Mehtab Abbasi

Sardar
Mehtab Abbasi
27th Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
In office
15 April 2014[1] – 8 February 2016
PresidentMamnoon Hussain
Prime MinisterNawaz Sharif
Preceded byShaukatullah Khan
Succeeded byIqbal Zafar Jhagra
Minister of Railways
In office
2008–2008
Prime MinisterYusuf Raza Gilani
ConstituencyN.A-17 Abbottabad-1
Member of the Senate of Pakistan
In office
2003–2008
Prime MinisterMir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, Shaukat Aziz
Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
In office
21 February 1997 – 12 October 1999
PresidentMuhammad Rafiq Tarar
Prime MinisterNawaz Sharif
GovernorMiangul Aurangzeb
Preceded byRaja Sikander Zaman
Succeeded byAkram Khan Durrani
Personal details
Born
Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan Abbasi

(1953-01-13) 13 January 1953 (age 71)
Malkot, NWFP, Pakistan
Political partyAP (2024-present)[2]
Other political
affiliations		PMLN (1993-2023)
RelationsSardar Fareed Ahmed Khan Abbasi (cousin)
ChildrenSardar Shamoon Yar Khan (son)
Alma materGovernment High School, Murree
Sir Sayyad College, Rawalpindi
OccupationPolitician
ProfessionLawyer

Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan Abbasi (Urdu/Hindko: سردار مہتاب احمد خان عباسی; born 13 January 1953) is a Pakistani politician from Abbottabad who began his political career as an independent candidate in the 1985 election. He won seats in both the provincial and national assembly. He also won all subsequent elections up to that of 2013.

Sardar Mehtab served as Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan from 2014 to 2016, Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from 1997 to 1999, and Federal Minister for Railways in 2008.[3] He is politically affiliated with the Pakistan Muslim League (N). He served as a senator for five years beginning in March 2003, until he won the NA-17 Abbottabad-I seat for the National Assembly of Pakistan in the 2008 general election.

Early life and education

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Born into an Hindko-speaking family in Malkot, a village in the Abbottabad District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sardar Mehtab passed matriculation from Govt High School Murree and graduated from the Sir Syed School in Rawalpindi. He then did his LLB and practiced law in Rawalpindi. Abandoning law, he joined his father Sardar Muhammad Nawaz Khan's clothing business in Saddar, Rawalpindi. His uncle Sardar Sarfaraz Khan has also been a politician and encouraged his nephew Sardar Mehtab to get into politics as well.[4]

His cousin and brother-in-law Sardar Fareed Ahmed Khan Abbasi is also a politician.[5]

His son Sardar Shamoon Yar Khan has been an MPA.[6] Sardar Sheharyar Khan Sardar Ahmedyar

Political career

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Provincial Minister for Law

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Sardar Mehtab was elected to a provincial seat after winning the 1986 general election. He served as Provincial Minister for Law and Political Affairs from 1986 until 1988, when another general election was called.[7]

Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas (1990–1993)

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In 1990, Sardar Mehtab was elected to the National Assembly, for which he abandoned his provincial seat. He was subsequently appointed Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas. He held the post until 1993 when the General Assembly was dissolved and new elections were called.[8]

As Chief Minister of KPK (1997–1999)

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Abbasi became the 16th Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on 21 February 1997, taking over from Raja Sikander Zaman; he served until 12 October 1999.[9]

During his tenure as Chief Minister, Abbasi approved the Chief Minister Development Plan prepared by Professor Subhan Qureshi, which was later updated to Dairy Science Park through two international workshops held at the University of Agriculture, Peshawar in 2011 and 2013 respectively.[10][11][12] The Park has given birth to the Peshawar Meat Company,[13][14] which is to be implemented jointly by the University of Agriculture, Peshawar, the Department of Local Government and Rural Development, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority, and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Board of Investment and Trade.[15][16]

Post-CM political career

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Abbasi could not contest the general elections in 2002 for the National Assembly and had to settle for being a senator from March 2003 – March 2008.

As senator (2003–2008)

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Abbasi was among the few politicians who remained in Pakistan. He was an integral part of the party during the exile of Nawaz Sharif and was elected to the Senate of Pakistan in 2003 holding this office until the 2008 general elections.

Member of National Assembly (2008–2013)

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In the 2008 general elections, Mehtab Ahmed Khan won the NA-17 Abbottabad seat.[17] He also won the PF-45 provincial assembly seat and had to vacate both the Senate and the Provincial Assembly seats after the victory since a parliamentarian in Pakistan can only keep one seat. His son Shamoon Yar Khan won this seat. He was elected as the federal Minister for Railways on 31 March 2008 in the initial coalition between the PPP and PML(N) after the elections. However, he, along with the other PML(N) ministers, resigned less than two months later after differences regarding the restoration of the judges who were removed during the 2007 Pakistani state of emergency.[18]

In the 2013 general elections, Mehtab Ahmad Khan lost to his political rival for a seat in the national assembly.

