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117-568: ANP was the largest Pashtun nationalist party in Pakistan between 2008−2013 with influence lying in the Pashtun dominated areas in and around Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa . They governed the province from 2008 to 2013 but lost to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in the assembly election of 2013. Abdul Wali Khan 's political career had been built on the tradition of intense Pashtun nationalism inherited from his father, Abdul Ghaffar Khan (Bacha Khan). Although it

234-787: A Muslim bloc. Nawaz included environmentalism in his government platform, and established the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency in 1997. Following the imposition and passing of Resolution 660 , 661 , and 665 , Nawaz sided with the United Nations on the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait . Nawaz's government criticised Iraq for invading the fellow Muslim country, which strained Pakistan's relationships with Iraq. This continued as Pakistan sought to strengthen its relations with Iran . This policy continued under Benazir Bhutto and Pervez Musharraf until

351-486: A brother. From her maternal side, she was the maternal granddaughter of the wrestler The Great Gama (Ghulam Mohammad Baksh Butt). She married Nawaz Sharif in April 1970. The couple have four children: Maryam , Asma, Hassan and Hussain. Nawaz suffered financial losses when his family's steel business was appropriated under the nationalisation policies of former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto . Nawaz entered politics as

468-429: A conservative platform and vowed to reduce government corruption. Nawaz introduced an economy based on privatisation and economic liberalisation to reverse the nationalisation by Zulfikar Bhutto, notably for banks and industries. He legalised foreign money exchange to be transacted through private money exchangers. His privatisation policies were continued by both Benazir Bhutto in the mid-1990s and Shaukat Aziz in

585-513: A continuation of the US Atoms for Peace programme. In 1993, Nawaz established the Institute of Nuclear Engineering (INE) to promote his policy for the peaceful use of nuclear energy. Nawaz suffered a major loss of political support from the co-operatives societies scandal. These societies accept deposits from members and can legally make loans only to members for purposes to the benefit of

702-533: A danger in the consolidation of the Ghaznavids and invaded their capital city of Ghazni both in the reign of Sebuktigin and in that of his son Mahmud , which initiated the Muslim Ghaznavid and Hindu Shahi struggles. Sebuk Tigin, however, defeated him, and he was forced to pay an indemnity. Jayapala defaulted on the payment and took to the battlefield once more. Jayapala however, lost control of

819-590: A halt. During this time, Benazir Bhutto and the centre-left PPP remained neutral, but her brother Murtaza Bhutto exerted pressure which suspended the operation. The period of 1992–1994 is considered the bloodiest in the history of the city, with many people missing. Nawaz had campaigned on a conservative platform and after assuming office announced his economic policy under the National Economic Reconstruction Programme (NERP). This programme introduced an extreme level of

936-557: A legal proceeding, a division bench, consisting of Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Aamir Farooq and Justice Miangul Hasan Aurangzeb, adjudicated Nawaz Sharif's appeals challenging his sentences in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia Steel Mills cases. The outcome of these proceedings resulted in the acquittal of PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif on 29 November 2023 from charges related to the Avenfield Apartments references by

1053-578: A province of old "British India" [which no longer exists]. It is wrongful because it suppresses the social entity of these people. In fact, it suppresses that entity so completely that when composing the name "Pakistan" for our homelands, I had to call the North-West Frontier Province the Afghan Province. Suggestions for new names came and went. Although some of the names were ethnically neutral, most proposals emphasised

1170-502: A referendum on the issue as a way of determining the name. These offers were rejected by the ANP leadership and the ANP withdrew from both the federal and provincial governments. The lack of support for a name change by the PML (N) was defended as opposition to the nationalistic politics being pursued by the ANP. In May 2008, to accommodate a demand by the people of NWFP who voted for the ANP,

1287-664: A result, initially focused on regaining control of the steel plants. In 1976, Nawaz joined the Pakistan Muslim League (PML), a conservative front rooted in the Punjab province. In May 1980, Ghulam Jilani Khan , the recently appointed military governor of Punjab and a former Director-General of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), was seeking new urban leaders; he quickly promoted Nawaz, making him finance minister . In 1981, Nawaz joined

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1404-454: A stable conservative government and improve overall conditions. Nawaz was sworn as prime minister on 17 February. Nawaz had formed an alliance with Altaf Hussain of the MQM which fell apart following the assassination of Hakim Said . Nawaz then removed the MQM from parliament and assumed control of Karachi while MQM was forced underground. This led Nawaz to claim an exclusive mandate, and for

1521-545: Is a Pakistani businessman and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Pakistan for three non-consecutive terms. He is the longest-serving prime minister of Pakistan, having served a total of more than 9 years across three tenures. Each term has ended in his ousting. Born into the upper-middle-class Sharif family in Lahore , Nawaz is the son of Muhammad Sharif , the founder of Ittefaq and Sharif groups. He

1638-432: Is a province of Pakistan . Located in the northwestern region of the country, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the fourth largest province of Pakistan by land area and the third-largest province by population. It is bordered by Balochistan to the south; Punjab , Islamabad Capital Territory , and Azad Kashmir to the east; and Gilgit-Baltistan to the north and northeast. It shares an international border with Afghanistan to

1755-601: Is characterized by frequent invasions by various empires, largely due to its geographical proximity to the historically important Khyber Pass . Although it is colloquially known by a variety of other names, the name "Khyber Pakhtunkhwa" was brought into effect for the North-West Frontier Province in April 2010, following the passing of the 18th Constitutional Amendment . On 24 May 2018, the National Assembly of Pakistan voted in favour of

