Bhatti21 at 21:13, 15 January 2026

2026-01-15T21:13:53Z

New page

{{Short description|Pakistani politician (1937–2023)}}
{{EngvarB|date=November 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Gohar Ayub Khan
| native_name = {{nq|گوہر ایوب خان}}
| image = Gohar Ayub Khan (cropped).jpg
| caption = Khan in 2004
| office = [[Minister of Foreign Affairs (Pakistan)|Minister of Foreign Affairs]]
| primeminister = [[Nawaz Sharif]]
| term_start = 25 February 1997
| term_end = 7 August 1998
| predecessor = [[Sahabzada Yaqub Khan]] (Acting)
| successor = [[Sartaj Aziz]]
| office1 = 14th [[Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan]]
| deputy1 = [[M. Nawaz Khokhar]]
| term_start1 = 4 November 1990
| term_end1 = 17 October 1993
| predecessor1 = [[Malik Meraj Khalid]]
| successor1 = [[Yousaf Raza Gillani]]
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1937|1|8|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Rehana, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa|Rehana]], [[North-West Frontier Province]], [[British India]] (now [[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]], Pakistan)
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2023|11|17|1937|1|8|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Islamabad]], Pakistan
| nationality = Pakistani
| party = [[Pakistan Muslim League (N)]] (2012–2018)
| otherparty = [[Pakistan Peoples Muslim League]] (2009–2012) [[Pakistan Muslim League (Q)]] (1999–2009) [[Islamic Democratic Alliance]] (1988–1990) [[Pakistan Muslim League (F)]] (1985–1988) [[Tehrik-e-Istiqlal]] (1977–1985) [[Convention Muslim League]] (before 1977)
| alma_mater = [[Royal Military Academy Sandhurst]]
| nickname = Kaptaan
| allegiance = {{PAK}}
| branch = {{army|PAK}}
| serviceyears = (1957–1962; 1971–1972)
| rank = [[Captain (OF-2)|Captain]]
| unit = 1/14 Punjab
| battles = [[Indo-Pakistan War of 1971]]
| children = 4, including [[Omar Ayub Khan]]
| father = [[Ayub Khan]]
| relatives = Mir Dad Khan (grandfather) [[Sardar Bahadur Khan]](uncle) [[Yousuf Ayub Khan]](nephew) [[Nusrat Ayub Khan]](Sister) [[Arshad Ayub Khan]] (nephew) [[Akbar Ayub Khan]] (nephew)
}}

'''Gohar Ayub Khan''' ({{langx|ur|{{nq|گوہر ایوب خان}}}}; 8 January 1937 – 17 November 2023) was a Pakistani politician, businessman, [[army officer]], and a leader of the [[Pakistan Muslim League (N)]], who held ministerial positions during the administration of prime minister [[Nawaz Sharif]].

Gohar Ayub Khan hailed from the village of [[Rehana, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa|Rehana]], located in the [[Haripur District]] of [[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]] [[North-West Frontier Province (1901–1955)|province]] and belonged to the [[Tareen]] tribe of ethnic [[Pashtuns]]. He was fluent in [[Hindko]] and [[Pashto]]. He was the son of military dictator former [[President of Pakistan|president]] and [[Field marshal (Pakistan)|field marshal]], [[Ayub Khan]], and played an influential role in sustaining his father's presidential rule after the [[1965 Pakistani presidential election|1965 presidential election]]. Educated at the [[Royal Military Academy Sandhurst]], Gohar Ayub Khan was commissioned in the [[Pakistan Army]] in 1959. During his military service, he served as his father's [[aide-de-camp]], travelling with him on several foreign trips. Upon his resignation in 1962 with the rank of [[Captain (army)|captain]], he established a business conglomerate and entered politics in 1974.

