Farooq Ahmad Khan Leghari (; 29 May 194020 October 2010) was 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 served as the eighth

president of Pakistan The president of Pakistan () is the head of state of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The president is the nominal head of the executive and the supreme commander of the Pakistan Armed Forces.

from 14 November 1993 until resigning on 2 December 1997. He was the first Baloch to be elected as

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

. Born into a Baloch tribal and influential feudal family, Leghari was educated at

Aitchison College Aitchison College is an elite private, boarding school, boarding Junior School, Secondary School for boys in Lahore, Pakistan. It has educated Prime Minister of Pakistan, prime ministers, including Imran Khan, Feroz Khan Noon, president of Pakist ...

, the

Forman Christian College Forman Christian College is a private nonprofit Liberal arts college, liberal arts Universities in Pakistan, university in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It was founded in 1864 and is administered by the Presbyterian Church (USA), Presbyterian Church ...

in Pakistan, and

St Catherine's College, Oxford St Catherine's College (colloquially called St Catz or Catz) is one of the Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford. In 1974, it was also one of the first men's colleges to admit women. It has 528 un ...

in United Kingdom. Upon return from the UK, he sat for the Civil Services Exam in 1964 and started his career as a

civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil service personnel hired rather than elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership. A civil service offic ...

, remained commissioner sargodha division, prior to getting in to

politics Politics () is the set of activities that are associated with decision-making, making decisions in social group, groups, or other forms of power (social and political), power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of Social sta ...

in 1973 and tenured as

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

representing the

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

on the

Pakistan Peoples Party The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is a political party in Pakistan and one of the three major List of political parties in Pakistan, Pakistani political parties alongside the Pakistan Muslim League (N) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. With a Cent ...

(PPP) platform from 1975 to 1977. He contested the 1977 he won the National Assembly Elections on Pakistan People's Party ticket and was appointed Minister for Industries. In 1980s, he led

demonstrations Demonstration may refer to: * Demonstration (acting), part of the Brechtian approach to acting * Demonstration (military), an attack or show of force on a front where a decision is not sought * Protest, a public act of objection, disapproval or d ...

aimed against President

Zia-ul-Haq Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq (12 August 192417 August 1988) was a Pakistani military officer and statesman who served as the sixth president of Pakistan from 1978 until his death in an airplane crash in 1988. He also served as the second chief of ...

administration Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal: the process of dealing with or controlling things or people. ** Administrative assistant, traditionally known as a se ...

and successfully ran in

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 ...

held in 1988. From 1990 to 1993, he worked under

Benazir Bhutto Benazir Bhutto (21 June 1953 – 27 December 2007) was a Pakistani politician who served as the 11th prime minister of Pakistan from 1988 to 1990, and again from 1993 to 1996. She was also the first woman elected to head a democratic governmen ...

as her deputy

Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the Opposition (parliamentary), largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the ...

and participated in the

1993 Pakistani general elections General elections were held in Pakistan on 6 October 1993 to elect the members of National Assembly. The elections took place after both the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and President Ghulam Ishaq Khan resigned to resolve a power struggle. Prior ...

. His credentials and reputation eventually led him to secure a nomination for the

presidency A presidency is an administration or the executive, the collective administrative and governmental entity that exists around an office of president of a state or nation. Although often the executive branch of government, and often personified b ...

by Prime Minister

and was elected as

in 1993. However, he began receiving criticism over the controversial appointments of Senior Justices of the

Supreme Court of Pakistan The Supreme Court of Pakistan (; ''Adālat-e-Uzma Pākistān'') is the apex court in the Judiciary of Pakistan, judicial hierarchy of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Established in accordance witPart VIIof the Constitution of Pakistan, it h ...

and was implicated in Mehran Bank scandal. Differences began to emerge with Prime Minister

on policy issues in 1995 and he surprisingly dismissed his leader's government in 1996. His political ambitions later clashed with Prime Minister

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 his intervention to retain

Justice In its broadest sense, justice is the idea that individuals should be treated fairly. According to the ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'', the most plausible candidate for a core definition comes from the ''Institutes (Justinian), Inst ...

