Wikipedia

Omar Ayub Khan

Omar Ayub Khan (Urdu: عمر ایوب خان; born 26 January 1970) is a Pakistani politician who is currently serving as the Leader of the Opposition. He was the last Federal Minister for Economic Affairs under the Prime Ministership of Imran Khan from April 2021 until April 2022.[3] He previously served as Federal Minister for Energy from 11 September 2018 to 16 April 2021. He had been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from August 2018 till January 2023. He is the grandson of the former President of Pakistan, Field Marshal Ayub Khan and the son of Gohar Ayub Khan, who was also a politician. Previously, he served as a member of the National Assembly from 2002 to 2007 and again from 2014 to 2015. He also served as the Minister of State for Finance in the federal cabinet from 2004 to 2007. He has served as Secretary General of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf since he assumed the role on 27 May 2023. He resigned from the position on 4 September 2024 and his resignation was accepted by Imran Khan on 7 September.[4]

Omar Ayub Khan
عمر ایوب خان
12th Leader of the Opposition (Pakistan)
Incumbent
Assumed office
2 April 2024
PresidentAsif Ali Zardari
Prime MinisterShehbaz Sharif
Preceded byRaja Riaz
Federal Minister for Economic Affairs
In office
17 April 2021 – 10 April 2022
PresidentArif Alvi
Prime MinisterImran Khan
Preceded byKhusro Bakhtiar
Federal Minister for Petroleum
In office
18 April 2019 – 17 April 2021
PresidentArif Alvi
Prime MinisterImran Khan
Preceded byGhulam Sarwar Khan
Succeeded byHammad Azhar
Federal Minister for Power
In office
11 September 2018 – 17 April 2021
PresidentArif Alvi
Prime MinisterImran Khan
Preceded byAwais Leghari (Federal Minister)
Abid Sher Ali (State Minister)
Succeeded byHammad Azhar
Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan
Incumbent
Assumed office
29 February 2024
ConstituencyNA-18 Haripur
In office
13 August 2018 – 17 January 2023
ConstituencyNA-17 (Haripur)
In office
January 2014 – June 2015
ConstituencyNA-19 (Haripur)
In office
2002–2007
ConstituencyNA-19 (Haripur)
Personal details
Born (1970-01-26) 26 January 1970 (age 54)[1]
Haripur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Political partyPTI (2018–present)
Other political
affiliations		PMLN (2012–2018)
Pakistan Peoples Muslim League (2009–2012)
PML-Q (2001–2009)
PMLN (1993–2001)
Parent
RelativesAyub Khan (grandfather)[2]
Yousuf Ayub Khan (cousin)
Arshad Ayub Khan (cousin)
Akbar Ayub Khan (cousin)

Early life and education

Khan was born on 26 January 1970[1] to Gohar Ayub Khan, a politician and retired army officer belonging to the Pakistan Muslim League (N). He is the grandson of dictator Ayub Khan, former Commander-in-Chief of Pakistan Army who was a self-appointed President of Pakistan from 1958 to 1969.[5]

He obtained his early education at Army Burn Hall College and completed his high schooling at Aitchison College.[6] In 1989, he moved to the United States for higher studies, and the next year he took a semester off to help his father run the election campaign, which became his introduction to politics.[7] In 1993, he completed his BBA, followed by his MBA in 1996, both from the George Washington University.[1]

Political career

Pakistan Muslim League-Q (till 2012)

He was elected to the National Assembly of Pakistan from Constituency NA-19 (Haripur) as a candidate of Pakistan Muslim League (Q) (PML-Q) in 2002 Pakistani general election. He received 81,496 votes and defeated Pir Sabir Shah.[8] Khan was inducted into the federal cabinet of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and was appointed the Minister of State for Finance[9] where he served from 2004[1] to 2007.[2]

He ran for the seat of the National Assembly from Constituency NA-19 (Haripur) as a candidate of PML (Q) in 2008 Pakistani general election, but was unsuccessful. He received 50,631 votes and lost the seat to Sardar Muhammad Mushtaq Khan.[10]

Pakistan Muslim League-N (2012-2018)

He joined Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N) in 2012.[2] He ran for the seat of the National Assembly from Constituency NA-19 (Haripur) as a candidate of PML (N) in 2013 Pakistani general election, but was unsuccessful. He received 116,308 votes and lost the seat to Raja Aamer Zaman.[11]