Khan contested the [[1977 Pakistani general election|1977 general election]] through the [[Tehrik-e-Istiqlal]] platform and joined the [[Islamic Democratic Alliance]] (IDA) in 1988. After the [[1990 Pakistani general election|1990 general election]], he was appointed the 14th [[Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan|Speaker]] of the [[National Assembly of Pakistan]]. He became the 20th [[Minister of Foreign Affairs (Pakistan)|Minister of Foreign Affairs]] after securing his seat with a heavy margin in the [[1997 Pakistani general election|1997 general election]]. Later he shifted to the energy department, serving as [[Minister for Water and Power]] beginning 7 August 1998. His term was abruptly ended after the [[1999 Pakistani coup d'état]] by [[General Pervez Musharraf]], and he subsequently retired from national politics.

==Early life and military career==
Gohar Ayub Khan was born on 8 January 1937, in the village of [[Rehana, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa|Rehana]], in [[Haripur District]] during the [[British Raj]] in the [[North-West Frontier Province (1901–1955)|North-West Frontier Province]] into a [[Pashtun]] military family.<ref name="South Asia Analysis Group">{{cite web|last=Raman |first=B |title=Campaign against Field Marshal Sam |url=http://southasiaanalysis.org/%5Cpapers23%5Cpaper2237.html |publisher=South Asia Analysis Group |access-date=26 May 2012 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100613040928/http://southasiaanalysis.org/papers23/paper2237.html |archive-date=13 June 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Glimpses Into the Corridors of Power |date=2007 |publisher=Oxford University Press |pages=11 |isbn=978-0-19-547354-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xQduAAAAMAAJ&q=Gohar+Ayub+Khan+8+January+1937 |access-date=17 November 2023}}</ref> A native [[Hindko]] speaker, Gohar Ayub belonged to the [[Tareen]] tribe of [[Pashtuns]]. His father, [[Ayub Khan]], was a senior commanding officer in the [[British Army]] and later ascended to staff and field operational assignments in the [[Pakistan Army]]. Ayub Khan subsequently became [[President of Pakistan|President]] of Pakistan through a bloodless military [[Coup d'Etat|coup]] that commenced in 1958.

Gohar Ayub was sent to study at the military-controlled [[Army Burn Hall College]] and eventually moved on to attend [[St Mary's College, Rawalpindi|Saint Mary's Academy]], a private school in [[Rawalpindi]].<ref name="Mera Haripur">{{cite web|last=PR|title=Gohar Ayub Khan|url=http://meraharipur.com/Personalities/Political/Gohar_Ayub_Khan.html|publisher=Mera Haripur|access-date=26 May 2012|archive-date=3 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003080142/http://meraharipur.com/Personalities/Political/Gohar_Ayub_Khan.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Gohar Ayub joined the [[Pakistan Army]] in 1957, and trained at the [[Royal Military Academy Sandhurst]] in the United Kingdom.<ref name="Mera Haripur"/> Upon his return from the UK, he began active duty with the Pakistan Army and started to serve on staff appointments. In 1958 he began to serve as his father's [[aide-de-camp]], travelling with him on several foreign trips in Europe, the Americas, the Soviet Union, and Asia.<ref name="Mera Haripur"/> He did not rise beyond the rank of [[Captain (army)|Captain]] during his time in the army, despite his father's support.<ref name="South Asia Analysis Group"/> In his army records, there are allegations of professional and behavioural misconduct.<ref name="South Asia Analysis Group"/>

Gohar Ayub was prematurely given retirement in 1962 by the Army's Promotion Branch, despite his father's efforts to stop the investigations against his son. After his early retirement, he and his father-in-law, General (retired) [[Habibullah Khan Khattak|Habibullah Khan]] established a private industrial firm, the Universal Insurance Co. Ltd.<ref name="South Asia Analysis Group"/>

During the [[1971 War]], Gohar Ayub briefly returned to active service, seeing action in the [[Punjab]] border areas.<ref>{{Cite web |date=22 September 2015 |title=1965 war: India attacked Pakistan, now neither side wants war: Gohar Ayub Khan (IANS Interview) |url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/1965-war-india-attacked-pakistan-now-neither-side-wants-war-gohar-ayub-khan-ians-interview-115092200300_1.html |website=[[Business Standard]]}}</ref>

