Asfandyar Wali Khan

Infobox Politician (general)
name=Asfandyar Wali Khan اسفند یار ولی خان

220x220px|center_
image_width=
title= President Awami National Party
term_start=1999
term_end=
term_start1=
term_end=
term_start1=2003
term_end=2002
predecessor= Ajmal Khattak
successor= Eshan Wyne
predecessor2= Eshan Wyne
birth_date= 19 february 1949
birth_place=Charsadda, North-West Frontier Province
party= Awami National Party
residence= Walibagh, Charsadda, North-West Frontier Province
spouse=
profession=
religion= Islam
footnotes= [http://senate.gov.pk/ShowMemberDetail.asp?MemberCode=105&CatCode=6&CatName=Senate+Tenure+(+2003+-+2006) Parliament Pakistan]

Asfandyar Wali Khan (also spelled Asfandiyar Wali Khan) (Urdu: اسفند یار ولی خان ) (b. 19 February 1949) is the President of the Awami National Party in Pakistan. A Pakhtun patriot, he is an opponent of the Taliban and proponent of provincial rights in Pakistan.

His father, Khan Abdul Wali Khan, was the party’s first President. He is the grandson of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, better known as "Badshah Khan ["King of Khans". Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan was the founder of the non-violent Pashtun political movement, Khudai Khidmatgar ("Servants of God") in undivided India and a follower of Mahatma Gandhi. Asfandyar's uncle Dr. Khan Sahib was the Congress Party's Chief Minister of the Northwest Frontier Province, during the waning days of the British Raj, and also the Chief Minister of the province during the early days of independent Pakistan. Asfandyar is the present President of the Awami National Party and has served as Member of Provincial Assembly, Member of National Assembly and presently Senator in Pakistan's Parliament.

Personal background

Asfandyar Wali Khan was born in Charsadda, a small village outside of Peshawar, Northwest Frontier Province, Pakistan. He is the eldest son of Khan Abdul Wali Khan and his first wife Taj Bibi. After the death of his mother in February 1949 his father remarried, to Nasim Wali Khan in 1954. Sangeen Wali Khan was his step-brother and eldest son of Nasim Wali Khan.

Education

Asfandyar Wali Khan completed his early education from Aitchison College, Lahore and his BA from University of Peshawar. [ [http://www.http://awaminationalparty.org/news/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12&Itemid=1 Awami National Party website] ] .

Political career

Asfandyar Wali Khan joined the opposition to Ayub Khan as a student activist. In 1975, he was imprisoned and tortured [ [http://fiverupees.blogspot.com/2008/03/hayat-khan-sherpao-murder.html Hayat Sherpao Khan the murder] Retrieved March 28 2008] by the government of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and convicted as part of the Hyderabad tribunal for 15 years. [Cowasjee, Ardeshir (21 June 1997) Murtaza's murder. "The Dawn". The DAWN Group. Available online at [http://www.lib.virginia.edu/area-studies/SouthAsia/SAserials/Dawn/1997/21Jun97.html#murt] . Also see Cowasjee (25 April 1996) Old Hat. "The Dawn". The DAWN group [http://www.lib.virginia.edu/area-studies/SouthAsia/SAserials/Dawn/1996/25Ap96.html#oldh] ] Released in 1978, he stayed away from electoral politics till 1990.

Asfandyar Wali Khan served as leader of the Pakhtun Student Federation prior to being elected to the provincial Assembly in the 1990 election, while in the 1993 election he was elected to Pakistan's National Assembly. A seat to which he was re-elected to the National Assembly in the 1997 election and served as Parliamentry leader of the ANP and Chairman of the standing committee on inter-provincial co-ordination.

In 1999, he was elected party president for the first time. He was defeated in the 2002 election, in what was a repeat of his father's defeat in 1990, when a tactical alliance was formed by all the anti-ANP groups against him. After his defeat he resigned as President of his party, only to be re-elected unopposed in the subsequent party election. In 2003 he was elected to the Senate as Senator for a 6 year term. He was re-elected to the National Assembly in the parliamentary elections that was held on February 2008, leading his party to power both provincially and nationally, the former for the first time since 1947 and the latter since 1997. [ [http://www.khyber.org/articles/2005/AsfandyarFacingOppositionwithi.shtml Asfandyar facing opposition from family] ]

In 2008 it was alleged in leading English daily newspaper Dawn (newspaper) that Asfandyar Wali Khan made a secret visit to the United States in which he made high level contacts with the U.S state department [US silent on visit of Asfandyar [http://www.dawn.com/2008/05/10/nat4.htm] ] . In september 2008, he was elected as Chairman of the standing committee on foreign Affairs. [ [http://www.app.com.pk/en_/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=53020&Itemid=2 Asfandyar Wali elected Chairman Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs ] APP, Retrived 9-17-08]

Opposition to Taliban

He has been a critic of Pakistani intelligence agencies' support for the Taliban [ [http://www.newsline.com.pk/NewsMar2004/cover4mar2004.htm Interview with Asfandyar Wali Khan] Retrieved on 9th june 2008] as well as both the presence of foreign fighters in the tribal areas and of US strikes within the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. He has supported dialogue with local tribesmen through the tribal institution of jirga while opposing any dialogue with Arab, Uzbek and other militants. He also has been targetted for assassination by extremists. [ [http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=134251 Bulletproof jeeps provided to top leaders] THE NEWS Saturday, September 06, 2008. Retrieved september 6th 2008]

On 3rd October 2008, he was targetted by a suicide bomber who attempted to kill him while he was greeting guests during Eid ul-Fitr. [ [http://www.dawn.com/2008/10/04/top1.htm Asfandyar unfazed after suicide attack] DAWN October 04, 2008 . Retrieved October 4 2008]

See also

* Khan Abdul Bahram Khan‎
* Dr. Khan Sahib
* Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan
* Khan Abdul Ghani Khan
* Khan Abdul Wali Khan
* Nasim Wali Khan
* Sangeen Wali Khan
* Bahram Khan Family

References

External links

* [http://www.anp.org.pk Awami National Party]
* [http://www.awaminationalparty.org Awami National Party]
* [http://www.bachakhan.com Khan Abdul-Ghaffar Khan/Badshah Khan, Wali Khan, ANP]
* [http://www.newsline.com.pk/NewsMar2004/cover4mar2004.htm Interview with Asfandyar Wali Khan]
* [http://www.jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?articleid=2370243 Asfandyar Wali: Profile of Pakistan's Progressive Pashtun Politician By Hassan Abbas]