Sajjad Ali Shah as Chief Justice finally led to his resignation in 1997. He remained active in politics starting his own Political Party "Millat Party" which was party of the "National Alliance" in the 2002 General Elections, the party merged into the

PML(Q) The Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid e Azam Group) ; ''Pākistān Muslim Līg (Qāf)'', Acronyms: PML(Q), PML-Q, PMLQ, "Q League" (officially registered as the Pakistan Muslim League) is a political party in Pakistan. As of the 2024 parliamentary e ...

in 2004. He returned to the National Assembly in 2008 Elections. Leghari died from a long-term heart illness at the

Combined Military Hospital Combined Military Hospitals (, abbreviated as CMH) are Pakistan Armed Forces hospitals situated in various cantonments of Pakistan. History During the British Raj, the British Indian Army troops depended for their medical treatment entirely o ...

in Rawalpindi on 20 October 2010.

Biography

Farooq Leghari was born on 2 May 1940 in Choti Zareen, a village located in

Dera Ghazi Khan District Dera Ghazi Khan (, Punjabi language, Punjabi: ) is a Districts of Pakistan, district in Punjab, Pakistan. Its administrative capital is Dera Ghazi Khan. The district lies to the west of the Indus River. The Sulaiman Mountains rise to a height ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

. The

prefix A prefix is an affix which is placed before the stem of a word. Particularly in the study of languages, a prefix is also called a preformative, because it alters the form of the word to which it is affixed. Prefixes, like other affixes, can b ...

Sardar Sardar, also spelled as Sardaar (, , 'commander', literally 'headmaster'), is a title of royal family, royalty and nobility that was originally used to denote princes, noblemen, chiefs, kings and other Aristocracy (class), aristocrats. It ha ...

'', a title of nobility, added before his name that indicated the ''

Tumandar Tumandar () is a title given to leaders of tribes among the Baloch and Pashtoon in Pakistan. As defined in the Gazette of Pakistan, a "Tumandar" or "Sardar" who is accepted as the leader of a tribe, under any custom or usage or otherwise coul ...

'' (Chief) of his

Leghari Tribe The Leghari, Lighari or Laghari () is a Baloch people, Baloch tribe. The Leghari tribe mainly resides in Pakistan. The Sardar of Laghari tribe is Sardar Ghulam Mustafa khan Laghari. They mostly speak Saraiki language, Saraiki or Balochi language, B ...

. Leghari's family was a

Baloch of Punjab The Balochs of Punjab (; Saraiki, ) are a community of Saraiki and Punjabi-speaking tribes of either full or partial Baloch descent settled in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The majority of which live in southern Punjab, including Dera G ...

and known for its wealth. Many of its members served as hereditary chiefs, and the family has remained active in politics since the

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

. His mother was a Pashtun from Mardan district; one of his sisters married the son of the

Nawab of Kalabagh Nawab of Kalabagh Malik Amir Mohammad Khan (; 20 June 1910 – 26 November 1967) was the hereditary ruler of Kalabagh Estate and a prominent feudal lord, politician of Pakistan. He was also the Chief or Sardar of the Awan tribe. Nawab of Kala ...

. Leghari was 185 cm tall. His father, ''

Nawabzada Nawab is a royal title indicating a ruler, often of a South Asian state, in many ways comparable to the Western title of Prince. The relationship of a Nawab to the Emperor of India has been compared to that of the Kings of Saxony to the Ge ...

'' Muhammad Khan Leghari and his grandfather ''

Khan Bahadur Khan Bahadur – a compound of ''Khan'' "Leader" and ''Bahadur'' "Brave" – was an honorary title in British India conferred on Indian subjects who were adherents of Islam or Zoroastrianism. The equivalent title for Hindus, Buddhists and India ...

Nawab Nawab is a royal title indicating a ruler, often of a South Asian state, in many ways comparable to the Western title of Prince. The relationship of a Nawab to the Emperor of India has been compared to that of the Kingdom of Saxony, Kings of ...

'' Sir Muhammad Jamal Khan Leghari were progressive leaders who modernised their

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide use of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. The definition is contested, in part due to conflict ...

. His father took prominent part in the

Pakistan Movement The Pakistan Movement was a religiopolitical and social movement that emerged in the early 20th century as part of a campaign that advocated the creation of an Islamic state in parts of what was then British Raj. It was rooted in the two-nation the ...

and was confined as a

political prisoner A political prisoner is someone imprisoned for their political activity. The political offense is not always the official reason for the prisoner's detention. There is no internationally recognized legal definition of the concept, although ...

in 1946. After the

partition of India The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Dominion of India, Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Paki ...

