Muhammad Safdar Awan | |
|---|---|
| محمد صفدراعوان | |
| Member of theNational Assembly of Pakistan | |
| In office 1 June 2013 – 31 May 2018 | |
| Constituency | NA-21 (Mansehra-cum-Tor Ghar) |
| In office June 2008 – March 2013 | |
| Constituency | NA-52 (Rawalpindi-III) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1964-01-19)19 January 1964 (age 61) Mansehra,Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,Pakistan |
| Spouse | Maryam Nawaz |
| Relatives | Sajjad Awan (brother) |
| Nickname | Captain Safdar |
Muhammad Safdar Awan (Hindko andUrdu:محمد صفدر اعوان; born 19 January 1964) is a Pakistani politician and retiredPakistan Army officer who has been a member of theNational Assembly of Pakistan from June 2008 to May 2018.
He is married to thePMLN supremoNawaz Sharif's daughterMaryam Nawaz.
Often referred as Captain Safdar by his loyalists and in the media due to his past military career, because of his critical stance onsecularism, his vocal support ofMumtaz Qadri and his repeated statements targeting theAhmadiyya movement, he's generally considered to be afar-right politician.[1]
According toPILDAT, Safdar was born on 19 January 1963.[2] According toThe News International andDawn, he was born on 19 January 1964.[3][4]
Safdar belongs to a traditionallySufi family and his father Muhammad Ishaq, who passed away in 2014, was a writer, being a poet and an essayist specialized in Islamic affairs. His father was also the General Secretary of theUC Garhi Habibullah. Safdar was raised in the house of Naseem Khan Swati, a Khan ofGarhi Habibullah and tribal chief ofSwatis. His elder brotherSajjad Awan is also a politician. He also has a younger brother, Tahir Awan.[5]
He joined thePakistan Army after completing his early education.[3]
Safdar marriedMaryam Nawaz in 1992 while he was serving as captain in the Pakistan Army[6] and has been theADC toNawaz Sharif during the latter's tenure as Prime Minister of Pakistan.[7][8] After retiring from the Pakistan Army as captain[9] he joined the civil services and was posted as LahoreModel Town assistant commissioner.[3][10]
Safdar joined politics after returning to Pakistan in 2007 along with theSharif family.[3]
He was elected to theNational Assembly as a candidate ofPakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N) fromConstituency NA-52 (Rawalpindi-III) in the by-election held in June 2008.[11] He received 54,917 votes[12] and defeated a candidate ofPakistan Muslim League (Q).[13] The seat was vacated byNisar Ali Khan.[3]
In 2011, Safdar was made the chief organiser of the PML-N Youth Wing.[3][14]
In 2012, he was suspended from PML-N for verbally abusing leaders of PML-N.[3][15]
Safdar was re-elected to the National Assembly as a candidate of PML-N fromConstituency NA-21 (Mansehra-cum-Tor Ghar) in2013 Pakistani general election.[16][17] He received 91,013 votes and a candidate ofJamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F).[18]
In May 2016, Safdar was reported to theElection Commission of Pakistan (ECP) byImran Khan for concealing Maryam Nawaz’ assets. He denied it, however he was still summoned by ECP in June 2016.[19][20]
In June 2018, he was allocated PML-N ticket to contest the 2018 general election fromConstituency NA-14 (Mansehra-cum-Torghar).[21]
In July 2018, he was sentenced to one-year jail term in the Avenfield corruption reference filed by theNational Accountability Bureau.[22] As a result, he was disqualified from contesting election for 10 years.[23] The next day, he arrived in Rawalpindi and surrendered to the authorities.[24] In September 2018, he was released on bail over the Avenfield corruption charges.[25]
On 19 October 2020, Safdar was arrested from a Karachi hotel for “violating the sanctity of Quaid's mausoleum” and was released on bail the same day.[26]
Safdar has been called "a vocal critic ofsecular politicians."[27]
In 2012, he publicly supported Islamic fundamentalistMumtaz Qadri[28][29] who assassinated former Governor of PunjabSalmaan Taseer for speaking against theblasphemy law.[30]
He has often voiced his concerns against theAhmadiyya community in Pakistan and called for a ban on hiring Ahmadis in the armed forces and other important institutions of the country.[31] He has been criticized for his statements against Ahmaddiya community.[32]
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