1872-478: Is here as part of a visitors programme that brings important people from other nations for meeting US civil and military officials and members of the civic society." This was Wali Khan's second such visit to the United States, a country where he has several relatives. In the last decade, hundreds of members of the ANP have been assassinated or became victims of target killings. Most of the attacks occurred in

1989-520: Is home to 16.9 percent of Pakistan's total population . The province is multiethnic, with the main ethnic groups being the Pashtuns , Hindkowans , Saraikis , and Chitralis . Once a stronghold of Buddhism , Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the site of the ancient region of Gandhara , including the ruins of the Gandharan capital of Pushkalavati (located near present day Charsadda ). The region's history

2106-498: Is one of the earliest incidents of police brutality in Pakistan in recent years, occurring before the Model Town Lahore incident , whose FIR has not been registered still today. Arif Nizami, former editor of The Nation , said, "This has actually opened a Pandora's box, because of Pakistan's very tenuous polity. Now, on one side, there are identity issues and ethnic issues and provincial autonomy issues. The other side

2223-401: Is religious issues and terrorism. It's a very explosive situation." Many alternative names were proposed for the province. Many of these alternatives were designed to avoid or balance the ethnic connotations of Pakhtunkhwa. The name Gandhāra was proposed by Pakistan Muslim League (N) , as a neutral name for the province. Gandhara was an ancient Indo-Aryan civilization centered in

2340-556: Is the elder brother of Shehbaz Sharif , who also served as prime minister of Pakistan from 2022 to 2023 and from 2024 to present. According to the Election Commission of Pakistan , Nawaz is one of the wealthiest men in Pakistan, with an estimated net worth of at least Rs.  1.75 billion (equivalent to Rs.  8.9 billion or US$ 31 million in 2021). Most of his wealth originates from his businesses in steel construction. Before entering politics in

2457-407: The 12th prime minister of Pakistan. After being ousted in 1993, when President Ghulam Ishaq Khan dissolved the National Assembly , Nawaz served as the leader of the opposition to the government of Benazir Bhutto from 1993 to 1996. He returned to the premiership after the Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N) was elected in 1997 , and served until his removal in 1999 by military takeover and

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2574-596: The 2018 Pakistani general election there was a suicide bombing attack on political rally of Awami National Party (ANP) in YakaToot neighborhood of Peshawar in which fourteen people were killed and sixty-five injured. Among the killed was ANP's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly candidate, Haroon Bilour. Bilour was son of Bashir Ahmad Bilour who was also killed in a suicide bombing attack in December 2012. Elections for Constituency PK-78 were postponed to an disclosed date by

2691-561: The 25th Constitutional Amendment , which merged the FATA as well as the Provincially Administered Tribal Areas into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa subsequently approved the bill on 28 May 2018; it was signed into law on 31 May by erstwhile Pakistani president Mamnoon Hussain , which officially completed the administrative merger process. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa means

2808-698: The Alliance for Restoration of Democracy , until the 2001 September 11 attacks in the United States, when it left the alliance over supporting NATO 's ouster of the Taliban government . The party's reputation was damaged in this period following the arrest of former Federal Minister and senior party leader Azam Khan Hoti. In the 2002 elections, the party struck up an alliance with the PPP. However, both parties were electorally routed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by

2925-776: The Army Special Service Group and the Naval Special Service Group were deployed to Saudi Arabia to provide security for the Saudi royal family . Nawaz faced difficulty working with the PPP and the Mutahidda Qaumi Movement (MQM), a potent force in Karachi. The MQM and the PPP opposed Nawaz due to his focus on beautifying Punjab and Kashmir while neglecting Sindh, and the MQM also opposed Nawaz's conservatism. Although

3042-596: The Government College University (GCU) with an art and business degree and then received a law degree from the Law College of Punjab University in Lahore . Nawaz was a cricketer in his early years, playing as an opening batsman . Peter Oborne noted that he had success at club level and that "he was proud of his first-class record", having been part of the highly rated Pakistan Railways team in 1973–1974. Years later, when he

3159-636: The Jinnah Antarctic Station and Polar Research Cell. In 1992, Pakistan became an associate member of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research . On 28 July 1997, Nawaz declared 1997 a year of science in Pakistan and personally allotted funds for the 22nd INSC College on Theoretical Physics. In 1999, Nawaz signed the executive decree, declaring 28 May as the National Science Day in Pakistan. Nawaz made

3276-586: The Karachi and Peshawar areas. An ANP rally in Quetta was subject to a bomb blast on 13 July 2012. The blast killed six people and injured 12 others. It was speculated that a cycle parked behind the stage was the probable cause. The dead included two children as well. The party has also accused Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan and of being complicit in the Taliban attacks. On 10 July 2018, during

3393-653: The Lodi dynasty (1451–1526). Meanwhile, the Pashtuns now appeared as a political factor. At the close of the fourteenth century they were firmly established in their present-day demographics south of Kohat, and in 1451 Bahlol Lodi's accession to the throne of Delhi gave them a dominant position in Northern India . Yusufzai tribes from the Kabul and Jalalabad valleys began migrating to the Valley of Peshawar beginning in

3510-665: The Nanda Empire , establishing the Mauryan Empire. A while after, Alexander's general Seleucus had attempted to once again invade the subcontinent from the Khyber pass hoping to take lands that Alexander had conquered, but never fully absorbed into this empire. Seleucus was defeated and the lands of Aria, Arachosia, Gandhara, and Gedrosia were ceded to the Mauryans in exchange for a matrimonial alliance and 500 elephants. With

