Farooq Leghari facts for kids

Quick facts for kids His Excellency Farooq Leghari فاروق لغاری
Farooq Ahmad Khan Leghari
8th President of Pakistan
In office 14 November 1993 – 2 December 1997
Prime Minister	Benazir Bhutto Malik Meraj Khalid (acting) Nawaz Sharif
Preceded by	Wasim Sajjad (acting)
Succeeded by	Wasim Sajjad (acting)
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office 19 October 1993 – 14 November 1993
Prime Minister	Benazir Bhutto
Preceded by	Abdul Sattar (acting)
Succeeded by	Aseff Ahmad Ali
Minister for Water and Power
In office 28 December 1988 – 6 August 1990
Prime Minister	Benazir Bhutto
Preceded by	Wazir Ahmad Jogezai
Succeeded by	Shahzada Muhammad Yousaf
Personal details
Born	Sardar Farooq Ahmad Khan Leghari (1940-05-29)29 May 1940 Choti Zareen, Dera Ghazi Khan District, Punjab, British India (now Pakistan)
Died	20 October 2010(2010-10-20) (aged 70) Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Resting place	Choti Zareen, Dera Ghazi Khan, Pakistan
Political party	Pakistan Muslim League (Q) (2002–2010)
Other political affiliations	Pakistan People's Party (1988–1997) Millat Party (1997–2002)
Children	Awais Leghari Jamal Leghari
Education	Aitchison College, Forman Christian College St Catherine's College, Oxford

Farooq Ahmad Khan Leghari (Urdu: سردار فاروق احمد خان لغاری; 29 May 1940 – 20 October 2010) was an important Pakistani politician. He served as the eighth President of Pakistan from 1993 to 1997. He was the first person from the Baloch community to become president.

Born into a well-known Baloch family, Leghari studied at famous schools in Pakistan and at St Catherine's College, Oxford in the United Kingdom. After returning home, he became a civil servant in 1964. Later, he entered politics in 1973. He became a Senator for Punjab and then a minister. In the 1980s, he led protests against the government at that time. He was elected to the National Assembly in 1988.

Farooq Leghari was chosen to be president by Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in 1993. However, he later had disagreements with her. He even dismissed her government in 1996. His political goals then clashed with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. This led to his resignation in 1997. He continued to be active in politics, starting his own party called "Millat Party." He later joined the PML(Q). Farooq Leghari passed away in 2010 due to a heart illness.

Early Life and Education

Farooq Leghari was born on 29 May 1940 in a village called Choti Zareen. This village is in the Dera Ghazi Khan District of Punjab, which was part of British India then. The title Sardar before his name showed that he was the chief of his Leghari Tribe. His family was wealthy and had many members who were traditional chiefs. They had been active in politics since the time of the British Raj.

His father, Muhammad Khan Leghari, and his grandfather, Sir Muhammad Jamal Khan Leghari, were progressive leaders. They worked to modernize their tribe. His father was involved in the movement to create Pakistan and was even jailed for it in 1946. After Pakistan was formed, his father served as a minister in the government of Punjab.

Farooq Leghari went to the famous Aitchison College in Lahore. He was a top student and graduated in 1957. Then, he attended Forman Christian College University, where he earned a degree in Economics in 1960. He later went to the United Kingdom to study at St Catherine's College, Oxford. There, he earned a master's degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics.

Leghari was also a keen sportsman. He played tennis and was the captain of his college tennis team. He also played polo. In 1974, he represented Pakistan as a shooter at the 1974 Asian Games in Iran. Farooq Leghari owned a lot of land, about 40,500 acres. After he passed away, his son Jamal Khan Leghari became the chief of the Leghari tribe.

Joining Politics

After finishing his studies, Farooq Leghari joined the Central Superior Services in 1964. He worked as a civil servant in East Pakistan before returning to West Pakistan. In 1973, he left his civil service job. He joined the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) after being invited by Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.

In 1975, he was elected as a Senator for Punjab. He then won a seat in the National Assembly in the 1977 elections. He was appointed as the Minister of Defence Production. He also became the Secretary-General of the PPP in 1978.

During the 1980s, he became a key figure in protests against President Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq's government. He was even imprisoned several times by the police for his activism. Leghari was elected again in the 1988 general elections. He became the Minister for Water and Power under Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

His term as minister ended when President Ghulam Ishaq Khan dismissed Prime Minister Bhutto's government. Leghari won his seat again in the 1990 elections. He served as the Deputy Leader of the Opposition when Benazir Bhutto was in opposition.

In 1993, he became the Finance Minister in a temporary government. During this time, he hosted an important Islamic conference in Karachi. He was re-elected to the National Assembly in the 1993 general elections. He was the only PPP member from his area to win. Later, Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto appointed him as the Foreign Minister. Soon after, he was nominated for the presidency.

President of Pakistan

Farooq Leghari was known for his "clean reputation." This helped him gain support from Prime Minister Bhutto and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). He was nominated for president and ran against Wasim Sajjad, who was the acting president.

Leghari won the election with 274 votes, while Wasim Sajjad received 168 votes. On 13 November 1993, Sardar Farooq Leghari became the eighth President of Pakistan. He promised to support Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

However, his political relationship with Benazir Bhutto began to change in 1995. They started to disagree on important policy matters. One major disagreement was about the appointment of senior judges to the Supreme Court of Pakistan. President Leghari supported the Chief Justice, Sajjad Ali Shah, in these appointments. This caused problems with Prime Minister Bhutto.

The situation became worse due to economic problems in the country. There were also concerns about corruption involving some senior ministers. President Leghari decided to dismiss Benazir Bhutto's government in November 1996. He used a special power in the Constitution to do this, citing issues like corruption and economic difficulties.

Resignation

After dismissing Bhutto's government, a temporary government was formed. New elections were held in 1997, and Nawaz Sharif became Prime Minister again with a strong majority. Prime Minister Sharif then removed the special power that allowed the president to dismiss the government. This made the president's role less powerful.

President Leghari wanted to be re-elected for a second term. However, his chances were low because his party had lost influence. Problems also grew between Chief Justice Shah and Prime Minister Sharif. President Leghari tried to support the Chief Justice. This led to Prime Minister Sharif considering a move to remove President Leghari from office.

To avoid this, Farooq Leghari resigned from the presidency on 2 December 1997. The Chief Justice also resigned around the same time.

After the Presidency

After resigning, Farooq Leghari remained active in politics. He started his own political party called the Millat Party. This party joined a group of seven parties called the National Alliance. They participated in the 2002 general elections. The National Alliance won enough seats to form a government with the PML(Q).

In 2004, he left his own party and joined the PML(Q). His son, Awais Leghari, became a cabinet member. His other son, Jamal Leghari, was elected as a member of the Senate for the PML(Q). In 2003, Leghari explained that he had dismissed Prime Minister Bhutto because rules were not being followed.

Death

Farooq Leghari had been battling a heart illness since the 2000s. He passed away on 20 October 2010 in Rawalpindi due to heart complications. He was undergoing surgery at the Combined Military Hospital when he died.

Many people, including political leaders, attended his funeral. He was buried in his home village of Choti Zareen, in Dera Ghazi Khan District, Punjab, Pakistan, on 21 October 2010.

See also

In Spanish: Farooq Leghari para niños

• 1993 in Pakistan
• Pakistan Peoples Party
• Parliamentary history of Pakistan