Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar Khan

Chaudhry Sarwar Khan meeting President Suharto

Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar Khan (Urdu: چوہدری محمد سرور خان‎; died 2003) was a renowned and longest serving Parliamentarian in the history of Pakistan.^[1] He served in Provincial Assembly of the Punjab and National Assembly of Pakistan from 1951 to 1999. The first direct elections held in Pakistan after independence were for the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab between 10–20 March 1951. He was elected as a Member of Legislative Assembly in 1951. He was again elected in the 1962 and 1964 Provincial Assembly elections in Pakistan. ^[2]

He was elected as Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan in 1985, 1988, 1990, 1993 and 1997 General Elections.^[3] In 1972 he accompanied Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto for Simla Agreement in India. On 24 December 1981, a Federal Council (Majlis-e-Shoora) was constituted by then President General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, Its members were nominated by the President. Khan served in the Federal Council from 1982–1984.^{[citation needed]}. In 1997 he was appointed as Chairman Parliamentary Special Committee on Kashmir by then Prime Minister of Pakistan Muhammad Nawaz Sharif. He led Kashmir Committee composed of 26 MNA’s from May 1997 to October 1999.^[4]

Following the landslide victory of Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) in the 1997 parliamentary elections, Khan was nominated as the presidential candidate by the party but ultimately Nawaz Sharif appointed Rafique Tarar as the president of Pakistan.^{[citation needed]}.

After the 1999 coup d'état staged by general Pervez Musharraf, Prime minister Nawaz Sharif was exiled to Saudi Arabia. Following the exile, Khan was nominated as the party president, however due to old age and deteriorating health he refused the party presidency and it was passed on to Makhdoom Javed Hashmi. ^[5] Khan was referred as"Baba-e-Muslim League" by Nawaz Sharif due to his lifelong services in politics of Pakistan.^{[citation needed]}.

During Kargil War, as the Chairman of National Assembly Kashmir Committee, Khan addressed the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) in Geneva and asked the world powers to give Kashmiris the right of self-determination according to UN resolutions.^{[citation needed]}

Family Background

Ch. Muhammad Sarwar Khan was a respected Muslim Sulehria politician of Rupochack, Narowal. His father Khan Bahadur Qasim and uncle Kazim Khan both served in the British Indian army. Khan Bahadur Qasim won the 1937 election from the state of Kashmir and Jammu and his younger brother Kazim khan held a top bureaucratic post in British Raj after retirement. Ch.Muhammad Sarwar Khan's grandfather Hashim Khan also served in the British Indian army during World War I in "58th Vaughan's Rifles (Frontier Force)" regiment and was awarded the Highest "Medal of Gallantry" during his service with Lord Kitchener in the Third Anglo-Afghan War. Hashim khan's father Sazawar Khan died fighting against the British during 1857 Indian Mutiny, his grandfather Abdul Nabi Khan was a Nawab in the Mughal court (No Hazari) and was under an obligation to provide 9000 troops to the Mughal Empire. ^[6]

He has two sons, Barrister Mansoor Sarwar Khan and Tahir Sarwar Khan. His son Barrister Mansoor Sarwar Khan is the Central Punjab President of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Central Punjab is composed of Lahore and Gujranwala divisions having ten districts altogether. ^[7]

References

1. Jump up^ "DISTRICT & SESSIONS COURT, NAROWAL". District Courts Narowal. Retrieved 2012-12-03.
2. Jump up^ "Punjab Assembly of Pakistan". Na.gov.pk. Retrieved 2012-12-17.
3. Jump up^ "Election Commission of Pakistan". Ecp.gov.pk. Retrieved 2012-11-23.
4. Jump up^ "National Assembly of Pakistan". Na.gov.pk. Retrieved 2012-12-02.
5. Jump up^ "Geo news pakistan". siasat.pk. Retrieved 2012-12-02.
6. Jump up^ Page 151, Fateh  by Haroon-ur-Rasheed, Aligarh books Pakistan 2007
7. Jump up^ "Dawn Newspaper". dawn.com.