3627-633: The National Awami Party (NAP), led by a charismatic Bengali socialist, Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani . In 1965 the NAP split into two factions, with Wali Khan becoming president of the pro- Moscow faction . The party's members participated in 1970 parliamentary elections through the Pakistan Peoples Party 's platform and the National Awami Party , forming the largest socialist alliance with Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1970. However,

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3744-466: The North-West Frontier Province (abbreviated as NWFP) until 2010 due to its relative location being in the northwest of the nation. Unofficially, it was known as Sarhad ( Urdu : سرحد ), derived from the province's Urdu name given to it by the Mughals, which means "frontier". For most of the history of the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), there were efforts to change its name. The name Afghania

3861-633: The Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty if India did as well. The embargo blocked plans for a French-built nuclear power plant, so Nawaz's advisors intensively lobbied the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which allowed China to establish CHASNUPP-I nuclear power plant and upgrade KANUPP-I . Nawaz's nuclear policy was considered less aggressive towards India with its focus on public usage through nuclear power and medicine , viewed as

3978-469: The Pakistan People's Party in all three provinces. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the ANP had its first chief minister since 1948. The strongholds of the ANP are in the Pashtun dominated areas of Pakistan, particularly in the Valley of Peshawar area in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and it has traditionally dominated Charsadda , Mardan , Nowshera , Peshawar , and Swabi areas of central KPK. On the other hand,

4095-765: The Panama Papers case . In 2018, the Pakistani Supreme Court disqualified Nawaz from holding public office, and he was also sentenced to ten years in prison by an accountability court . Since 2019, Nawaz was in London for medical treatment on bail. He was also declared an absconder by a Pakistani court, however, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) granted him protective bail till October 24 in the Avenfield and Al-Aziza cases. In 2023, after four years of exile, he returned to Pakistan. In

4212-738: The Pashtuns . His descendants reigned till 1179, when Muhammad of Ghor took Peshawar, making it part of his expanding Ghurid Empire . Following the invasion by the Ghurids, five unrelated heterogeneous dynasties ruled over the Delhi Sultanate sequentially: the Mamluk dynasty (1206–1290), the Khalji dynasty (1290–1320), the Tughlaq dynasty (1320–1414), the Sayyid dynasty (1414–1451), and

4329-491: The Punjab Advisory Council under Khan. During the 1980s, Nawaz gained influence as a supporter of General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq 's military government . Zia-ul-Haq agreed to return the steel industry to Nawaz, who convinced the general to denationalise and deregulate industries to improve the economy. Within Punjab, Nawaz privatised government-owned industries and presented development-oriented budgets to

4446-663: The Shariat Ordinance and Bait-ul-Maal (to help poor orphans, widows, etc.) to drive the country on the model of an Islamic welfare state . Moreover, he gave tasks to the Ministry of Religion to prepare reports and recommendations for steps taken toward Islamization. He ensured the establishment of three committees: Nawaz extended membership of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) to all Central Asian countries to unite them into

4563-659: The Uzbek Shaybanids . He was forced to retreat westwards to Kabul but returned to defeat the Lodis in July 1526, when he captured Peshawar from Daulat Khan Lodi , though the region was never considered to be fully subjugated to the Mughals. Under the reign of Babar's son, Humayun , a direct Mughal rule was briefly challenged with the rise of the Pashtun Emperor, Sher Shah Suri , who began construction of

4680-800: The Yuezhi invasion of Bactria and relocated to Gandhara, pushing the Indo-Greeks east of the Jhelum River . The last known Indo-Greek ruler was Theodamas , from the Bajaur area of Gandhara, mentioned on a 1st-century CE signet ring, bearing the Kharoṣṭhī inscription "Su Theodamasa" ( "Su" was the Greek transliteration of the Kushan royal title "Shau" (" Shah " or "King")). It is during this period that

4797-520: The nationalisation by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and the PPP in the 1970s. By 1993, around 115 nationalised industries were opened to private ownership, including the National Development Finance Corporation , Pakistan National Shipping Corporation , National Electric Power Regulatory Authority , Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), Pakistan Telecommunication Corporation , and Pakistan State Oil . This boosted

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4914-520: The second urbanisation . The region was a major centre for Greco-Buddhism under the Indo-Greeks and Gandharan Buddhism under later dynasties, including Indo-Scythians , Indo-Parthians and Kushans . Gandhara was also a central location for the spread of Buddhism to Central Asia and East Asia. Gāndhārī , an Indo-Aryan language written in Kharosthi script , acted as lingua franca of

5031-511: The " Khyber side of the land of the Pashtuns , " where the word Pakhtunkhwa means " Land of the Pashtuns ", while according to some scholars, it refers to "Pashtun culture and society". The province has had various names throughout history. Other names used or proposed for the province include Gandhara , Afghania , Pashtunistan , Pathanistan , Sarhad , Abaseen , Khyber , or a combination of names, such as Hazara-Pakhtunkhwa . When

5148-800: The 15th century, and displaced the Swatis of the Bhittani confederation and Dilazak Pashtun tribes across the Indus River to Hazara Division . Mughal suzerainty over the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region was partially established after Babar, the founder of the Mughal Empire, invaded the region in 1505 CE via the Khyber Pass . The Mughal Empire noted the importance of the region as a weak point in their empire's defences, and determined to hold Peshawar and Kabul at all cost against any threats from

5265-480: The 16 Mahajanapadas of Vedic era . It was the centre of Vedic and later forms of Hinduism . Gandhara was frequently mentioned in Vedic epics, including Rig Veda , Ramayana and Mahabharata . It was the home of Gandhari , the princess of Gandhara Kingdom . In the spring of 327 BC Alexander the Great crossed the Hindu Kush and advanced to Nicaea , where Omphis, king of Taxila and other chiefs joined him. Alexander then dispatched part of his force through