==Political career==
{{refimprove section|date=November 2023}}
=== Role in the 1965 presidential election===
Gohar Ayub reportedly played an influential, but controversial, role in [[Karachi]] after his father's election in the allegedly rigged [[1965 Pakistani presidential election|1965 presidential election]] against [[Fatima Jinnah]].<ref name="Pakistan Peoples Party and New York Times Services">{{cite web|agency=Associated Press |title=Pakistan's Chief son is called Killer |url=http://criticalppp.com/archives/9407 |work=1965 |publisher=Pakistan Peoples Party and New York Times Services |access-date=26 May 2012 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120328043751/http://criticalppp.com/archives/9407 |archive-date=28 March 2012}}</ref> This move led to fierce clashes between rival political groups.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080526141535/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,941860,00.html?iid=chix-sphere A Sorry Beginning—Time], Retrieved 25 August 2015</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://pkpolitics.com/discuss/topic/who-did-the-massacre-of-january-4-1965-in-karachi |title=Who did the Massacre of 4 January 1965 in Karachi |access-date=15 July 2014 |archive-date=5 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150705073656/http://pkpolitics.com/discuss/topic/who-did-the-massacre-of-january-4-1965-in-karachi |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>[http://mqmhistory.wordpress.com/2013/08/14/the-great-muhajir-massacre-of-1965/ The Great Muhajir Massacre of 1965]</ref><ref>Mazari, Sherbaz 1999. A journey into disillusionment. Oxford University Press</ref> Gohar Ayub also faced criticism during that time on questions of family corruption and [[cronyism]] through his business links with his father-in-law.<ref name="Pakistan Peoples Party and New York Times Services"/>

===Speaker of the National Assembly===
Gohar Ayub had been a long-standing member of the [[Pakistan Muslim League (N)|Pakistan Muslim League]] and was elected five times to the [[National Assembly of Pakistan|National Assembly]] from his home constituency.<ref>{{Cite web |title=سابق وزیرخارجہ گوہر ایوب انتقال کر گئے |url=https://urdu.geo.tv/latest/347233- |access-date=18 November 2023 |website=urdu.geo.tv |language=en}}</ref> He first successfully contested a presidential election in March 1965 on a [[Pakistan Muslim League (N)|Muslim League]] platform. In 1977, he contested the National Assembly seat from Peshawar Jail and was elected on the ticket of [[Asghar Khan]]'s [[Tehrik-e-Istiqlal|Independence Movement]] party, defeating the candidate Akhtar Nawaz Khan of the [[Pakistan Peoples Party|Pakistan People's Party]].{{cn|date=November 2023}}

After successfully contesting the [[1990 Pakistani general election|1990 general election]], Ayub Khan was appointed the 14th [[Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan|Speaker]] of the [[National Assembly of Pakistan]] on 4 November 1990, remaining until 1993.<ref>{{Cite web |title=سابق وزیر خارجہ گوہر ایوب خان وفات پا گئے - BBC Urdu |url=https://www.bbc.com/urdu/live/pakistan-67446967 |access-date=18 November 2023 |website=BBC News اردو |language=ur-IN}}</ref> He was succeeded by [[Yousaf Raza Gillani]] (later Prime minister) after the [[1993 Pakistani general election|1993 general election]]. Gohar Ayub also served as senior vice president of the Pakistan Muslim League from 1990 to 1993. After his re-election in 1993, Gohar Ayub became deputy leader of the opposition in the National Assembly.{{cn|date=November 2023}}

