Sahibzada Muhammad Ishaq Zaffar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sahibzada Muhammad Ishaq Zaffar
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| President of Azad Kashmir | |
| Speaker 1990–1991 | |
Sahibzada Muhammad Ishaq Zaffar (Urdu: صاحبزادہ محمد اسحاق ظفر), also known as Ishaq Zaffar, was an important Pakistani politician from Azad Kashmir. He was born in 1945 and passed away in 2006. He held many different jobs in the Azad Kashmir government from the 1970s until his death. He was a member of the Pakistan People's Party, served in the Azad Kashmir Assembly, and was even the Speaker of the Assembly and Acting President of Azad Kashmir. At the time of his death, he was the leader of the opposition. He ran for election five times and won every time.
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Early Life and Family
Ishaq Zaffar was born on September 12, 1944, in a village called Bani Hafiz in Hattian Bala, Azad Kashmir. His family was known for its spiritual leaders and saints in the area. His father was Hafiz Abdul Latif.
Sadly, Zaffar was born an orphan. His uncle, Hafiz Mian Muhammad Yunus, who was a local Sufi saint, raised him. Today, his uncle's tomb is a special shrine in the village.
Education Journey
Zaffar finished his early schooling in Chikar Tehsil, which is now part of Hattian Bala. After that, he moved to Karachi to study law. He also earned two master's degrees from Karachi University. He studied political science and Urdu.
His Political Career
Before he became a politician, Ishaq Zaffar worked as a primary school teacher. He later left his teaching job to join Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto's Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in the early 1970s. He was one of the first people to help start the Pakistan Peoples Party in Azad Kashmir.
Zaffar was a lawyer and even served as the president of the Muzaffarabad Bar Association. He strongly supported the Bhutto family. He spent about 30 months in jail because he spoke out against the governments of Zia ul Haq and Pervez Musharraf. During times of military rule in Pakistan, he bravely spoke up for bringing back democracy. He did this as part of a group called the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD).
He was considered very close to Benazir Bhutto, who was a famous leader. He was the president of the Pakistan Peoples Party in Azad Kashmir and a member of its main committee. He often joined Benazir Bhutto at rallies and election campaigns. He was known for being a very good speaker, and Benazir Bhutto herself admired his speaking skills. He also represented the Azad Kashmir government at the United Nations to talk about the Kashmir conflict.
Ishaq Zaffar always stayed loyal to the Pakistan Peoples Party, even during difficult times. From 1996 to 2001, he served as a senior minister in the PPP government led by Barrister Sultan Mahmood.
He strongly believed in keeping the parliamentary system going and making it better. In July 2004, he became the president of the PPP in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Even though Zaffar was loyal to the party, Barrister Sultan Mehmood did not accept him as president and started his own party.
In the 2006 Azad Kashmir elections, Zaffar was a candidate for prime minister but was defeated. He was then appointed as the Opposition Leader of the AJ&K Assembly in July 2006.
Important Roles He Held
- Acting President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir: From July 20 to July 29, 1991.
- Speaker of the AJ&K Legislative Assembly: From 1990 to 1991.
- Senior Minister: From 1996 to 2001.
- Opposition Leader: From July to September 2006.
- He also led the Pakistan Peoples Party in Azad Kashmir and was a member of its central committee from 1993 to 2006.
His Family
Ishaq Zaffar's cousin, Sahibzada Irfan Danish, was also a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from 1990 to 1991. Another cousin, Hafiz Muhammad Shafi, is a respected spiritual figure in the area. Zaffar's sister, Professor Anwar Kausar, was a well-known educator and poet.
Ishaq Zaffar was married twice and had 7 sons and 6 daughters. Some of his children also became important figures. His daughter, Nargis Zaffar, was a member of the Punjab Assembly in Pakistan from 2008 to 2013. His son, Ashfaq Zaffar, is a senior vice president of the PPP AJK. Javed Iqbal Budhanvi, who was the Food Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, is his son-in-law.
His Passing
Ishaq Zaffar passed away from a heart attack on September 2, 2006, in Rawalpindi. After his death, his oldest son, Ashfaq, continued the family's political journey by running for election in his father's place.
His Lasting Impact
Ishaq Zaffar is remembered as a fair politician in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Even his political opponents, like Farooq Haider Khan, Attique Ahmed Khan, and Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry, have praised his contributions to politics and the people of AJK.
He belonged to the majority Gujjar community in Azad Kashmir. However, he was respected for being neutral and fair. There were no accusations of corruption against him during his four decades in politics.