5382-461: The 2000s. He also improved the nation's infrastructure and spurred the growth of digital telecommunication. Nawaz continued the simultaneous Islamization and conservatism of Pakistan society, a policy begun by Zia. Reforms were made to introduce fiscal conservatism , supply-side economics , bioconservatism and religious conservatism in Pakistan. Nawaz intensified Zia's controversial Islamization policies, and introduced Islamic laws such as

5499-554: The Afridi Revolt of the 1670s. The Afridis massacred a Mughal battalion in the Khyber Pass in 1672 and shut the pass to lucrative trade routes. Following another massacre in the winter of 1673, Mughal armies led by Emperor Aurangzeb himself regained control of the entire area in 1674, and enticed tribal leaders with various awards in order to end the rebellion. Nawaz Sharif Political views Parties Elections [REDACTED] Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif ( Urdu : میاں محمد نواز شریف ; born 25 December 1949)

5616-457: The Armed Forces' secretive industrial conglomerate and bribing generals. While privatising industry, Nawaz took steps for intense government control of science in Pakistan , and placed projects under his authorisation. In 1991, Nawaz founded and authorised the Pakistan Antarctic Programme under the scientific directions of National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), with the Pakistan Navy 's Weapons Engineering Division, and first established

5733-440: The British established it as a province, they called it "North West Frontier Province" (abbreviated as NWFP) until 2010 due to its relative location being in the northwest of the British Indian Empire . After the creation of Pakistan, Pakistan continued with this name but a Pashtun political party, Awami National Party based in the province demanded that the province name be changed to "Pakhtunkhwa". Their logic behind that demand

5850-509: The Election Commission. The party espouses a nonviolent approach to tackling extremism. It promotes democratic socialism , secularism , economic egalitarianism , and Pashtun nationalism . The party has dense support among the Pashtun population in the country. Since 2000, its liberal socialism and pro-Pashtun philosophy has become the integral part of the party, advocating for the regional autonomy and increased Pashtun cultural expression. A frequent coalition partner in provincial politics, it

5967-446: The IHC. Nawaz was born in Lahore, Punjab , on 25 December 1949. The Sharif family are Punjabi-speaking Kashmiris . His father, Muhammad Sharif , was an upper-middle-class businessman and industrialist whose family had emigrated from Anantnag in Kashmir for business. They settled in the village of Jati Umra in Amritsar district , Punjab, at the beginning of the twentieth century. His mother's family came from Pulwama . After

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6084-431: The ISI, with a substantial role played by Nawaz's ally Gul. ) The alliance was led by Nawaz and Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi and opposed Benazir Bhutto 's Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in the elections. The IJI gained a majority in Punjab, and Nawaz was re-elected as the chief minister. In December 1989, Nawaz decided to remain in the provincial Punjab Assembly rather than hold a seat in the National Assembly. In early 1989,

6201-486: The Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Shamim Allam and the Chief of Army Staff General Abdul Vahied Kakar forced Khan to resign from the presidency and ended the political standoff. Under the close scrutiny of the Pakistan Armed Forces, an interim and transitional government was formed and new parliamentary election was held after three months. Following 1993 elections , the PPP returned to power under Benazir Bhutto. Nawaz offered his full co-operation as Leader of

6318-451: The Kabul valley. Their dates are still a matter of dispute, but it is beyond question that they reigned early in the Christian era. To this period may be ascribed the fine statues and bas-reliefs found in Gandhara and Udyana. Under Huvishka's successor, Vasushka , the dominions of the Kushan kings shrank. The Turk Shahis ruled Gandhara until 870, when they were overthrown by the Hindu Shahis . The Hindu Shahis are believed to belong to

6435-405: The MQM had formed the government with Nawaz, the political tensions between liberalism and conservatism erupted into conflict by renegade factions in 1992. To end the fighting between PML-N and MQM, Nawaz's party passed a resolution to launch a paramilitary operation under command of Chief of Army Staff General Asif Nawaz Janjua . Violence erupted in Karachi in 1992 and brought the economy to

6552-506: The NAP was conspiring against the state of Pakistan. General Zia-ul-Haq subsequently withdrew the charges against the NAP. Wali Khan was released, joined the National Democratic Party, and ultimately formed the Awami National Party. In the meantime, Prime Minister Bhutto was imprisoned and executed in April 1979. The Awami National Party (Awami means "people's"), which depends on ethnic Pashtuns (Pukhtuns) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly NWFP) and northern Balochistan as its political base,

6669-441: The Opposition but soon the PPP and PML-N held parliament locked in dispute. Bhutto found it difficult to act effectively in the face of opposition from Nawaz, and also faced problems in her political stronghold of Sindh Province from her younger brother Murtaza Bhutto . Nawaz and Murtaza Bhutto formed the Nawaz-Bhutto axis and worked to undermine Benazir Bhutto's government, tapping an anti-corruption wave in Pakistan. They accused

6786-526: The PPP government attempted to unseat Nawaz through a no-confidence motion in the Punjab Assembly, which they lost by a vote of 152 to 106. The conservatives first came to power in a democratic Pakistan under Nawaz's leadership. Nawaz Sharif became the 12th prime minister of Pakistan on 1 November 1990, succeeding Benazir Bhutto. He also became head of IJI. Sharif had a majority in the assembly and ruled with considerable confidence, having disputes with three successive army chiefs . Nawaz had campaigned on

6903-413: The PPP proposed that the name of the North-West Frontier Province be changed to Pakhtunkhwa, however the Muslim League Nawaz which had considerable support in the Hindko -speaking Hazara region of the province announced it might oppose the name change because of it "being on ethnic grounds" because of opposition by its provincial leadership. The name Pakhtunkhwa was mentioned for the first time in