===Foreign affairs and water and power ministry under Nawaz Sharif===
After securing a heavy mandate from his constituency, Gohar Ayub was appointed as the 20th [[Minister of Foreign Affairs (Pakistan)|Minister of Foreign Affairs]] in 1997 by Prime Minister [[Nawaz Sharif]].{{cn|date=November 2023}} Gohar Ayub publicly backed Prime Minister Sharif in authorising a nuclear testing programme in response to [[Pokhran-II|India's nuclear test]] in May 1998.<ref name="Nuclear Weapon Archive, 1998">{{cite web|last=Sublette|first=Carey|title=Initial Reactions|url=http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/India/IndiaShakti.html|work=30 March 2001|publisher=Nuclear Weapon Archive, 1998|access-date=27 May 2012}}</ref> Although the prime minister was much more subdued, Gohar Ayub reportedly issued hostile statements and began to call for atomic tests in response to India.<ref name="Nuclear Weapon Archive, 1998"/> He prematurely issued media reports to the [[Media of Pakistan|media]], which reportedly displeased the prime minister.<ref name="Nuclear Weapon Archive, 1998"/>

On 7 August 1998, Gohar Ayub was replaced by economic minister [[Sartaj Aziz]] (who put forth efforts to make peace between India and Pakistan), and was reassigned as [[Minister for Water and Power]], a position he filled until he was ousted and forced to resign on [[1999 Pakistani coup d'état|12 October 1999]] as a result of a [[1999 Pakistani coup d'état|military coup]] commenced by General [[Pervez Musharraf]].{{cn|date=November 2023}}

=== Parting ways with Nawaz Sharif ===
Gohar Ayub's relationship with Nawaz Sharif eventually became strained, causing the former to leave the Pakistan Muslim League in 1999.<ref>{{Cite web |date=17 November 2023 |title=پہلے فوجی صدر کے بیٹے گوہر ایوب خان جو ’ہاک تھے ڈوو نہیں‘ |url=https://www.urdunews.com/node/812706 |access-date=18 November 2023 |website=Urdu News – اردو نیوز |language=ur}}</ref> Gohar Ayub defected to the Pakistan Muslim League's [[Pakistan Muslim League (Q)|splinter group]] in 2001. He was appointed the first secretary general of the party.{{cn|date=November 2023}} Unable to contest the 2002 election because of a graduation degree restriction introduced by Pervez Musharraf, Gohar Ayub instead endorsed and provide vital support to his family. His younger son, [[Omar Ayub Khan]], won his [[Haripur District]] seat, while his wife Zeb Gohar Ayub was elected MNA on the reserved women seats.{{cn|date=November 2023}} Gohar Ayub's strongest political opponent in his constituency was former chief minister [[Raja Sikander Zaman]].{{cn|date=November 2023}} Once Nawaz Sharif preferred to leave country after signing an accord with General Musharaf, Gohar Ayub Khan left his party PMLN.

=== Post-retirement and controversies ===
After his retirement from national politics in 2002, Gohar Ayub wrote ''Glimpses into the Corridors of Power'' and published his father's diary.<ref>Khan, Ayub (26 April 2007) Diaries of Field Marshal Mohammad Ayub Khan, 1966–1972. OUP Pakistan {{ISBN|0-19-547442-2}}</ref> He opposed the proposal to rename the NWFP to [[Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa]], while supporting the creation of a separate [[Hazara District|Hazara]] province. <ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-03-21 |title=Establishing new provinces need of the hour: Gohar Ayub |url=https://nation.com.pk/21-Mar-2012/establishing-new-provinces-need-of-the-hour-gohar-ayub |access-date=2024-05-07 |website=The Nation |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Reconciliation with Nawaz Sharif ===
After spending few years with the [[Pakistan Muslim League (Q)]] during the 2000s, he eventually rejoined PML-N in December 2012, following his reconciliation with [[Nawaz Sharif]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=28 December 2012 |title=Welcome back: Gohar Ayub and son join Nawaz League |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/485775/welcome-back-gohar-ayub-and-son-join-nawaz-league |access-date=17 November 2023 |website=The Express Tribune}}</ref>

