Ahmad Mukhtar

This article is about the Defence Minister of Pakistan. For the Iraqi musician, see Ahmed Mukhtar.

Chaudhry
Ahmad Mukhtar
Minister for Water and Power
In office
4 June 2012 – 16 March 2013
PresidentAsif Ali Zardari
Prime MinisterYousaf Raza Gillani
Preceded byNaveed Qamar
ConstituencyNA-105(Gujrat-II)
Defence Minister of Pakistan
In office
31 March 2008 – 3 June 2012
PresidentAsif Ali Zardari
Prime MinisterYousaf Raza Gillani
Preceded byRao Sikandar Iqbal
Succeeded byNaveed Qamar
Personal details
Born(1946-06-22)22 June 1946
Lahore, Punjab, British India
Died25 November 2020(2020-11-25) (aged 74)
Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
Political partyPakistan Peoples Party
Children3[1]
Alma materForman Christian College

Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar (Urdu: احمد مختار; 22 June 1946 – 25 November 2020) was a Pakistani politician and businessman who served as the Defence Minister of Pakistan in the PM Yousaf Raza Gillani-led cabinet.[2] He also owned Servis Group and founded Shalimar Hospital.[3]

He was a central leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party from Gujrat District and he defeated Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain from Gujrat NA-105 in 1993[4] & 2008,[5] the leader of PML-Q party, who was allied with President Pervez Musharraf, in Pakistan's 2008 elections.

Early life and career

Born in Lahore, Ahmad Mukhtar did his Operational Management from California, United States and a Diploma in Plastic Technology from West Germany.[6] Mukhtar was also a graduate of Forman Christian College University. He was a businessman who started his political career in 1990 on PPP platform. His brother Ahmad Saeed served as PIA Managing director (from April 2001) and PIA chairman (from April 2003, both until April 2005) during the General Pervez Musharraf era. Ahmad Mukhtar himself took the role of chairman PIA from May 2008. He was an industrialist and served as Commerce Minister in the 1993–1996 Benazir Bhutto government. He was considered the most likely candidate to be the next Prime Minister of Pakistan, along with Ameen Faheem, Yousaf Raza Gillani and Shah Mehmood Qureshi, but was later denied, when Yousaf Raza Gillani was announced as the new PM on 22 March 2008.[7] He became the Defence Minister in the coalition government of PPP, PML-N, ANP and JUI-F formed after 2008 elections on 31 March 2008.[8] He was also the brother-in-law of former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, Ijaz Butt.[9] He belonged to a Jat family of Gujrat.

Death

Ahmad Mukhtar died after prolonged illness on 25 November 2020, aged 74.[10]

References

  1. ^ Children
  2. ^ Sajjad Malik, "24-member federal cabinet takes oath" Daily Times, 1 April 2008
  3. ^ Gabol, Dawn com | Imran (25 November 2020). "Senior PPP leader Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar passes away in Lahore". DAWN.COM.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ 10th National Assembly of Pakistan, "NA-81(Gujrat-II) Result" Archived 10 April 2013 at the Wayback Machine ECP, 6 August 2014
  5. ^ 2008 Elections Result, "NA-105 (Gujrat-II) Result" Archived 8 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine ECP, 6 August 2014
  6. ^ Pakistan Herald, "Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar" Archived 20 September 2020 at the Wayback Machine Pakistan Herald, 7 August 2014
  7. ^ Ameen Faheem says he is candidate for PM Daily Times, 10 March 2008
  8. ^ Amir Wasim, "Parties finally clinch deal on key ministries" Dawn Newspaper, 29 March 2008
  9. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 23 January 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. ^ Former Defense Minister Ahmad Mukhtar Passes Away
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Political offices
Preceded by
Salim Abbas Jilani
(caretaker)
 Defence Minister of Pakistan
2008 – 4 July 2012 		Succeeded by