Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) stalwart Senator Mushahidullah Khan, who was set to retire from the upper house of parliament on March 11, passed away in Islamabad early Thursday morning at the age of 68.
The cause of death was not immediately clear. However, according to various media reports the PML-N leader was seriously ill since December last year.
An outspoken and aggressive PML-N loyalist, Mushahidullah had no qualms about hitting his opponents below the belt and it seemed that this unflinching, aggressive loyalty is what endeared him to the Sharif brothers all these years. Let’s have a look into the life of senior PML-N politician .
Early Life
Born in 1953 in Rawalpindi, Mushahidullah Khan has been a member of the Senate of Pakistan since March 2018 and previously served as a minister for climate change in Nawaz Sharif’s third term as the prime minister.
He received his early education from Islamia High School in Rawalpindi and also completed his graduation from Gordon College in the garrison town. He completed his law degree from Karachi University in 1997.
An Aggressive leader
Mushahidullah was an important part of PML-N since 1990. An outspoken and aggressive PML-N loyalist, Mushahidullah was not a man known to mince words. His aggressive loyalty is what endeared him to the Sharif brothers all these years.
Following the Oct 1999 coup staged by retired General Pervez Musharraf, when most of the Sharifs’ comrades-in-arms jumped ship and joined the king’s party, Mushahidullah chose to take on the military strongman head on.
Within 24 hours of General Musharraf taking over, on Oct 13, Mushahidullah convened a press conference where he was less than flattering about the newly-imposed military regime and summarily resigned from the two lucrative positions he held at the time; as an administrator of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation and as an adviser to the Ministry of Labour and Manpower.
For his troubles, he was imprisoned and, by his own admission, had to endure several “atrocities” perpetrated by the military regime of the time. His temper and lack of a filter when it came to making public statements often landed him in hot water.
From quarreling with fellow guests on TV talk shows to provoking opposition parliamentarians on the floor of the house, his fellow party leaders said that he seldom played nice.
Mushahidullah was a trusted aide of Nawaz ever since the latter was forced into exile. First appointed party information secretary and later made a senator in 2009, he also served as the party spokesperson for many years.
BBC Interview controversy
In August 2015, he was forced to resign as the Minister for Climate Change after he, in an interview to the BBC, alleged that former ISI head Zaheer-ul-Islam wanted to overthrow the civil and military leadership of Pakistan during the 2014 Azadi march.
In his interview, Mushahidullah alleged that during Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s meeting with army chief Gen Raheel Sharif on July 28, 2014, an audiotape was played in which Lt. Gen Zaheerul Islam could be heard giving orders to ransack the PM House and spread chaos.
The tape, claimed the federal minister, was obtained by officials of the civilian intelligence agency – Intelligence Bureau. “On hearing the audiotape, Gen Raheel summoned the ISI chief to the meeting and played the tape in front of him,” said Mushahidullah.
When Zaheerul Islam confirmed that the voice was his own, the army chief asked him to leave, claimed Mushahidullah in his interview with BBC. Later, the PML-N forced Mushahidullah to resign from the ministry.