== Business career ==
Gohar Ayub Khan co-established an industrial firm under the business umbrella of Universal Insurance company Limited, founded by his father-in-law.<ref name="Sang-e-Meel Publications, 2000">{{cite book |last=Rizvi |first=Hassan Askari |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xMreAAAAMAAJ&q=gohar+ayub+khan |title=The military and politics |publisher=Sang-e-Meel Publications, 2000 |year=2000 |isbn=9789693511482 |location=Lahore, Pakistan |pages=164–382}}</ref> During a short span of time, Ayub Khan intensified pro-Western and pro-Capitalism policies, and Gohar Ayub emerged as a powerful business oligarch.<ref name="Sang-e-Meel Publications, 2000" /> There was no evidence that suggests Gohar Ayub secured all these positions with the consent of his father.<ref name="Sang-e-Meel Publications, 2000" /> In 1969, a Western commentator estimated Gohar Ayub's wealth at $4 million, while his family's wealth was put in the range of $10–20 million.<ref name="ReferenceA">Pick, Franz, World Currency report. April 1969</ref>

Gohar Ayub served as the Chief Executive of Universal Insurance and was on the board of several other companies in his in-laws, Khan Khattak family's corporation the [[Bibojee Group]].<ref>[https://www.marketscreener.com/business-leaders/Gohar-Ayub-Khan-0GQL42-E/biography/ Market Screener: Business Leaders: Gohar Ayub Khan]</ref>

==Death==
Gohar Ayub Khan died at Kulsum International Hospital in [[Islamabad]], Pakistan on 17 November 2023, at the age of 86 following a brief illness.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gohar Ayub Khan passes away |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1130081-gohar-ayub-khan-passes-away |access-date=17 November 2023 |website=www.thenews.com.pk |language=en}}</ref>

He left four children behind, two daughters and two sons, including politician [[Omar Ayub Khan]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=18 November 2023 |title=Gohar Ayub Khan passes away |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1130081-gohar-ayub-khan-passes-away |website=[[The News International]]}}</ref>

==Books==
* ''Glimpses Into the Corridors of Power'', Karachi: Oxford University Press, 2007, 354 p. Autobiography.
* ''Testing Times as Foreign Minister'', Islamabad: Dost Publications, 2009, 352 p. Autobiography.
* ''Shikar: In The Days Gone By'', Islamabad: Dost Publications, 2009, 148 p. On [[hunting]].
* ''Aivān-i Iqtidār Ke Mushāhidāt'', Lahore: Sang-e-Mil Publications, 2018, 364 p. Autobiography.

==See also==
* [[Omar Ayub Khan]]
* [[Iskander Mirza]]

==External links==
* [http://uic.com.pk/index.php/board-of-directors/ Universal Insurance: Board of Directors] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226045635/https://uic.com.pk/index.php/board-of-directors/ |date=26 February 2021 }}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Malik Meraj Khalid]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan]]|years=1990–1993}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Yousaf Raza Gillani]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[Sahabzada Yaqub Khan]] Acting}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Minister of Foreign Affairs (Pakistan)]]|years=1997–1998}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Sartaj Aziz]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Foreign Minister of Pakistan}}
{{Speaker National Assembly Pakistan}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ayub Khan, Gohar}}
[[Category:1937 births]]
[[Category:2023 deaths]]
[[Category:Ayub Khan family|Gohar]]
[[Category:Ministers for foreign affairs of Pakistan]]
[[Category:Hindkowan people]]
[[Category:Nawaz Sharif administration]]
[[Category:Pakistan Army officers]]
[[Category:Pakistan Muslim League (N) politicians]]
[[Category:Pakistani chief executives]]
[[Category:Pakistani industrialists]]
[[Category:People from Haripur District]]
[[Category:Speakers of the National Assembly of Pakistan]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses 1st class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany]]
[[Category:Children of presidents of Pakistan]]
[[Category:Pakistani MNAs 1977]]
[[Category:Pakistani MNAs 1990–1993]]
[[Category:Pakistani MNAs 1993–1996]]
[[Category:Pakistani MNAs 1997–1999]]
[[Category:Army Burn Hall College alumni]]
[[Category:Pakistani MNAs 1965–1969]]

Gohar Ayub Khan - Revision history

Bhatti21 at 21:13, 15 January 2026