, his father served as minister in the

provincial government A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonomy, o ...

from 1949 until 1955. Farooq Leghari was initially schooled at the famed

in Lahore where he was the "College Prefect" and "Head Boy" and graduated at top of his class winning the coveted "Rivaz Gold Medal" for the "Best Graduating Student" in 1957. He went onto attend the

Forman Christian College University Forman Christian College is a private nonprofit Liberal arts college, liberal arts Universities in Pakistan, university in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It was founded in 1864 and is administered by the Presbyterian Church (USA), Presbyterian Church ...

where he gained BA with

Honours Honour (Commonwealth English) or honor (American English; see spelling differences) is a quality of a person that is of both social teaching and personal ethos, that manifests itself as a code of conduct, and has various elements such as valo ...

in Economics in 1960. He went to United Kingdom to attend the

where he received master's degree in

Philosophy, Politics and Economics Philosophy, politics and economics, or politics, philosophy and economics (PPE), is an interdisciplinary undergraduate or postgraduate academic degree, degree which combines study from three disciplines. The first institution to offer degrees in P ...

(PPE). Leghari was an avid and competitive sportsman and played

tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

, captaining the Aitchison College Tennis team and became a regular on the polo field. In 1974, he represented Pakistan as

shooter Shooter may refer to: People * Rod Beck (1968–2007), American baseball pitcher nicknamed "Shooter" * Shooter Jennings (born 1979), country music singer * Evan McPherson (born 1999), American football placekicker nicknamed "Shooter" * Adrian Sh ...

in 7th Asian Games held in

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

, Iran. Farooq Leghari was the major landowner in the country and owned approximately of land. After the death of Farooq Khan Leghari, his son Jamal Khan Leghari became the 23rd Chief of Leghari tribe.

Civil service and politics

Upon returning to

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# ...

, he joined the

Central Superior Services The Central Superior Services (CSS; or Civil Service) is a permanent elite civil service authority and the civil service that is responsible for running the bureaucratic operations and government secretariats and directorates of the Cabinet of ...

(CSS) in 1964 and worked as civil servant in

East Pakistan East Pakistan was the eastern province of Pakistan between 1955 and 1971, restructured and renamed from the province of East Bengal and covering the territory of the modern country of Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India and Burma, wit ...

before returning to Pakistan. In 1973, he resigned from the civil service and joined the

(PPP) on the invitation of Prime Minister

Zulfiqar 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 1975, he was elected as

for

and participated in

held in 1977 in the DG Khan constituency. He was appointed

Minister of Defence Production The Ministry of Defence Production (; ''Trans.'': ''Wazarat-e-Defai Padawar'') abbreviated as MoDP, is an executive ministry of the federal Government of Pakistan with objectives of development and production of ordnance and machinery for the ...

and was appointed

Secretary-General 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 PPP in 1978. In 1980s, he became known as a leading figure of presiding mass demonstrations against President

and was imprisoned several times by

Police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...

. Leghari participated in

held in 1988 in DG Khan's constituency. He was appointed

Minister for Water and Power The Minister for Water and Power heads the Ministry of Water and Power. The following is the list of all the previous Water and Power ministers of Pakistan to date. List of ministers for water and power of Pakistan See also *Constitution of ...

under Prime Minister

. His term was abruptly ended by President

Ghulam Ishaq Khan Ghulam Ishaq Khan (20 January 1915 – 27 October 2006), commonly known by his initials GIK, was a Pakistani bureaucrat, politician and statesman who served as the seventh President of Pakistan from 1988 to 1993. He previously served as Chairm ...

after his dismissal of Prime Minister Bhutto and successfully defended his constituency in

held in 1990. He served as Deputy

under Benazir Bhutto, serving in opposition against Prime Minister

. In 1993, he witnessed the resignations of President Ghulam Ishaq Khan and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, and joined the

caretaker cabinet A caretaker government, also known as a caretaker regime, is a temporary ''ad hoc'' government that performs some governmental duties and functions in a country until a regular government is elected or formed. Depending on specific practice, it co ...

of caretaker Prime Minister

Moeenuddin Ahmad Qureshi Moeenuddin Ahmad Qureshi (; 26 June 1930 – 22 November 2016) was a Pakistani American economist and civil servant who served as caretaker prime minister of Pakistan from July to October 1993. Qureshi also served as the senior vice president of ...

Finance Minister A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfoli ...

. During this period, he presided over the 21st Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers held in

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 ...

from 25 to 29 April 1993. He successfully participated well in

held in 1993 and retained his seat in the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

as he was the only PPP member from

Dera Ghazi Khan Dera Ghazi Khan, abbreviated as D.G. Khan, is a city in the southwestern part of the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, 16th most-populous city in Punjab and List of most p ...