7020-425: The Pashto-speakers elsewhere in the province), and others said the name should not be changed since the people were accustomed to North-West Frontier Province. During the times of Indus Valley civilisation (3300 BCE – 1700 BCE) the Khyber Pass through Hindu Kush provided a route to other neighbouring empires and was used by merchants on trade excursions. From 1500 BCE, Indo-Iranian peoples started to enter in

7137-410: The Pashtun identity in it as they argued that there were other minor communities living in the province especially the Hazarewals of the Hazara region who spoke Hindko thus the word Khyber was introduced with the name because it is the name of a major pass which connects Pakistan to Afghanistan. For over a hundred years after its founding as a province of British Raj in 1901, it was known as

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7254-555: The Punjab". Nawaz built ties with the senior army generals who sponsored his government. He maintained an alliance with General Rahimuddin Khan , Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee . Nawaz also had close ties with Lieutenant-General (retired) Hamid Gul , the Director-General of ISI. As chief minister, Nawaz stressed welfare and development activities and the maintenance of law and order. Khan beautified Lahore, extended military infrastructure, and silenced political opposition, while Nawaz expanded economic infrastructure to benefit

7371-459: The Shahi dynasty. Jayapala was succeeded by his son Anandapala , who along with other succeeding generations of the Shahiya dynasty took part in various unsuccessful campaigns against the advancing Ghaznvids but were unsuccessful. The Hindu rulers eventually exiled themselves to the Kashmir Siwalik Hills. After the battle of Peshawar, Mahmud of Ghazni had secured controlled over southern regions of Pakhtunkhwa. He also (1024 and 1025) raided

7488-651: The Taliban. Despite the attacks, the party has advocated dialogue with moderate tribal elements to end the violence in the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Federally Administered Tribal Areas . The Awami National Party is one of the few parties in Pakistan to hold a system of regular internal general elections every four-year period. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ( /ˌkaɪbər pəkˈtuːŋkwə/ ; Pashto : خېبر پښتونخوا [ˈxebaɾ paxtunˈxwɑ] ; Urdu : خیبر پختونخوا , pronounced [ˈxɛːbəɾ pəxˈtuːnxʷɑː] ; abbr. KP or KPK ), formerly known as North West Frontier Province (NWFP),

7605-457: The United Nation's General Assembly by Pakistani President Asif Zardari on 26 September 2008. The Pashtun nationalist Awami National Party based in the province demanded that the province name be changed to "Pakhtunkhwa". Their logic behind that demand was that Punjabi people , Sindhi people and Baloch people have their provinces named after their ethnicities but that is not the case for Pashtun people . Pakistan Muslim League (N) ,

7722-408: The Uḍi/Oḍi tribe, namely the people of Oddiyana (modern Swat) in Gandhara, although they are also variously stated to be Brāhmāns or Kshātriyas. The first king Kallar had moved the capital into Udabandhapura from Kabul, in the modern village of Hund for its new capital. At its zenith, the kingdom stretched over the Kabul Valley , Gandhara and western Punjab under Jayapala . Jayapala saw

7839-520: The Western-styled capitalist economics . Unemployment had limited Pakistan's economic growth and Nawaz believed that only privatisation could solve this problem. Nawaz introduced an economy based on privatisation and economic liberalisation , notably for banks and industries. According to the US Department of State, this followed a vision of "turning Pakistan into a [South] Korea by encouraging greater private saving and investment to accelerate economic growth." The privatisation programme reversed

7956-403: The Zia dictatorship. On 18 April, ahead of the 1993 Parliamentary election , Khan used his reserve powers (58-2b) to dissolve the National Assembly, and with the support of the army appointed Mir Balakh Sher as interim prime minister . Nawaz refused to accept this act and raised a challenge at the Supreme Court of Pakistan . On 26 May, the Supreme Court ruled 10–1 that the presidential order

8073-437: The Zia-loyalist Fida Group against the Prime Minister's Junejo's Pakistan Muslim League (J) . The Fida Group later took on the mantle of the PML while the Junejo Group became known as the JIP. The two parties along with seven other right-wing conservative and religious parties united with encouragement and funding from the ISI to form the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (IJI). (The IJI received ₨ 15 million from Zia loyalists in

8190-426: The alliance fell apart and its members joined the Pakistan National Alliance . In 1972, the party was strong enough to form coalition provincial governments, with its partner the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. These governments were short lived. Wali Khan was again jailed, and his party was barred from politics when the Supreme Court upheld the finding of President Bhutto that

8307-410: The army, his own business interests, and the people of Punjab. In 1988, General Zia dismissed the government of Junejo and called for new elections. However, Zia retained Nawaz as the Chief Minister of Punjab, and until his death , continued to support Nawaz. After General Zia's death in August 1988, his political party – Pakistan Muslim League (Pagara Group) – split into two factions. Nawaz led

8424-664: The base of his support, with lesser efforts in Khyber and Balochistan provinces , and no benefits from industrialization in Sindh Province . After intense criticism from the PPP and MQM, Nawaz completed the Orangi Cottage Industrial Zone but this did not repair his reputation in Sindh. Opponents accused Nawaz of using political influence to build factories for himself and his business, for expanding

8541-617: The building of Kalabagh Dam and renaming the province NWFP to Pakhtunkhwa. It won six seats in the National Assembly in the 1990 elections. In the 1993 national elections, the party won three seats in the National Assembly. It then joined the Grand Democratic Alliance, campaigning against the Sharif government's policies. After Nawaz Sharif's overthrow by Pervez Musharraf , the party stayed an active member of

