Ajmal Khattak | |
|---|---|
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| PresidentAwami National Party | |
| In office 1991–1999 | |
| Preceded by | Wali Khan |
| Preceded by | Asfandyar Wali |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1925-09-15)15 September 1925 |
| Died | 7 February 2010(2010-02-07) (aged 84) |
| Political party | Awami National Party (ANP) |
| Other political affiliations | National Awami Party (before 1957) National Awami Party (Wali) (before 1986) |
| Residence(s) | Akora Khattak,Nowshera, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa |
| Profession | poet, politician, writer |
Ajmal Khan Khattak (Pashto:اجمل خټک;Urdu:اجمل خٹک; 15 September 1925 – 7 February 2010) was a Pakistani politician, writer andPashto language poet fromNorth-West Frontier Province (nowKhyber Pakhtunkhwa), who served as the President ofAwami National Party. He was a close friend ofKhan Abdul Wali Khan.[1]
His early student life was marked by active protests against theBritish Raj, which was followed by his joining of theKhudai Khidmatgar movement and anti-colonial Pashto poetry. Following theindependence ofPakistan in 1947, he joined theNational Awami Party and became a close friend of Abdul Wali Khan.
He served as secretary general of the National Awami Party from 1969–1973. He was defeated by Abdul Haq in the 1970 general election, however following a crackdown against the Party by the government ofZulfiqar Ali Bhutto, Ajmal Khattak fled into exile toKabul. He returned in 1989 and was elected in 1990 to theNational Assembly of Pakistan, he was then elected President of the Awami National Party following the retirement of Wali Khan.[1] Following a power struggle in 2000, he briefly formed a breakaway party which was routed in the 2002 election. He rejoined the Awami National Party shortly afterwards and retired from active politics.
Born in Akora Khattak on 15 September 1925, Ajmal Khattak as a child was greatly influenced byBacha Khan. By the time he turned 17, he was already an active member of theQuit India Movement. He was a student then at the Government High School, Peshawar, but he left to contribute more to the movement. It was the beginning of a political career that stretched over five decades during which his literary pursuits and education took several painful turns. However, he did return to his studies completing a masters inPersian fromPeshawar University. AtIslamia College, Peshawar, he was among the pioneers who put Pushto literature on the 'modern' track. Linking it to European literature, particularly English, he was able to give it new direction and was acclaimed as a progressive poet.[1]
He has had a long career in both theIndian Independence Movement against the British in theKhyber Pakhtunkhwa (then NWFP) of what was thenundivided India as well as part of theNational Awami Party (NAP) in its various incarnations in Pakistan. His early political career began during the Quit India movement after he came under the influence of theKhudai Khidmatgar movement. He was forced to leave the school due to his involvement in the Quit India Movement. As a writer he served as editor of various Newspapers and periodicals, including Anjam, Shahbaz, Adal and Rahber as well as script writer forRadio Pakistan.[2]
He was defeated in the 1970 election in his home constituency. After the resignation of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa cabinet in protest at PresidentZulfikar Ali Bhutto's dismissal of theBalochistan government led by SardarAtaullah Mengal, Ajmal Khattak became the Secretary General of theNational Awami Party.
He was the organiser and stage secretary at the United Democratic Front rally held at Liaquat BaghRawalpindi on 23 March 1973, when shots were fired at the UDF leaders, includingKhan Abdul Wali Khan. In the general melee that followed, a number of UDF and NAP workers were killed by the authorities in their attempt at ending the rally.
Since Ajmal Khattak was a prominent figure in the National Awami Party, he was wanted by theFederal Security Force as part of the general crackdown on NAP. To avoid arrest and possible torture, he fled into self-imposed exile toAfghanistan and stayed there for 16 long years. During this time he was closely associated with thePakhtunistan movement.
During his years inKabul, Ajmal Khattak was a close confidant ofBadshah Khan, and also enjoyed excellent relations with leaders of thePeople's Democratic Party of Afghanistan, including General SecretaryNur Muhammad Taraki,Babrak Karmal andDr. Mohammad Najibullah.[3]
A committedMarxist-Leninist he was the author of many books inPashto and had written 13 books in Pushto and Urdu including aHistory of Pushto Literature (in Urdu),Pakistan Main Qaumi Jamhoori Tehrikin,Da Ghirat Chagha,Batoor,Gul auo Perhar,Guloona auo Takaloona,Jalawatan ki Shairee,Pukhtana Shora andDa Wakht Chagha.In 2006, the Torlandi Pukhto Adabi Tolana, Swabi, conferred on Ajmal Khattak the title of Baba-e-Nazam at a big publicmushaira.
His work has been the subject of renewed interest by the South Asian Studies Department at theUniversity of Pennsylvania, which has translated his works into English.[4]
However, in November 2006, when the government informed him that he was in line for the lucrative award of Sitara-i-Imtiaz, he refused it with a polite note. He was also awarded the Kamal-e-Funn Award 2007 by thePakistan Academy of Letters.[5]
He ended his exile in 1989 after the Awami National Party (ANP), the successor of the NAP, entered into an electoral alliance withNawaz Sharif and hisPakistan Muslim League- led Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (IJI). In the general election of October 1990, Ajmal Khattak was elected from his home district ofNowshera to theNational Assembly of Pakistan, defeating Pervez Khattak of thePakistan Peoples Party (PPP). These elections also signalled the retirement ofKhan Wali Khan after his electoral loss toMaulana Hassan Jan of theJamiat Ulema-e-Islam. Ajmal Khattak was elected as the President of the ANP when Khan Wali Khan stepped down from the post.
In the 1993 general elections, Ajmal Khattak lost his re-election bid in Nowshera to the PPP candidate Major GeneralNaseerullah Babar. As a leading critic of the PPP, it was important for the ANP – IJI alliance to have Ajmal Khattak in parliament, and he was therefore nominated to theSenate of Pakistan in March 1994. His two terms as President of the Awami National Party were noted primarily for the close alliance with former opponents, the Muslim League, after the alliance collapsed in January 1998 over the renaming of the province of NWFP to Pakthunkhwa and Khattak role in leading the Awami National party briefly into joining an alliance known as thePakistan Oppressed Nations Movement (PONM). The decision to join PONM was made despite strong pressure from party critics who preferred the ANP to ally themselves with a Federal party like the Peoples Party. Eventually, Khattak succumbed to party pressure and the Awami National Party left PONM[6] joining the Grand Democratic Alliance which included thePakistan Peoples Party.
He was ousted as ANP President in 2000, after a protracted power struggle withNasim Wali Khan, wife ofKhan Abdul Wali Khan, triggered by accusations of his closeness toPervez Musharraf and his criticism of corrupt politicians in a press conference.[7] Deciding to leave the party he briefly led a splinter group called National Awami Party of Pakistan. His Party was routed in the 2002 general elections amidst the religio-political parties alliance,Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), sweep of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. After the shock victory of the MMA, he rejoined the Awami National Party after efforts by Khan Wali Khan. He retired from active politics in 2003 and was given the title of party patron in Chief.[8]
Khattak died at a local hospital inPeshawar on Sunday, 7 February 2010. He was 85. He had left politics years earlier and had been residing at his native village, Akora Khattak.[9] He was laid to rest a day after his death.[10] On 12 May 2012, Khattak's shrine was blown up by unknown militants in Akora Khattak village.[11]
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| Preceded by | PresidentAwami National Party 1991–1999 | Succeeded by |
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| National | |
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