. Leghari was named and appointed

Foreign Minister In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...

by Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto on 13 November 1993 but soon won the nomination for the presidency.

President of Pakistan

His credentials and "clean reputation" as opposed to politicians accused of mass corruption and

white collar crimes The term "white-collar crime" refers to financially motivated, nonviolent or non-directly violent crime committed by individuals, businesses and government professionals. The crimes are believed to be committed by middle- or upper-class indivi ...

won him the support from Prime Minister Bhutto and

(PPP). He accepted the nomination and ran in the

presidential elections A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The ...

against

Wasim Sajjad Wasim Sajjad Jan (; born 30 March 1941) is a Pakistani Conservatism in Pakistan, conservative politician and lawyer who served as the acting president of Pakistan for two non-consecutive terms and as the Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan, C ...

, the

Acting President An acting president is a person who temporarily fills the role of a country's president when the incumbent president is unavailable (such as by illness or visiting abroad) or when the post is vacant (such as for death Death is the en ...

and PML(N) nominee by

. As a result of

indirect voting An indirect election or ''hierarchical voting,'' is an election in which voters do not choose directly among candidates or parties for an office (Voting system, direct voting system), but elect people who in turn choose candidates or parties. It i ...

, Leghari received 274 votes in his favour against 168 votes for Wasim Sajjad. On 13 November 1993, Sardar Farooq Leghari was appointed the

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan () is the head of state of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The president is the nominal head of the executive and the supreme commander of the Pakistan Armed Forces.

for a term of five years. He vowed to repeal the

Eighth Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan The Eighth Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan (Urdu: آئین پاکستان میں آٹھویں ترمیم) allowed the President to unilaterally dissolve the National Assembly and elected governments. The National Assembly of Pakistan a ...

and expressed his support for Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. However, no bill was ever presented to repeal the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution. The law and order situation in the country worsened, especially in

where the police operation resulted in various and unaccountable deaths. In 1994–95, a major scandal was revealed by the sting operation led by the FIA that gained national attention. Known as the Mehrangate, Leghari's and Bhutto's name was implicated in the corruption scandal in

news media The news media or news industry are forms of mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public. These include News agency, news agencies, newspapers, news magazines, News broadcasting, news channels etc. History Some of the fir ...

. However, the PPP forcefully suppressed the FIA's investigations and judicial inquires as well as media coverage. Leghari supported the Bhutto administration's internal and foreign policies and staunchly backed Prime Minister Bhutto's initiatives at the national level. Leghari met with Indian Prime Minister

Narasimha Rao Narasimha Rao or Narasimharao is an Indian name. It may refer to: * P. V. Narasimha Rao (1921–2004), ninth prime minister of India * Panuganti Lakshminarasimha Rao (1865–1940), Telugu writer * Vinjamuri Venkata Lakshmi Narasimha Rao (1887–?), ...

and

Queen Elizabeth Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elisabeth or Elizabeth the Queen may refer to: Queens regnant * Elizabeth I (1533–1603; ), Queen of England and Ireland * Elizabeth II (1926–2022; ), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms * Queen B ...

when she paid a state visit to Pakistan during his tenure as president. His political relations with Benazir Bhutto drifted apart over on policy issues concerning the internal politics and judicial nominations for the

in 1996. In 1993, Leghari confirmed the nomination of Justice Sajjad Ali Shah as

Chief Justice of Pakistan The chief justice of Pakistan ( initials as CJP; , ''Munsif-e-Āzam Pākistān'') is the chief judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and is the highest-ranking officer of the Pakistani judiciary. The Federal Court of Pakistan was establis ...

who was known to be closer to the PPP's ideology. In 1994, Prime Minister Bhutto nominated 20 senior judges for the appointment to the Supreme Court; of which, 13 had political relations with the PPP. Some of the nominated judges had not been practised judges and controversial reputations in the law circles. The PPP government began pressuring Chief Justice Shah to dissuade him from taking up to appeals against the nominations. President Leghari backed Chief Justice Shah over the appointment and confirmations that created problems with the Prime Minister Bhutto who saw this as a conspiracy being hatch by the Chief Justice Shah. Notoriety over the confirmations of additional judges in the High Courts further maligned Leghari's image as the appointments were seen as "inappropriate." The situation with Prime Minister Bhutto further escalated when President Leghari raised issue of senior ministers' involvement in corruption and

Asif Ali Zardari Asif Ali Zardari (born 26 July 1955) is a Pakistani politician serving as the 14th president of Pakistan since 2024, having held the same office from 2008 to 2013. He is the president of Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians and was the ...