He was re-elected to the National Assembly from Constituency NA-19 (Haripur) as a candidate of PML (N) in the by-election held in 2014[2][12] and also served as Chairman Standing Committee on Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs. In 2015, he was unseated as he became ineligible to continue in office as constituency election was invalidated by voting irregularities due to rigging.[13]

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (2018-present)

In February 2018, he joined Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).[2] He was re-elected to the National Assembly from Constituency NA-17 (Haripur) as a candidate of PTI in 2018 Pakistani general election.[14] He received 172,609 votes and defeated Babar Nawaz Khan.[15]

On 11 September 2018, he was inducted into the federal cabinet of Prime Minister Imran Khan[16] and was appointed Federal Minister for Power.[17][18]

On 24 April 2019 after the Prime Minister reshuffled the cabinet team, he was given the additional charge of the Ministry of Petroleum, which was previously held by Ghulam Sarwar Khan.[19]

In mid-April 2021 Prime Minister Imran Khan reshuffled the Cabinet, again transferring Omar Ayub Khan from Minister of Energy to Minister of Economic Affairs.[20]

Khan was reelected to the National Assembly as a PTI-affiliated independent following the party's banning. On 16 February, senior PTI official Asad Qaiser said that Imran Khan had nominated Ayub Khan as the party's nominee for prime minister, despite him being in hiding over charges relating to the May 9 riots in 2023.[21]

Omar Ayub Khan was a key member in organizing the Imran Khan-led 2022 Long March, a protest against the PML(N) government and the military establishment’s role in politics, in the long march he was severely wounded and bruised by police.[7]

Leader of the Opposition

Ayub played a leadership role in the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) following Imran Khan’s removal from office. Ayub was given a high leadership role in the upcoming 2024 Pakistani elections, in which he served as the PTI-Independents candidate for prime minister, campaign head and Secretary-General.[7][22] Omar Ayub participated by holding press conferences and taking a party leadership role alongside Gohar Ali Khan. Ayub is a key advocate for Imran Khan and claims that the 2024 elections were rigged. Following the 2024 elections which Omar Ayub and the PTI alleged were rigged, Ayub was elected as 12th Leader of Opposition by PTI-SIC parliamentarians.[23][24] As Leader of the Opposition, he has furthered the claims that the elections were rigged, as well as delivered pro-Imran Khan and anti-Military establishment in politics speeches inside the National Assembly of Pakistan.[25][26][27]

On 27 June 2024,[a] Ayub announced his resignation as Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's chairman of the central finance board and party secretary general, announcing on Twitter that his resignation letter addressed to Imran Khan and Gohar Ali Khan had been accepted. He remarked that he would continue as opposition leader in the NA and as a party worker, citing as opposition leader he was not able to fulfil the role of party general secretary, calling for another appointment in his place.[29][30] The resignation came amidst reports of 27 PTI-backed Sunni Ittehad MNAs resigning from the National Assembly in protest against party leadership and criticism from other party leaders including Sher Afzal Marwat, Shahryar Afridi, Shandana Gulzar and ex-PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry. According to reports, 21 of these MNAs displayed their intention to establish a "forward bloc" due to party leaderships failure to release Imran Khan from jail.[30][31][32][33] The next day on June 28, a PTI parliamentary party meeting resolution called for rejecting Omar Ayub's resignation supporting Ayub's running of the party during "testing times" and "unanimously" expressing confidence in him. The party meeting was attended by Gohar Ali Khan, Omar Ayub Khan, Asad Gohar, Ali Muhammad Khan and others.[34][33] On 4 September 2024, Ayub tendered his resignation for the second time as the party’s secretary general, which according to him was accepted by PTI founder Imran Khan.[4]

On 21 October 2024, he argued against the Twenty-sixth Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan, which he said would undermine the independence of the Judiciary. He further claimed the legislation would “slaughter democracy”. He added that “Our [PTI’s] members Mubarak Zeb Khan, Zahoor Hussain Qureshi, Aurangzeb Khan Khichi, Riaz Fatyana, Zain Qureshi and Adil Khan Bazai were harassed and intimidated”.[35]