8658-486: The city of Karachi in Sindh province hosts one of the largest Pashtun populations in the world, but the ANP only had two seats in 2011, whereas the number of Pashtuns present would predict them having "up to 25 seats". In May 2008, Asfandyar Wali Khan made an unannounced visit to the United States in which he and his delegate held high-level meetings with top U.S. officials. A source explained that "the delegation

8775-542: The creation of Pakistan in 1947, Nawaz's parents migrated from Amritsar to Lahore. His father followed the teachings of the Ahl-i Hadith . His family owns Ittefaq Group , a multimillion-dollar steel conglomerate, and Sharif Group , a conglomerate with holdings in agriculture, transport and sugar mills. He has two younger brothers: Shehbaz Sharif and the late Abbas Sharif , both politicians by profession. Nawaz went to Saint Anthony High School . He graduated from

8892-599: The defeat of the Greeks, the land was once more under Hindu rule. Chandragupta's son Bindusara further expanded the empire. However, it was Chandragupta's grandson Ashoka , who converted to Buddhism and made it the official state religion in Gandhara and also Pakhli , the modern Hazara, as evidenced by rock-inscriptions at Shahbazgarhi and Mansehra . After Ashoka's death the Mauryan empire fell to pieces, just as in

9009-509: The economy but a lack of competition in bidding allowed the rise of business oligarchs and further widened the wealth gap , contributing to political instability. Former science advisor Dr. Mubashir Hassan called Nawaz's privatisation "unconstitutional". The PPP held that nationalisation policy was given constitutional status by parliament , and that privatisation policies were illegal and had taken place without parliamentary approval. Nawaz initiated several large-scale projects to stimulate

9126-492: The economy, such as the Ghazi-Barotha Hydropower Project . However, unemployment remained a challenge. In an attempt to counter this, Nawaz imported thousands of privatised Yellow-cab taxis for young Pakistanis, but few of the loans were repaid and Nawaz was forced to pay for them through his steel industry. Nawaz's projects were not evenly distributed, focusing on Punjab and Kashmir Provinces ,

9243-665: The entire region between the Kabul Valley and Indus River . In the year 1001, soon after Sultan Mahmud came to power and was occupied with the Qarakhanids north of the Hindu Kush , Jaipal attacked Ghazni once more and upon suffering yet another defeat by the powerful Ghaznavid forces, near present-day Peshawar . After the Battle of Peshawar , he died because of regretting as his subjects brought disaster and disgrace to

9360-574: The famous Grand Trunk Road – which links Kabul, Afghanistan with Chittagong , Bangladesh over 2000 miles to the east. Later, local rulers once again pledged loyalty to the Mughal emperor. Yusufzai tribes rose against Mughals during the Yusufzai Revolt of 1667, and engaged in pitched-battles with Mughal battalions in Peshawar and Attock . Afridi tribes resisted Aurangzeb rule during

9477-532: The first time Nawaz and the PML-N had the control of Sindh, Balochistan, Northwest Frontier, Kashmir and Punjab. With a supermajority , Nawaz's new government amended the constitution to restrict the powers of the president to dismiss governments. With the passing of the 14th amendment , Nawaz emerged as the most powerful elected prime minister in the country. Nawaz's popularity peaked in May 1998 after conducting

9594-642: The fusion of Hellenistic and South Asian mythological, artistic and religious elements becomes most apparent, especially in the region of Gandhara. Local Greek rulers still exercised a feeble and precarious power along the borderland, but the last vestige of the Greco-Indian rulers were finished by a people known to the old Chinese as the Yeuh-Chi. The Indo-Scythians were descended from the Sakas (Scythians) who migrated from Central Asia into South Asia from

9711-477: The government of corruption with major state corporations and slowing economic progress. In 1994 and 1995 they made a "train march" from Karachi to Peshawar, making critical speeches to huge crowds. Nawaz organised strikes throughout Pakistan in September and October 1994. The death of Murtaza Bhutto in 1996, which allegedly involved Benazir's spouse, led to demonstrations in Sindh and the government lost control of

9828-538: The largest opposition party at the time was ready to change the province's name by supporting the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party and ANP, in a constitutional amendment but wanted to name the province something other than which does not carry only the Pashtun identity in it as they argued that there were other minor communities living in the province especially the Hazarewals of the Hazara region who spoke Hindko thus

9945-577: The membership. However, mismanagement led to a collapse affecting millions of Pakistanis in 1992. In Punjab and Kashmir, around 700,000 people lost their savings, and it was discovered that billions of rupees had been granted to the Ittefaq Group of Industries  – Nawaz's steel mill. Although the loans were hurriedly repaid, Nawaz's reputation was severely damaged. Nawaz had developed serious issues of authority with conservative President Ghulam Ishaq Khan, who had raised Nawaz to prominence during

10062-568: The mid-1980s, Nawaz studied business at Government College and law at the University of Punjab . In 1981, Nawaz was appointed by President Zia as the minister of finance for the province of Punjab . Backed by a loose coalition of conservatives, Nawaz was elected as the Chief Minister of Punjab in 1985 and re-elected after the end of martial law in 1988. In 1990 , Nawaz led the conservative Islamic Democratic Alliance and became

10179-516: The middle of the 2nd century BCE to the 1st century BCE. They displaced the Indo-Greeks and ruled a kingdom that stretched from Gandhara to Mathura . The first Indo-Scythian king Maues established Saka hegemony by conquering Indo-Greek territories. The power of the Saka rulers declined after the defeat to Chandragupta II of the Gupta Empire in the 4th century. The Indo-Parthian Kingdom

