Quick Facts
Biography
Khawaja Muhammad Asif (Urdu: خواجہ محمد آصف; born 9 August 1949) is a Pakistani politician who is the current Minister of Defence and Minister of Water and Power in the third Sharif ministry. A leader of Pakistan Muslim League, Asif was born in Sialkot, and was educated at the Government College Lahore, later attending the University Law College. Prior to entering politics, he worked as a banker in the Middle East.
Asif began his political career as the member of the Senate of Pakistan during the Sharif's first ministry in 1991 and had been a member of the federal cabinet, in various positions, since 1997. From 1997 to 1999, he served as the chairman of the Privatization Commission of Pakistan in the second Sharif's ministry with the status of a minister. He briefly held the cabinet portfolios of the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Resources in the Gillani ministry with an additional charge as Minister of Sports in 2008.
Asif has been an elected member of the National Assembly of Pakistan since 1993 representing Sialkot. In 2013, Asif was appointed as the Minister for Water and Power and Minister for Defence of Pakistan.
Early life and education
Asif was born on 9 August 1949 in Sialkot to Khawaja Muhammad Safdar.
Asif attained his bachelor's degree from Government College Lahore, and an L.L.B. degree from the University Law College, Lahore.
He is a banker by profession and has worked in the different banks of the United Arab Emirates where he lived for several years until 1999.
He has a son and three daughters.
Political career
Asif started his political career in 1991 after returning to Pakistan after living in the United Arab Emirates for many years following the death of his father. In 1991, for the first time he was elected as the member of the Senate of Pakistan on seat of PML-N only for three years.
In Pakistani general election, 1993, for the first time he was elected as the member of National Assembly of Pakistan from constituency NA-110 (Sialkot).
In Pakistani general election, 1997, he was re-elected as member of the National Assembly for the second time and was later appointed as the chairman of the Privatization Commission of Pakistan with the status of a minister during Sharif's second ministry. His tenure was terminated in October 1999 after the 1999 Pakistani coup d'état in which then Chief of Army Staff, Pervez Musharraf, overthrew elected Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his existing elected government. National Accountability Bureau took Asif into its custody soon on corruption charges after the military takeover but later, he was released for the lack of any evidence against him. Asif came closer to Nawaz Sharif during the Musharraf rule for keeping the PML-N alive.
In Pakistani general election, 2002, Asif was re-elected as the member of National Assembly for the third time. After getting re-elected as member of the National Assembly in Pakistani general election, 2008 for the fourth time, he was briefly appointed as the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Resources, as well as the Minister of Sports during the Gillani ministry, before his party pulled out of the Pakistan Peoples Party-led coalition government.
In Pakistani general election, 2013, Asif was re-elected as the member of National Assembly for the fifth time. In June 2013, he was appointed as the Minister of Water and Power as well Minister of Defence in November 2013 under Sharif's third ministry. Asif's seat challenged by Usman Dar from PTI, alleging him for fake votes. On 10 November 2016 Supreme Court dismissed this petition.
In 2013, Dawn reported that Asif enjoyed the strong support of his Kashmiri community from his home constituency, Sialkot and was considered close to Nawaz Sharif.
Controversies
In June 2012, a petition admitted by the Supreme Court of Pakistan's registrar stated that Asif holds dual nationality, and hence, according to Pakistan's constitution, he is not eligible to hold public office in Pakistan. Following which the Federal Investigations Agency and the Supreme Court began an investigation pursuing inquiries of Asif's dual nationality charges. The court did not find him guilty of the charges petitioned against him; the petitioner who levelled the charges withdrew the accusations and issued a formal apology.
In October 2012, Imran Khan filed a damages suit of Rs 10 billion against Asif for levelling allegations against the Shaukat Khanam Memorial Trust after Asif hurled allegations of misusing charity funds and money laundering on Khan. Asif also alleged that Khan was a fraud and collects money from Pakistani expatriates in the name of charity.
In June 2016, Asif was subject to intense criticism over unpleasant comments against Shireen Mazari.
In September 2016, in an interview with a local TV channel Asif said that Pakistan will use nuclear weapons against India if provoked. This threatening statement comes after rising tensions between India and Pakistan after the Uri attack and boycott of the 19th SAARC summit in Islamabad by India, Bangladesh and Bhutan. In December 2016, Asif threatened to use nuclear weapons against Israel after a fake news report claimed that Avigdor Lieberman, the Israeli Ministry of Defense, said "If Pakistan send ground troops into Syria on any pretext, we will destroy this country with a nuclear attack."