Publications

References

  1. ^ The resignation papers shown by Omar Ayub Khan were dated on 22 June 2024.[28]
  1. ^ a b c d "Educational background of state ministers". DAWN.COM. 6 September 2004. Archived from the original on 10 August 2017. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Former finance minister Omar Ayub Khan joins PTI - The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 17 February 2018. Archived from the original on 17 February 2018. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
  3. ^ Pakistan Daily Times:April 17, 2021: Imran appoints new team to fix economy
  4. ^ a b Momand, Abdullah (7 September 2024). "Omar Ayub says Imran has accepted his resignation as PTI secretary general". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  5. ^ "What has history taught Pakistan about treason trials and traitors?". www.geo.tv. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  6. ^ "Profile of Omar Ayub Khan" (PDF). Ministry of Economic Affairs. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  7. ^ a b c Hussain, Abid. "Army brat to 'anti-establishment' face: Who is Pakistan's Omar Ayub Khan?". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  8. ^ "2002 election result" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 January 2018. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
  9. ^ "Four more ministers to be inducted into federal cabinet | The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 8 September 2018. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  10. ^ "2008 election result" (PDF). ECP. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 January 2018. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
  11. ^ "2013 election result" (PDF). ECP. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 February 2018. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
  12. ^ Newspaper, the (30 January 2014). "PML-N wins NA seat in Haripur". DAWN.COM. Archived from the original on 19 September 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  13. ^ Reporter, The Newspaper's Staff (20 June 2015). "SC unseats PML-N's Omar Ayub". Archived from the original on 23 June 2015. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  14. ^ "Highest number of votes cast in Hafizabad during General Election 2018". Geo News. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  15. ^ "NA-17 Result - Election Results 2018 - Haripur - NA-17 Candidates - NA-17 Constituency Details". www.thenews.com.pk. The News. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  16. ^ "PM Imran's cabinet expanded by six | The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 11 September 2018. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
  17. ^ Reporter, The Newspaper's Staff (13 September 2018). "State ministers for revenue, frontier regions notified". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  18. ^ "Govt announces portfolios of new ministers". www.pakistantoday.com.pk. 13 September 2018. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  19. ^ "Omar Ayub given additional charge of petroleum minister". The Express Tribune. 6 May 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  20. ^ https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/pakistan/pakistan-cabinet-reshuffle-shaukat-tarin-fourth-finance-minister-in-two-years-1.78544471 ·Gulf News: World/Asia/Pakistan/: April 16th, 2021: Pakistan cabinet reshuffle Shaukat Tarin fourth finance minister in two years
  21. ^ "Pakistan: Imran Khan picks Omar Ayub as PM nominee". BBC. 16 February 2024. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  22. ^ "Who Is Omar Ayub Khan, the Man Imran Khan Wants to Lead Pakistan?". TIME. 16 February 2024. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  23. ^ "Omar Ayub Of Imran Khan's Party Named Leader Of Opposition In Pakistan National Assembly". NDTV.com. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  24. ^ Reporter, The Newspaper's Staff (10 March 2024). "PTI-SIC names Omar Ayub as NA leader of opposition". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  25. ^ "The 'generals' elections' in Pakistan that turned against the military". France 24. 9 February 2024. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  26. ^ Ellis-Petersen, Hannah; Baloch, Shah Meer (12 February 2024). "Protests take place across Pakistan amid election vote-rigging allegations". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  27. ^ "PTV Censorship Sparks Outcry in National Assembly: Omar Ayub Khan Speech Interrupted | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)". www.pakistanpressfoundation.org. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  28. ^ "پی ٹی آئی کے جنرل سیکریٹری عمر ایوب نے عہدے سے استعفیٰ دے دیا". jang.com.pk. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  29. ^ "Omar Ayub resigns as PTI secretary general". Brecorder. 27 June 2024. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  30. ^ a b Junaidi, Ikram (28 June 2024). "Omar Ayub resigns as PTI's secretary general". DAWN. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
  31. ^ "Omar Ayub Resigns As PTI Secretary General". The Friday Times. 28 June 2024. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
  32. ^ "Rifts in PTI as '21 lawmakers hint at forming forward bloc'". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
  33. ^ a b Raza, Syed Irfan (29 June 2024). "PTI's top brass backs Ayub to continue as secretary general". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 29 June 2024.
  34. ^ Qadir, Abdul (28 June 2024). "PTI parliamentary party rejects Omar Ayub's resignation". ARY NEWS. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
  35. ^ "Constitutional bill to undermine independence of judiciary: Omar Ayub". Dunya News. 21 October 2024. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
  36. ^ "Roles and Responsibilities of MNAs". Pildat. Archived from the original on 20 March 2024.
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