10296-737: The military government. These policies raised financial capital and helped increase the standard of living and purchasing power in the province, which in turn improved law and order and extended Khan's rule. Punjab was the richest province and received more federal funding than the other provinces of Pakistan , contributing to economical inequality . Nawaz invested his wealth in Saudi Arabia and other oil-rich Arab countries to rebuild his steel empire. According to personal accounts and his time spent with Nawaz, American historian Stephen P. Cohen states in his 2004 book Idea of Pakistan : "Nawaz Sharif never forgave Bhutto after his steel empire

10413-595: The nomadic Xiongnu . One group, known as the Kushan, took the lead, and its chief, Kadphises I , seized vast territories extending south to the Kabul valley. His son Kadphises II conquered North-Western India, which he governed through his generals. His immediate successors were the fabled Hindu kings : Kanishka, Huvishka, and Vasushka or Vasudeva, of whom the first reigned over a territory which extended as far east as Benares, far south as Malwa, and also including Bactria and

10530-519: The nuclear weapons and energy programme one of his top priorities. He expanded the nuclear energy program, and continued an atomic programme while following a policy of deliberate nuclear ambiguity . This resulted in a nuclear crisis with the United States which tightened its embargo on Pakistan in December 1990 and reportedly offered substantial economic aid to halt the country's uranium enrichment programme. Responding to US embargo, Nawaz announced that Pakistan had no atomic bomb, and would sign

10647-548: The people of Hazara region and protests erupted in the region with wheel and shutter jam strikes. Abbottabad became the nerve center of the movement. On the 10th of April, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police fired at unarmed protesters, leaving 7 dead and dozens injured. Allegedly, the firing was ordered by the coalition government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, led by the Awami National Party . This

10764-812: The present-day province. The core of the region of Gandhara was the Peshawar valley and Swat valley , though the cultural influence of "Greater Gandhara" extended across the Indus river to the Taxila region in Potohar Plateau and westwards into the Kabul valley in Afghanistan, and northwards up to the Karakoram range. It was attested in the Rigveda , and it was one of the 16 Mahajanapadas of

10881-547: The province's Pashtun ethnic identity. The renaming issue was an emotional one which often crossed party lines and not all supporters of a renaming agreed on the name Pakhtunkhwa. By the late 20th century, President Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq agreed with Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan to change the name to Pashtunistan but he contended that the term Pashtunistan had become controversial and was being politicized by Afghanistan. Ghaffar Khan suggested Pakhtunkhwa, but Zia-ul-Haq asked Ghaffar Khan to suggest an alternative. The name Pakhtunkhwa

10998-509: The province. Benazir Bhutto became widely unpopular across the country and was ousted in October 1996. By 1996, continuous large-scale corruption by the government of Benazir Bhutto had deteriorated the country's economy, which was nearing failure. In the 1997 parliamentary elections , Nawaz and the PML-N won an overwhelming victory, with an exclusive mandate from across Pakistan. It was hoped that Nawaz would deliver on promises to provide

11115-538: The region from Central Asia after having passed the Khyber Pass. The region of Gandhara , which was primarily based in the area of modern-day Khyber Pakhtunkhwa features prominently in the Rigveda ( c.  1500  – c.  1200 BCE ), as well as the Zoroastrian Avesta , which mentions it as Vaēkərəta , the sixth most beautiful place on earth created by Ahura Mazda . It was one of

11232-499: The region. Famed for its unique Gandharan style of art which is influenced by the classical Hellenistic styles, Gandhara attained its height from the 1st century to the 5th century CE under the Kushan Empire , who had their capital at Peshawar ( Puruṣapura ). Some Hazara residents said that the new name should be Hazara-Pakhtunkhwa (in reference to the Hazara region where Hindko -speakers are dominant as compared to

11349-523: The religion-political alliance Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) riding on a wave of anti-American sentiment in Pakistan. In the 2008 parliamentary elections , the ANP dominated the far-right wing coalition, the MMA, a party formed by a coalition of Islamic movements in 2002. The ANP has also won provincial seats in Balochistan and in Sindh for the first time in 15 years. It formed a coalition government with

11466-513: The removal of Saddam Hussein in 2003. Nawaz raised the issue of Kashmir in international forums and worked toward a peaceful transfer of power in Afghanistan to curb the rampant trading of illicit drugs and weapons across the border. Nawaz challenged former Chief of Army Staff General Mirza Aslam Beg over the 1991 Gulf War . Under the direction of Beg, Pakistan Armed Forces participated in Operation Desert Storm and

11583-460: The rock Aornos, but Alexander made Embolima (possibly Amb ) his base, and attacked the rock from there, which was captured after a desperate resistance. Meanwhile, Peukelaotis (in Hashtnagar , 17 miles (27 km) north-west of Peshawar ) had submitted, and Nicanor, a Macedonian, was appointed satrap of the country west of the Indus. Mauryan rule began with Chandragupta Maurya displacing

11700-500: The two parties, after Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto ordered a military action that brutally failed. The Awami National Party later formed an alliance with the Pakistan Muslim League (PML) in early June 1989 which led to a formal split in the party with many activists allying with the PPP. After the election of Nawaz Sharif in 1990, the ANP again formed a coalition with former rivals PML. This alliance proved longer lasting, surviving till 1998 when it collapsed over differences over

