Khawaja Asif facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Khawaja Muhammad Asif
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خواجہ محمد آصف
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Asif in 2015
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| Minister of Defence | |
| Assumed office 11 March 2024 |
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| President | Asif Ali Zardari |
| Prime Minister | Shehbaz Sharif |
| Preceded by | Anwar Ali Haider (caretaker) |
| In office 19 April 2022 – 10 August 2023 |
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| President | Arif Alvi |
| Prime Minister | Shehbaz Sharif |
| Preceded by | Pervez Khattak |
| Succeeded by | Anwar Ali Haider (caretaker) |
| In office 27 November 2013 – 28 July 2017 |
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| President | Mamnoon Hussain |
| Prime Minister | Nawaz Sharif |
| Preceded by | Naveed Qamar |
| Succeeded by | Khurram Dastgir Khan |
| 33rd Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 4 August 2017 – 26 April 2018 |
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| President | Mamnoon Hussain |
| Prime Minister | Shahid Khaqan Abbasi |
| Preceded by | Sartaj Aziz (as Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs) |
| Succeeded by | Khurram Dastgir Khan |
| Minister for Water and Power | |
| In office 7 June 2013 – 28 July 2017 |
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| President | Mamnoon Hussain |
| Prime Minister | Nawaz Sharif |
| Deputy | Abid Sher Ali |
| Preceded by | Ahmad Mukhtar |
| Succeeded by | Syed Javed Ali Shah (as minister for Water Resources) Shahid Khaqan Abbasi (as minister for Energy) |
| Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources | |
| In office 31 March 2008 – 13 May 2008 |
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| President | Pervez Musharraf |
| Prime Minister | Yusuf Raza Gillani |
| Succeeded by | Asim Hussain |
| Minister for Sports | |
| In office 31 March 2008 – 13 May 2008 |
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| President | Pervez Musharraf |
| Prime Minister | Yusuf Raza Gillani |
| Member of National Assembly of Pakistan | |
| Assumed office 29 February 2024 |
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| Constituency | NA-71 Sialkot-II |
| In office 13 August 2018 – 10 August 2023 |
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| Constituency | NA-73 (Sialkot-II) |
| In office 1 June 2013 – 31 May 2018 |
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| Constituency | NA-110 (Sialkot) |
| In office 17 March 2008 – 16 March 2013 |
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| Constituency | NA-110 (Sialkot) |
| In office 16 November 2002 – 15 November 2007 |
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| Constituency | NA-110 (Sialkot) |
| In office 17 February 1997 – 12 October 1999 |
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| Constituency | NA-110 (Sialkot) |
| In office 19 October 1993 – 5 November 1996 |
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| Constituency | NA-110 (Sialkot) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 9 August 1949 Sialkot, Punjab, Pakistan |
| Political party | Pakistan Muslim League (N) (1993-present) |
| Spouse | Musarrat Asif Khawaja |
| Relations | Farooq Naek (cousin) |
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| Alma mater | University of the Punjab |
Khawaja Muhammad Asif (Urdu: خواجہ محمد آصف; born 9 August 1949) is a Pakistani politician who serves as the Defence Minister of Pakistan from 19 April 2022. Previously having this post from April 2022 to August 2023 in Shehbaz Sharif's Government. Previously, he had also been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from August 2018 till August 2023. Previously, he was a member of the National Assembly from 1993 to 1999 and again from 2002 to 2018 and till date. In May, 2019 he took the charge and became the Parliamentary Leader of PML-N in the National Assembly of Pakistan.
He served as the Minister for Foreign Affairs in the Abbasi cabinet from August 2017 to April 2018 and simultaneously served as the Minister for Defence and Minister for Water and Power in the third Sharif ministry from 2013 to 2017.
Asif began his political career after getting elected to the Senate of Pakistan during the Sharif's first ministry in 1991. Since 1997, he had served as a member of the federal cabinet, in various positions. From 1997 to 1999, he was as the chairman of the Privatization Commission of Pakistan during the second government of Nawaz Sharif. He briefly held the cabinet portfolios of the Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources in the Gillani ministry in 2008, with an additional charge as Minister for Sports.
He is a Member of National Assembly of Pakistan and was elected in 2024 from Sialkot.
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Early life and education
Asif was born on 9 August 1949 in Sialkot, Punjab, to Khawaja Muhammad Safdar, an influential politician. He belongs to a Punjabi family of Kashmiri ancestry, whose ancestors settled in the Punjab generations ago from the Kashmir Valley. He received his early education at Cadet College Hasan Abdal. He attained his bachelor's degree from Government College University Lahore, before getting his L.L.B. degree from the University Law College, Lahore, in 1970. He later earned a Master’s in Economics from the London School of Economics in 1975.
Asif is a banker by profession and has worked in the different banks of the United Arab Emirates, where he lived for several years but returned to Pakistan following his father's death in 1991, in order to continue his father's politics. He has a son and three daughters.
In 2007, he was awarded honorary doctorate degree in international relations by the Geneva School of Diplomacy and International Relations.
Political career
Asif began his political career in 1991 on returning to Pakistan following the death of his father after living in the United Arab Emirates for many years. In 1991, he was elected to the Senate of Pakistan as a candidate of Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N) for three years. He was elected to the National Assembly of Pakistan from Constituency NA-110 (Sialkot) in 1993 general election.
He was re-elected to the National Assembly in 1997 general election Khawaja Asif contested 2002 general election elections from NA 110 and won his seats by taking 42,743 votes.
Asif contested 2008 general election from NA 110 and obtained 73,007 votes.
In 2013 Pakistani general election, Asif was re-elected as a member of the National Assembly from NA 110 taking 92,848 votes against his opponent Usman Dar who obtained 71,573 votes.
He was re-elected to the National Assembly as a candidate of PML-N from Constituency NA-73 (Sialkot-II) in 2018 Pakistani general election. He received 116,957 votes and defeated Usman Dar who received 115,464 votes. He supports financially independent Pakistan. In May, 2019 he took the charge and became the Parliamentary Leader of PMLN in the National Assembly of Pakistan.
He was re-elected to the National Assembly of Pakistan as a candidate of PML-N from constituency NA-71 Sialkot-II in 2024 Pakistani general election, he received 119,001 and defeated Independent Candidate Rehana Imtiaz Dar, who is mother of Asif's former election rival Usman Dar, She received 100,482 votes.
Ministerial career
In 1997 Government
He was appointed as the chairman of the Privatization Commission of Pakistan with the status of a minister during Second Nawaz Sharif ministry in 1997. His tenure was terminated following the counter-coup 1999 coup d'état in which then Chief of Army Staff, Pervez Musharraf, overthrew Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in response to Sharif indirectly hijacking Musharraf's plane and ordering it to land outside Pakistan.
During 2008 coalition government
He was briefly appointed as the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Resources, as well as the Minister of Sports in the Gillani ministry in 2008 before his party pulled out of the Pakistan Peoples Party-led coalition government.
During 2013 Third Nawaz Sharif ministry
In June 2013, he was appointed as the Minister of Water and Power and later given additional portfolio of Minister of Defence in November 2013 under Third Nawaz Sharif ministry.
During 2017 Abbasi ministry
He had ceased to hold ministerial office in July 2017 when the federal cabinet was disbanded following the resignation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif after Panama Papers case decision. Following the election of Shahid Khaqan Abbasi as Prime Minister of Pakistan, Asif was inducted into the federal cabinet of Abbasi and was appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs for the first time. Earlier, Pakistan had no Minister for Foreign Affairs since the PML-N came to power in May 2013 as former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif himself held the cabinet portfolio of foreign affairs.
