Mushahid Ullah Khan (

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

:) (30 November 1952 – 18 February 2021) was a Pakistani politician who served as Minister for Climate Change, in

Abbasi cabinet Abbasi (, ) may refer to: * Abbasid Caliphate, the third Islamic caliphate after the Prophet in Islam, Prophet Muhammad * Abbasi (currency), gold and silver coins issued by Abbas I of Persia * Abbasi (surname), a Muslim surname, including a list ...

from August 2017 to May 2018. A leader of the

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 ...

, Khan had been a member of the

Senate of Pakistan The Senate of Pakistan, Constitution of Pakistan, constitutionally the House of the Federation, is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Pakistan. As of 2023, It has a maximum membership of 96, of which 92 are elected by the Member of th ...

since March 2018 and previously served as Minister for Climate Change in the third Sharif ministry in 2015. Mushahid died on 18 February 2021 after a prolonged illness.

Early life and education

Khan was born in 1952 in

Rawalpindi Rawalpindi is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, third-largest city in the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is a commercial and industrial hub, being the list of cities in P ...

. His father, a

Pashtun Pashtuns (, , ; ;), also known as Pakhtuns, or Pathans, are an Iranic ethnic group primarily residing in southern and eastern Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan. They were historically also referred to as Afghans until 1964 after the ...

of the

Yusufzai The Yusufzai or Yousafzai (, ), also referred to as the Esapzai (, ), or Yusufzai Afghans historically, are one of the largest tribes of Pashtuns. They are natively based in the northern part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ( Malakand, Dir, Swat, Shangl ...

tribe who worked with the military, settled in Rawalpindi after moving from

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

during the 1947 partition, and Khan grew up with his four brothers and two sisters into a family which has been described by his son

Afnan Ullah Khan Afnan Ullah Khan () is a Pakistani politician who is currently serving as a member of the Senate of Pakistan, elected on a general seat from Punjab, since March 2021. He belongs to Pakistan Muslim League (N). He is the son of a former federal mini ...

as "devoutly religious" and which "adhered to conservative Islamic practices." Khan did his early education at Islamia High School in Rawalpindi and completed graduation at Gordon College in

. He has played professional

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

at first-class level for Rawalpindi during his youth. He received L.L.B. degree from Urdu Law College,

University of Karachi The University of Karachi (; informally Karachi University, KU, or UoK) is a public research university located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Established in June 1951 by an act of Parliament and as a successor to the University of Sindh (which is ...

in 1997.

Political career

Early career in Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba

Because both of his parents were affiliated with the

Jamaat-e-Islami Jamaat-e-Islami is an Islamist fundamentalist movement founded in 1941 in British India by the Islamist author and theorist Syed Abul Ala Maududi, who was inspired by the Muslim Brotherhood. It is considered one of the most influential Isla ...

(JI), his mother being an influential figure in JI Rawalpindi, Khan started his political career with an influential student organization, the

Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba () IJT is the largest student organization in Pakistan. It was founded by 25 students on 23 December 1947 at Lahore, Pakistan. Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba is working in Pakistan to eliminate the non-Islamic elements and secul ...

, being active in student politics and winning several elections of JI. He eventually met

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (5 January 1928 – 4 April 1979) was a Pakistani barrister and politician who served as the fourth president of Pakistan from 1971 to 1973 and later as the ninth Prime Minister of Pakistan, prime minister of Pakistan from 19 ...

in 1968, at the age of 15. He would then start handling public relations for a close aide of Bhutto who spotted him and saw his potential, Chaudhry Zahoor Elahi.

Agitation against the Zia regime

In 1973-74, Khan started working in

Pakistan International Airlines Pakistan International Airlines, commonly known as PIA, is the flag carrier of Pakistan. With its primary hub at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, the airline also operates from its secondary hubs at Allama Iqbal International Airport ...

(PIA) Ground Handling Services and became active in the workers’ union at PIA. When the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979, Khan opposed it, perceiving there the Soviets’ war against Islam. He'd move to

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

with his family in 1982 as PIA's largest airport was found there, but would soon lose his job at the PIA because of his activism against Zia-ul-Haq.

Pakistan Muslim League (N)

He joined

in 1990. In 2009, Khan was elected to the Senate of Pakistan as a candidate of

. In 2015, Khan was re-elected to the Senate of Pakistan as a candidate of

. In January 2015, he was inducted into the cabinet of then Prime Minister of Pakistan

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 chairman of the Benazir Income Support Programme with the status of federal minister. However he did not accept the portfolio. Hence, later he was made Minister for Climate Change. In August 2015, he was forced to resign as the Minister for Climate Change after he, in an interview to the BBC, alleged that Zaheer-ul-Islam wanted to overthrow the civil and military leadership of Pakistan during the 2014 Azadi march. In 2017, following the election of

Shahid Khaqan Abbasi Shahid Khaqan Abbasi (born 27 December 1958) is a Pakistani politician and businessman who served as the 18th prime minister of Pakistan, Prime Minister of Pakistan from August 2017 to May 2018. He also currently leads Awaam Pakistan (AP) as ...

as Prime Minister of Pakistan, he was inducted into the federal cabinet of Abbasi and was appointed Minister for Climate Change for the second time. Upon the dissolution of the National Assembly on the expiration of its term on 31 May 2018, Khan ceased to hold the office as Federal Minister for Climate Change. He had been member of

from March 2009 until his death in February 2021.

Death

He died on 18 February 2021 in

Islamabad Islamabad (; , ; ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's tenth-most populous city with a population of over 1.1 million and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital Territory. Bu ...

Pakistan at the age of 68. He had been bedridden due to his illness.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Mushahid Ullah Pashtun people Pakistani senators (14th Parliament) Pakistan Muslim League (N) politicians Politicians from Punjab, Pakistan Government ministers of Pakistan 1952 births 2021 deaths People from Rawalpindi Government Gordon College alumni