Amir Muqam is a

Pakistani Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. As much as ...

politician who is serving as the Federal Minister for Kashmir affairs and Gilgit Baltistan along with States and frontier regions in second

Shehbaz Sharif Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif (born 23 September 1951) is a Pakistani politician and businessman who has served as the 20th Prime Minister of Pakistan, prime minister of Pakistan since March 2024, having previously been in the role between Ap ...

cabinet. He is affiliated with PML(N) and serving as its Provincial President in

Khyber pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ; , ; abbr. KP or KPK), formerly known as the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Northern Pakistan, northwestern region of the country, Khyber ...

. He was a close aide to former military dictator

Pervez Musharraf Pervez Musharraf (11 August 1943 – 5 February 2023) was a Pakistani general and politician who served as the tenth president of Pakistan from 2001 to 2008. Prior to his career in politics, he was a four-star general and appointed as ...

. He previously served as advisor to the prime minister on political affairs in the Third Nawaz Sharif ministry and Abbasi government. He is also a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan. Previously, he was a member of the National Assembly from 2002 to 2007 and again from 2008 to 2013. Muqam has been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan since February 29, 2024. Subsequently, on March 11, 2024, he assumed office as a federal minister in the

cabinet, overseeing the ministries of States and Frontier Regions, along with National Heritage and Culture.

Early life

Amir Muqam was born at village Chagum Puran Tehsil in Shangla town,

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ; , ; abbr. KP or KPK), formerly known as the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), is a province of Pakistan. Located in the northwestern region of the country, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the fourth largest province of Paki ...

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

, on 25 July 1963 into a Pakhtoon family. After matriculating from a local high school, Muqam enrolled at the University of Engineering and Technology in

Peshawar Peshawar is the capital and List of cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by population, largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is the sixth most populous city of Pakistan, with a district p ...

in 1983 to study engineering. In 1988, Muqam graduated from UET Peshawar with BSc in

Mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines and mechanism (engineering), mechanisms that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and engineering mathematics, mathematics principl ...

. His brother Ibadullah Khan is also politician in

Pakistan Muslim League (N) The Pakistan Muslim League (N) or (PML(N)) is a Centre-right politics, centre-right, Conservatism in Pakistan, conservative political party in Pakistan. It is currently the third-largest party in the Senate of Pakistan, Senate and the larges ...

(PML-N).

Political career

In 1998, Muqam was elected as

general secretary Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, Power (social and political), power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the org ...

of the Cantonments Association till he remained until 2001. In 2001, Muqam was elected unopposed as ''

Nazim Subahdar, also known as Nazim, was one of the designations of a governor of a Subah (province), Subah (province) during the Khalji dynasty of Bengal, Mamluk dynasty (Delhi), Mamluk dynasty, Khalji dynasty, Tughlaq dynasty, and the Mughal era who ...

'' of Bengali Chagum Union Council after participating in

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...

elections. Amir Muqam won the

2002 Pakistani general election General elections were held in Pakistan on 10 October 2002 to elect the 12th National Assembly and four Provincial Assemblies. The elections were held under the military government of Pervez Musharraf. The two mainstream parties, Pakistan ...

on the ticket of Muttahida Majlis Amal from NA-31 constituency. However, after winning elections Muqam defected to PML(Q) to support Gen. Pervez Musharraf. During

tenure he enjoyed close ties with him, Pervez Musharraf called him his brother and gifted him a personal Glock pistol. Muqam was made

Minister of State Minister of state is a designation for a government minister, with varying meanings in different jurisdictions. In a number of European countries, the title is given as an honorific conferring a higher rank, often bestowed upon senior minister ...

for Water and Power and Political Affairs. Muqam won the

general elections A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. General elections ...

from NA 38 Shangla on PML(Q) ticket. He obtained 25,960 against his opponent Safeer Khan from ANP. Before the

2013 Pakistani general election General elections were held in Pakistan on Saturday 11 May 2013 to elect the members of the List of members of the 14th National Assembly of Pakistan, 14th National Assembly of Pakistan, National Assembly and the four Subdivisions of Pakistan, Pr ...

he left PML(Q) on reportedly some difference with Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain Muqam announced to join the PML(N) after holding a meeting with

Nawaz Sharif Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif (born 25 December 1949) is a Pakistani politician and businessman who served as the 12th Prime Minister of Pakistan, prime minister of Pakistan for three non-consecutive terms, first serving from 1990 to 1993, then ...

and was appointed Senior vice President of the party. Amir Muqam contested from NA-30 (Swat-II) in the

, however, he lost the seat from Salim Rehman of

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is a political party in Pakistan established in 1996 by cricketer and politician Imran Khan, who served as the country's prime minister from 2018 to 2022. The party is led by Gohar Ali Khan since late 2023. ...

. In the

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

Muqam contested two national assembly and two provisional assembly seats, however, he lost all fours seats. From NA-2 (Swat-I) he got 41125 votes and stood second, from NA-29 (Peshawar-III) he stood fifth and obtained just 10569 votes. He also lost two provisional seats PK-2 (Swat) and PK 4 (Swat 3).

Electoral history

2002

Amir Muqam contested the elections on

MMA Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

ticket however, after winning the election he defected to General Pervaiz Musharraf's PML(Q).

2008

Muqam contested

2008 Pakistani general election General elections were held in Pakistan on 18 February 2008 to elect members of the 13th National Assembly and the four Provincial Assemblies. On 3 November 2007 President Pervez Musharraf enacted a state of emergency; elections were initia ...

on PML(Q)'s ticket and won from NA-31 (Shangla). However, later he developed a difference with Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and joined PML(N).

2013

Amir Muqam Contested 2013 from NA-30 (Swat-II) however, he lost the seat from Salim Rehman of

2018

In 2018, Amir Muqam contested two provisional seats NA-29 (Peshawar-III) and NA-2 (Swat-I). He finished fourth in NA-29 (Peshawar-III) and second in NA-2 (Swat-I). He also contested two provisional seats PK-2 (Swat) and PK 4 (Swat 3) and lost both.

Controversies and Scandals

The

National Accountability Bureau The National Accountability Bureau (; abbreviated NAB) is Pakistan's anti-corruption agency. Its chairman is Nazir Ahmed Butt, a retired general. History The Ehtesab Act, 1997 established an Ehtesab Cell, charged with the investigation and pr ...

summoned Muqam in assets beyond his known sources cases multiple times. A new reference was filed against Amir Muqam in 2021. Amir Muqam's son was arrested over corruption charges in the construction of Alpari Road in KP's Shangla district by the

Federal Investigation Agency The Federal Investigation Agency (; reporting name: FIA) is a border control, criminal investigation, counter-intelligence and security agency under the control of the Interior Secretary of Pakistan, tasked with investigative jurisdiction on u ...

, the project was assigned during the

tenure on the recommendation of Ameer Muqam.

References

External links

Shangla

Puran
{{DEFAULTSORT:Muqam, Amir 1963 births Living people Pakistani Muslims Pashtun politicians People from Shangla District People from Swat District University of Engineering & Technology, Peshawar alumni Pakistan Muslim League (N) politicians Pakistani MNAs 2002–2007 Pakistani MNAs 2008–2013 Pakistan Muslim League (Q) MNAs Pakistani MNAs 2024–2029