's appointment as Investment Minister. Leghari also suspected Benazir Bhutto and

Asif Zardari Asif Ali Zardari (born 26 July 1955) is a Pakistani politician serving as the 14th president of Pakistan since 2024, having held the same office from 2008 to 2013. He is the president of Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians and was the c ...

involvement in controversial murder of

Murtaza Bhutto Murtaza Bhutto (; , 18 September 1954 – 20 September 1996) was a Pakistani politician and leader of al-Zulfiqar, a Pakistani left-wing militant organization. The son of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, he earned a ...

that occurred in 1996, despite Prime Minister Bhutto hinted Leghari's involvement. On October–November 1996, there were several meetings between President Leghari and Prime Minister Bhutto to resolve the issue but the two sides used the intelligence community against each other. The

economic recession An economy is an area of the Production (economics), production, Distribution (economics), distribution and trade, as well as Consumption (economics), consumption of Goods (economics), goods and Service (economics), services. In general, it is ...

further escalated the situation and President Leghari surprisingly dismissed the Benazir's administration using the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution on charges of corruption, economic recession, lawlessness and extra judicial killings.

Resignation and post-presidency

A caretaker set-up was formed under Acting Prime Minister

Malik Meraj Khalid Malik Meraj Khalid (; 1 February 1916 – 13 June 2003) was a Pakistani advocate, left wing politician and Marxist philosopher who served as the Caretaker prime minister of Pakistan from November 1996 until February 1997. He was noted as bein ...

and

were held in 1997 that witnessed the return of Nawaz Sharif with a heavy mandate in all over the country. Prime Minister Sharif decisively removed the Eighth Amendment by approving the Thirteenth Amendment and oversaw its complete effect that ultimately made President Leghari as

figurehead In politics, a figurehead is a practice of who ''de jure'' (in name or by law) appears to hold an important and often supremely powerful title or office, yet '' de facto'' (in reality) exercises little to no actual power. This usually means that ...

. Leghari sought the nomination for the second term but the chances of his re-election were diminished due to PPP's dilution in the

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

. Problems between Chief Justice Shah and Prime Minister Sharif further escalated when Chief Justice Shah decided to listen to appeals against the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendment bills and the PML(N) partisan attacked the Shah's court in 1997. President Leghari tried intervened in the matter in support of Chief Justice Shah but this only made it worse for Leghari when Prime Minister Sharif decided to bring the impeachment movement against President Leghari. On 2 December 1997, President Leghari resigned from the presidency to avoid the possible impeachment which also resulted in the resignation of the Chief Justice Shah, also the same year. His post-presidency marked with his active involvement in politics when he found the

Millat Party The Millat Party (Urdu: ملت پارٹی) was a political party in Pakistan, formed by Sardar Farooq Ahmad Khan Leghari, former president of Pakistan, once he was no longer the president, and needed a platform to survive politically. He had the ...

which entered into a coalition of seven parties, known as the

National Alliance National Alliance may refer to: Electoral alliances *National Alliance (Egypt) (2015) * National Alliance (Ireland) (2024 onwards) * National Alliance (Pakistan) (2002-2004) *Nation Alliance (Turkey) (2018-2023) Political parties and organizations ...

, to participate in the

held in 2002. The National Alliance won enough seats in the

to form government as a coalition with the

that was supported by President

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 ...

. In 2004, he left his own party and joined the PML(Q) and supported his son,

Awais Leghari Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari (; born 22 March 1971) is a Pakistani politician currently serving as the Federal Minister of Energy in the cabinet led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif since 18 March 2024.He served as Federal Minister for Railway but ...

, becoming the cabinet member. His elder son,

Jamal Leghari Sardar Muhammad Jamal Khan Leghari is a Pakistani politician who was a Member of the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab, from May 2013 to May 2018 and is the son of former president of Pakistan Farooq Leghari. Early life and family He was born on ...

, was elected as member of

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

on PML(Q) platform. In 2003, Leghari reportedly remarked that he had dismissed Prime Minister Bhutto after the rules of conducts were violated, while responding to the criticism by the PPP.

