Muhammad Abdul Qayyum Khan

Sardar Muhammad Abdul Qayyum Khan
President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir
In office
1 October 1985 – 20 July 1991
Preceded by Major General Abdul Rahman Khan
Succeeded by Sahibzada Ishaq Zafar (acting)
In office
30 October 1970 – 16 April 1975
Preceded by Brigadier Abdul Rahman Khan (interim)
Succeeded by Sardar Muhammad Ibrahim Khan
In office
8 September 1956 – 13 April 1957
Preceded by Mirwaiz Muhammad Yousuf Shah
Succeeded by Sardar Muhammad Ibrahim Khan
Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir
In office
29 July 1991 – 29 July 1996
Preceded by Raja Mumtaz Hussain Rathore
Succeeded by Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry
Personal details
Born (1924-04-04)April 4, 1924[1]
Ghaziabad, Poonch district, Kashmir and Jammu, Princely State
Died 10 July 2015(2015-07-10) (aged 91)[1]
Rawalpindi, Pakistan[1]
Political party Muslim Conference
Relations Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan (son)

Sardar Muhammad Abdul Qayyum Khan (also known as ʻAbdul Qayyūm K̲h̲ān, Urdu:سردار محمد عبدالقيوم) was a Kashmiri politician who also served as the President and the Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). He also remained President of All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference for over 20 years.[2]

Early life and career

Sardar Abdul Qayyum was born on 4 April 1924 in Ghaziabad, Bagh tehsil (Poonch jagir), then part of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. After completing his secondary education in Jammu, he joined the Engineers Corps of the British Indian Army and served in Africa and the Middle East.[3][1]

1947 Kashmir conflict

He actively participated in the Kashmiri freedom struggle. His title Mujahid-e-Awwal (the first holy warrior) is based on the belief that he is the person who fired the first shot in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947.[1]

Political career

In 1951, he joined the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference. He was elected president of this body a record 14 times during his lifetime.[1] He was elected as President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) state three times in 1956, 1971 and 1985.[2] "Towards the end of his term, his relations with then Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto started turning sour. As a result in 1974, Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan was removed from the office of the president through a vote of no confidence."[3]

He also remained Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir from 1991 to 1996. In 2002, he was made chairman of the National Kashmir Committee. His son Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan also became Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir in 2006 and then again in 2010.[3]

Writer

He is the author of dozens of books on the Kashmir Freedom Struggle (Kashmir conflict). He also wrote on political, mystic, spiritual and religious topics.[2]

Death and legacy

He died in Rawalpindi on 10 July 2015.[1] The Azad Kashmir government announced a three-day mourning period on his death.[2]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Obaid Abbasi, Profile and obituary of Muhammad Abdul Qayyum Khan, The Express Tribune, 11 July 2015, Retrieved 20 May 2017
  2. 1 2 3 4 Sarwar, Awan. "Sar Muhammad Abdul Qayyum no more". pakobserver.net. Archived from the original on 11 August 2015. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 Tariq Naqqash, Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan – End of an era, Dawn, Updated 11 July 2015, Retrieved 20 May 2017
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