Sardar
Sardar, also spelled as Sardaar/Sirdar ( fa, سردار, , 'commander', literally 'headmaster'), is a title of royalty and nobility that was originally used to denote princes, noblemen, chiefs, kings and other aristocrats. It has also been u ...
Muhammad Abdul Qayyum Khan (also known as ʻAbdul Qayyūm K̲h̲ān,
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 the
prime minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
of
Azad Jammu and Kashmir
Azad Jammu and Kashmir (; ), abbreviated as AJK and colloquially referred to as simply Azad Kashmir, is a region administered by Pakistan as a nominally self-governing entitySee:
*
*
* and constituting the western portion of the larger Ka ...
(AJK). He also remained President of
All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference
The All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference ( ur, آل جموں و کشمیر مسلم کانفرنس) also shortly referred as Muslim Conference (MC) is a major political party in Pakistan administrated territory of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The ...
for over 20 years. He belonged to Dhund-Abbassi Tribe.
Early life and career
Sardar Abdul Qayyum was born on 4 April 1924 in Ghaziabad,
Bagh tehsil
Bagh ( fa, باغ, link=no, meaning "garden") may refer to:
Places India
* Bagh Caves in Madhya Pradesh, India
* Bagh, Dhar, a town in Madhya Pradesh, India
Iran
* Bagh, Ardabil, a village in Ardabil Province
* Bagh, Larestan, a village ...
(
Poonch jagir
Poonch District (or Poonch Jagir) was a district of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, which is currently divided between India and Pakistan. The Pakistani part of the erstwhile district is now the Poonch Division in the Azad Kashmir territ ...
), then part of the princely state of
Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to:
* Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent
* Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory
* Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...
. After completing his secondary education in
Jammu
Jammu is the winter capital of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir. It is the headquarters and the largest city in Jammu district of the union territory. Lying on the banks of the river Tawi Ri ...
He actively participated in the Kashmiri freedom struggle. His title ''Mujahid-e-Awwal'' (the first holy warrior) is based on the belief that he is the person who fired the first shot in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947.
Political career
In 1951, he joined the
All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference
The All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference ( ur, آل جموں و کشمیر مسلم کانفرنس) also shortly referred as Muslim Conference (MC) is a major political party in Pakistan administrated territory of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The ...
. He was elected president of this body a record 14 times during his lifetime.
He was elected as President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) state three times in 1956, 1971 and 1985. "Towards the end of his term, his relations with then prime minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto started turning sour. As a result in 1974, Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan was removed from the office of the president through a vote of no confidence."
He also remained Prime Minister of
Azad Kashmir
Azad Jammu and Kashmir (; ), abbreviated as AJK and colloquially referred to as simply Azad Kashmir, is a region administered by Pakistan as a nominally self-governing entitySee:
*
*
* and constituting the western portion of the larger Ka ...
from 1991 to 1996. In 2002, he was made chairman of the National Kashmir Committee. His son
Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan
Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan is a Pakistani-Kashmiri politician who served as the Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir twice, from 24 July 2006 to 6 January 2009 and from 29 July 2010 to 26 July 2011. He also presides over the All Jammu and Ka ...
also became Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir in 2006 and then again in 2010.
Writer
He is the author of dozens of books on the Kashmir Freedom Struggle ( Kashmir conflict). He also wrote on political, mystic, spiritual and religious topics. Some of the publications include:
*''Kashmir seeks attention''
*''Kashmir problem : options for settlement? : a geopolitical analysis''
*''Kashmīr bane gā Pākistān''.
*''Āzād Kashmīr men̲ Islāmī qavānīn kā nafāz̲'', on the enforcement of Islamic laws in Azad Kashmir during 1971–1975; speeches and articles previously published separately in various journals.
*''Muqaddamah-yi Kashmīr'', a historical study on the Kashmir dispute.
Death and legacy
He died in Rawalpindi on 10 July 2015. The Azad Kashmir government announced a three-day mourning period on his death.