation 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 ...

after

Panama Papers case The Panama Papers case (officially titled ''Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi v. Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif''), or the Panamagate case, was a landmark decision by the Supreme Court of Pakistan that disqualified incumbent Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz ...

decision. Following the election of

Shahid Khaqan Abbasi Shahid Khaqan Abbasi ( ur, ; born 27 December 1958) is a Pakistani politician and businessman who served as the 21st prime minister of Pakistan from August 2017 to May 2018. Abbasi is the senior vice president of the Pakiatan Muslim League ...

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.

Controversy and scandals

The

National Accountability Bureau The National Accountability Bureau ( ur, ; abbreviated NAB) is an autonomous and constitutionally established federal institution responsible to build efforts against corruption and prepare critical national economic intelligence assessments ...

(NAB) took Asif into its custody on corruption charges after the military takeover but later, he was released.

Dual nationality controversy

In June 2012, a petition admitted by 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 ...

'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 this, the

Federal Investigations Agency The Federal Ministerial Police (in Spanish: ''Policía Federal Ministerial'', PFM) is a Mexican federal agency tasked with fighting corruption and organized crime, through an executive order by President Felipe Calderón. The agency is directe ...

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 leveled the charges withdrew the accusations and issued a formal apology.

Rigging allegations in 2013 elections

Asif's victory was challenged in 2013 elections by

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 ...

(PTI), alleging he had received fake votes. On 10 November 2016

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

dismissed this petition.

Work permit controversy in 2013 elections

On 26 April 2018, he was disqualified from holding a public office for life by the

Islamabad High Court The Islamabad High Court is the senior court of the Islamabad Capital Territory, Pakistan, with appellate jurisdiction over the following district courts: * Islamabad District Court (East) * Islamabad District Court (West) Justice Aamer Far ...

over possessing a UAE work permit. He was unseated by the

Election Commission of Pakistan The Election Commission of Pakistan ( ur, ; ECP) is an independent, autonomous, permanent and constitutionally established federal body responsible for organizing and conducting elections to the national parliament, provincial legislatures, l ...

as Member of the National Assembly. Following this Asif challenged his disqualification in the Supreme Court. In June 2018, the Supreme Court suspended the lifetime disqualification and declared the decision of Islamabad High Court null and void, and allowed Asif to contest elections.

Asset beyond means case

He was arrested on 29 December 2020 by

(NAB) in assets beyond means case. He was released on bail by Lahore High Court on 23 June 2021 in the assets beyond means case.

References

External links

* , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Asif, Khawaja Muhammad Living people 1949 births Members of the Senate of Pakistan Pakistani people of Kashmiri descent Pakistani prisoners and detainees Pakistani bankers Punjabi people Punjab University Law College alumni Alumni of the London School of Economics Pakistan Muslim League (N) MNAs Water and Power Ministers of Pakistan Defence Ministers of Pakistan Politicians from Sialkot Pakistani expatriates in the United Arab Emirates Government College University, Lahore alumni Pakistani MNAs 1993–1996 Pakistani MNAs 1997–1999 Pakistani MNAs 2002–2007 Pakistani MNAs 2008–2013 Pakistani MNAs 2018–2023 Cadet College Hasan Abdal alumni Bank of Credit and Commerce International people