Post 2013 elections

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Abbasi was elected as the Opposition Leader in the Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on 3 June 2013; he retained the position until 9 April 2014 when he resigned to take the oath as the governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

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The President of Pakistan, Mamnoon Hussain, on the advice of then Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, appointed Abbasi as Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Abbasi took the oath of office on 15 April 2014 in Peshawar.[1] On 8 February 2016, Abbasi resigned as Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.[19]

Head of Aviation Affairs

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After resigning as the Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and a year-long hiatus, Abbasi took up the role of aviation advisor to the prime minister on 14 February 2017.[20] Abbasi took this position to improve the loss-making Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and turn around its operations.[21] In this short time, he has made big changes in the PIA, whereby the CEO and CCO were replaced. Furthermore, improvements have been made in aircraft surveillance to curb drug trafficking, which was rampant in the past. The New Islamabad Airport was also completed under his supervision.[22]

Leaving PML-N

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He left the PML(N) on 15 December 2023.[23] On 20 January 2024, his party membership was officially terminated after he announced his support for Ali Khan Jadoon, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-backedindependent candidate, in the 2024 Pakistani general election for NA-17 Abbottabad-II.[24]

References

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  1. ^ a b Fida, Nauman. "Sardar Mehtab Abbasi takes oath as new KPK governor". Thenewstribe. Archived from the original on 20 April 2014. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
  2. ^ Ayub, Imran; Rehman, Atika (21 June 2024). "Miftah Ismail, Khaqan Abbasi launch 'Awaam Pakistan' party". DAWN.COM. Archived from the original on 22 June 2024. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
  3. ^ Sajjad Malik, "24-member federal cabinet takes oath" Archived 2012-07-28 at archive.today Daily Times, 1 April 2008
  4. ^ "About Me". 25 March 2010. Archived from the original on 19 July 2023.
  5. ^ Sadaqat, Muhammad (3 June 2014). "Abbottabad voters to choose between 'change' and 'dynasty'". The Express Tribune. Archived from the original on 4 July 2024. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
  6. ^ "PML-N Abbottabad leaders bury hatchet". Dawn News. 1 March 2022. Archived from the original on 19 July 2023. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
  7. ^ "Mr. Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan". pakp.gov.pk. Archived from the original on 23 June 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  8. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 26 September 2017. Retrieved 26 September 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. ^ 'Five in the run for presidency' The News [dead link]
  10. ^ "Dean Faculty of Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Sciences: Prof. Dr. Muhammad Subhan Qureshi". The University of Agriculture, Peshawar. Archived from the original on 16 March 2015. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  11. ^ "International Workshop on Dairy Science Park". The University of Agriculture, Peshawar. 21 November 2011. Archived from the original on 7 June 2015. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
  12. ^ "Second International Workshop on Dairy Science Park". The University of Agriculture, Peshawar. 18 November 2013. Archived from the original on 29 January 2015. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
  13. ^ "Minister for Local Government KP briefed on Peshawar Meat Company". The University of Agriculture, Peshawar. Archived from the original on 30 January 2015. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
  14. ^ "Minister briefed on establishment of Peshawar Meat Company". Business Recorder. 28 March 2014. Archived from the original on 29 January 2015. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
  15. ^ "Dairy Science Park". The University of Agriculture, Peshawar. Archived from the original on 22 March 2015. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
  16. ^ "Dairy Science Park–Display Center". Archived from the original on 29 January 2015. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
  17. ^ "Detail Result of Constituency "NA-17"". Archived from the original on 21 July 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  18. ^ "PML-N ministers resign, PM holds decision till Zardari's return". 13 May 2008. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015.
  19. ^ "KP Governor Sardar Mehtab Abbasi resigns". The News International. 8 February 2016. Archived from the original on 8 February 2016. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  20. ^ Salman Siddiqui (14 February 2017). "Mehtab Abbasi appointed aviation adviser". The Express Tribune. Archived from the original on 11 September 2017. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  21. ^ Bureau Report (24 August 2017). "Sardar Mahtab dissatisfied with renovation work pace at airport". The News. Archived from the original on 11 September 2017. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  22. ^ "New airport to be operational in April: Mehtab Abbasi | Pakistan Today". www.pakistantoday.com.pk. Archived from the original on 8 November 2019. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  23. ^ "Sardar Mehtab Abbasi parts ways with PML-N". ARY NEWS. 15 December 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  24. ^ Naqvi, Abbas (20 January 2024). "PML-N expels Sardar Mehtab Abbasi for violating party discipline". SAMAA News. Archived from the original on 20 January 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
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Political offices
Preceded by Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
1997–1999 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
15 April 2014 – 8 February 2016 		Succeeded by
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