Profile of Asfandyar Wali Khan
Personal
Born in Shahibagh Charsadda on 19th February 1949. Attended primary school at Jesus and Mary Convent and attended college at Aitchison College Lahore. Graduated and got B.com honors from Peshawar University in the mid of seventies. Is Proficient in three languages namely Pashto, English and Urdu.
Political Activism:
- Got politicized in 1968 as a student activist, during the national uprising against the dictatorship pf General Ayub Khan, by launching and organizing PSF (Pakhtun Student Federation), a student body pressing for democracy and became its Central Executive Committee member.
- Opposed the military dictatorship of General Yahia Khan who replaced Ayub Khan through a coup-de-tat in 1969 and banned NAP and PSF along with all political activities.
- Was arrested in 1974 and sentenced to seventeen years imprisonment for his political beliefs, but was released by High courts after three years. Was physically tortured during his imprisonment.
- Resumed political activism in 1978 from the platform of NDP (National Democratic Party), which ws formed after the ban of NAP.
- Opposed the military dictatorship of General Zia ul Haq from the platform of MRD (Movement for restoration of democracy) and was imprisoned twice in 1982 and 1985 for his struggle against the regime.
- Was arrested again in 1996, being a member of the parliament, and kept behind bars for one year without any trail, for his political beliefs.
- Elected as Central Party President of ANP in 1998.
- Re-elected as Central Party President of ANP in 2003.
Parliamentary Career;
- Was elected to the provincial assembly of Pukhtunkhwa in 1990 and remained a member till the dissolution of the assemblies in 1993.
- Attended a donors’ conference in Singapore in 1992 as the chairman of the Standing committee on Finance in the provincial assembly of Pukhtunkhwa.
- Was elected to the National Assembly in 1993 and was further elected as ANP’s parliamentary party leader in the National Assembly, remained a member till the assemblies dissolution in 1996.
- Attended the SAARC Parliamentarians Conference in New Delhi in 1994.
- Elected to the National Assembly in 1997 and became the parliamentary party leader of AN in the assembly, remained a member till the military takeover in October 1999.
- Attended the Common Wealth Parliamentarians Conference in Namibia in 1998.
- Elected to the Senate of Pakistan March 2003.
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