ISLAMABAD: Mr. Gohar Ayub Khan, former Speaker National Assembly of Pakistan and former Foreign Minister, passed away peacefully after a brief illness on Friday. He was 86.
Omar Ayub Khan, Secretary General Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and former Federal Minister, shared the sad demise of his father on social media.
He announced that the funeral prayer (Namaz-e-Janaza) for Gohar Ayub will take place at 3:00 pm on Saturday, November 18, 2023, in the village of Rehana, District Haripur.
The Qul ceremony will be held at 11 am on November 19, 2023, at the residence of Omar Ayub Khan on Main G.T Road, Haripur.
Gohar Ayub Khan, a significant figure in Pakistani politics, a business magnate, retired military officer, and a key member of the Pakistan Muslim League during Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s administration, passed away. Hailing from the village of Rehana in the Haripur District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he belonged to the Tareen tribe of ethnic Pashtuns. He played a crucial role in supporting his father’s presidential rule after the 1965 presidential election.
After graduating from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Gohar Ayub Khan joined the Pakistan Army in 1959. Serving as his father’s aide-de-camp, he accompanied him on various foreign trips. Following his resignation in 1962 with the rank of captain, he ventured into business and entered politics in 1974.
Initially, he contested the 1977 general election through the Independence Movement platform but later joined the Islamic Democratic Alliance (IDA) in 1988. After winning the 1990 general election, he became the fourteenth speaker of the National Assembly.
In the 1997 general election, he secured a significant victory and assumed the position of the 20th Minister of Foreign Affairs. Later, he transitioned to the energy department, serving as the Minister for Water and Power from August 7, 1998. His term came to an abrupt end on October 12, 1999, with the intervention of General Pervez Musharraf, after which he retired from national politics.