Family Political History/Legacy

''Grandfather: Khan Bahadur Nawab Sir (Tumandar) Muhammad Jamal Khan Leghari'' Punjab Legislative Council 1921, 1923, 1927, 1930 Punjab Legislative Assembly 1937 Minister Public Works, 1946, 1947 "The first sitting was held on 5 January 1948. Sir Robert Francis Mudie, Governor of West Punjab appointed Mr Muhammad Jamal Khan Leghari to perform the duties of Speaker till new Speaker was elected". Punjab Legislative Assembly 1951, First Sitting Presided by Sardar Jamal Muhammad Khan Leghari ''Father: Nawabzada Sardar Muhammad Khan Leghari, B.A.'' Punjab Legislative Assembly 1951 Minister Public Works, Buildings and Roads, Electricity and Transport, Irrigation, Revenue, Excise and Taxation, Resettlements and Colonies. Provincial Assembly of West Pakistan 1956 ''Uncle: Nawabzada Sardar Atta Muhammad Khan Leghari'' Provincial Assembly of the Punjab 1972 ''Uncle: Nawabzada Sardar Mahmood Khan Leghari'' Provincial Assembly of the Punjab 1972 ''Cousin: Sardar Muhammad Omer Khan Leghari'' Provincial Assembly of the Punjab 1985 Provincial Assembly of the Punjab 1988 ''Cousin: Sardar Jaffar Khan Leghari'' District Council Chairman Rajanpur Provincial Assembly of the Punjab 1985 Provincial Assembly of the Punjab 1988 Provincial Assembly of the Punjab 1993 National Assembly of Pakistan 1997 National Assembly of Pakistan 2002 National Assembly of Pakistan 2008 National Assembly of Pakistan 2013 National Assembly of Pakistan 2018 ''Cousin: Sardar Maqsood Ahmed Khan Leghari'' Provincial Assembly of the Punjab 1977 Chairman District Council Dera Ghazi Khan National Assembly of Pakistan 1985, Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Provincial Assembly of the Punjab 1985 Provincial Assembly of the Punjab 1988 Provincial Assembly of the Punjab 1990, Minister Provincial Assembly of the Punjab 1993, Minister Irrigation Provincial Assembly of the Punjab 1997 Zila Nazim Dera Ghazi Khan 2005 ''Cousin: Sardar Mansoor Ahmed Khan Leghari'' Chairman District Council Dera Ghazi Khan Provincial Assembly of the Punjab 1990 National Assembly of Pakistan 1993 Senate of Pakistan 1997-2000 Provincial Assembly of the Punjab 1985 ''Son:

'' District Nazim Dera Ghazi Khan 2000 Senate of Pakistan 2016-20012 Provincial Assembly of the Punjab 2013 ''Son:

Provincial Assembly of the Punjab 1997 National Assembly of Pakistan 2002, Minister Information Technology and Telecommunication National Assembly of Pakistan 2010 National Assembly of Pakistan 2013, Minister Power Provincial Assembly of the Punjab 2018, (Deputy Leader of Opposition)

Death

Farooq Leghari briefly fought a heart illness since 2000s and initial reports claimed that he was ill for some time, owing to complications with his heart. Farooq Leghari died on 20 October 2010 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 ...

due to a heart related illness and he was undergoing surgery at the

in Rawalpindi at the time of his death. Residents of

and political dignitaries attended his funeral services and he was laid to rest in Choti Zareen, DG Khan District,

, Pakistan on 21 October 2010.

References

External links

Former President Laghari Passes Away

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Leghari, Farooq 1940 births 2010 deaths 1996 controversies Alumni of St Catherine's College, Oxford Aitchison College alumni Baloch politicians

Farooq Farooq (also transliterated as Farouk, Faruqi, Farook, Faruk, Faroeq, Faruq, or Farouq, Farooqi, Faruque or Farooqui; ) is a common Arabic given and family name. ''Al-Fārūq'' literally means "the one who distinguishes between right and wrong." ...

Ministers for foreign affairs of Pakistan Forman Christian College alumni Members of the Senate of Pakistan Pakistan People's Party politicians Pakistani civil servants Pakistani landowners Pakistani male sport shooters People from Dera Ghazi Khan District Presidents of Pakistan Shooters at the 1974 Asian Games Tumandars Ministers for water and power of Pakistan Pakistani MNAs 2008–2013 Pakistani MNAs 2002–2007 Asian Games competitors for Pakistan 20th-century Pakistani sportsmen