11817-807: The valley of the Kabul River, while he himself advanced into Bajaur and Swat with his light troops. Craterus was ordered to fortify and repopulate Arigaion , probably in Bajaur, which its inhabitants had burnt and deserted. Having defeated the Aspasians, from whom he took 40,000 prisoners and 230,000 oxen, Alexander crossed the Gouraios ( Panjkora ) and entered the territory of the Assakenoi and laid siege to Massaga, which he took by storm. Ora and Bazira (possibly Bazar) soon fell. The people of Bazira fled to

11934-605: The west the Seleucid power was waning. The Indo-Greek king Menander I (reigned 155–130 BCE) drove the Greco-Bactrians out of Gandhara and beyond the Hindu Kush , becoming king shortly after his victory. His empire survived him in a fragmented manner until the last independent Greek king, Strato II , disappeared around 10 CE. Around 125 BCE, the Greco-Bactrian king Heliocles , son of Eucratides, fled from

12051-402: The west. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has a varied geography of rugged mountain ranges , valleys, rolling foothills, and dense agricultural farms. While it is the third-largest Pakistani province in terms of both its population and its economy , it is geographically the smallest. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's share of Pakistan's GDP has historically comprised 10.5%, amounting to over US$ 30 billion. The province

12168-555: The word Khyber was introduced with the name because it is the name of a major pass which connects Pakistan to Afghanistan. In early 2010, the process of renaming proceeded and the Pakistani Senate confirmed the name change to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the 18th amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan with a unanimous 90 votes on 15 April 2010. The name change of the province was met with strong opposition from

12285-576: Was a well-known politician, he'd play in warm-up matches, for Lahore Gymkhana against England and as temporary captain of the national team against the West Indies , both just before the 1987 World Cup . Due to the West Indies match he'd surprise Imran Khan , then the regular captain, because Nawaz opened the innings with minimal protection against one of the most feared fast bowling attack. Nawaz Sharif's wife Kulsoom had two sisters and

12402-741: Was appointed its first secretary general. From 1986 to 1988, the ANP party was a member of the Movement for Restoration of Democracy . Since its inception, the ANP has been an important ally of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). The party formed a coalition government with the PPP in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, and in Sindh province and Islamabad for central government after the Pakistani parliamentary elections in 1988. This alliance, however, collapsed in April 1989 after differences cropped up between

12519-474: Was approved by the democratically elected constitutional assembly of the province in 1997 by majority vote. However, the PML (N) parliamentary party of NWFP rejected the ANP demand but called for Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to suggest another "non-controversial" name. PML (N) members noted that Sarhad was a good name for the province but, if a change was needed, then it should be named Khyber or Abasin. The NWFP chief minister, Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan, called for

12636-401: Was formed after the partition of India , most of its leaders had favoured a united India, and had opposed the partition of India and the creation of Pakistan . Most of the leaders were Indian National Congress right hands before the partition of India. Both men were opposed to the creation of Pakistan, and after the creation of Pakistan in 1947, they were imprisoned. In 1956 Wali Khan joined

12753-617: Was formed in 1986 by the merger of several left-leaning parties including the Awami Tehrik and the National Democratic Party . The National Democratic Party merged with several other progressive political and nationalist groups to form the Awami National Party. Wali Khan, the influential Pashtun and Soviet-backed leader, was elected as its first president and Sindhi socialist Rasul Bux Palejo

12870-414: Was lost [...] even after [Bhutto's] terrible end , Nawaz publicly refused to forgive the soul of Bhutto or the Pakistan Peoples Party ." In 1985, Khan nominated Nawaz as Chief Minister of Punjab, against the wishes of Prime Minister Muhammad Khan Junejo . With the backing of the army, Nawaz secured a landslide victory in the 1985 elections . Because of his popularity, he received the nickname "Lion of

12987-453: Was often inspired by the Arsacid dynasty, but they probably belonged to a wider groups of Iranic tribes who lived east of Parthia proper, and there is no evidence that all the kings who assumed the title Gondophares , which means "Holder of Glory", were even related. The Yuezhi nomads had driven the Sakas from the highlands of Central Asia , and were themselves forced southwards by

13104-508: Was proposed first by the founding leaders of the Muslim League in 1933 and was at least partly chosen to represent the first "a" in "P a kistan". The need for a change was explained by the man who named Pakistan in his " Now or Never " pamphlet, Choudhary Rahmat Ali Khan, as: "North-West Frontier Province" is semantically non-descript and socially wrongful. It is non-descript because it merely indicates their geographical situation as

13221-584: Was routed in the 2002 elections because of its opposition to the Taliban and support for the NATO-backed Karzai administration in neighboring Afghanistan. It joined the opposition All Parties Democratic Movement, and along with other parties except the Pakistan Peoples Party resigned from Parliament in October 2007 in protest against the military regime of Pervez Musharraf. It was targeted in 2007 and 2008 by presumed supporters of

13338-461: Was ruled by the Gondopharid dynasty, named after its first ruler Gondophares . For most of their history, the leading Gondopharid kings held Taxila (in the present Punjab province of Pakistan ) as their residence, but during their last few years of existence the capital shifted between Kabul and Peshawar . These kings have traditionally been referred to as Indo-Parthians, as their coinage

13455-442: Was that Punjabi people , Sindhi people and Baloch people have their provinces named after their ethnicities but that is not the case for Pashtun people . Pakistan Muslim League (N) , the largest opposition party at the time was ready to change the province's name by supporting the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party and ANP, in a constitutional amendment but wanted to name the province something other than which does not carry only

13572-558: Was tried in a plane hijacking case which was argued by Barrister Ijaz Husain Batalvi, assisted by Khawaja Sultan senior Advocate, Sher Afghan Asdi and Akhtar Aly Kureshy Advocate. After being imprisoned and later exiled for more than a decade, he returned to politics in 2011 and led his party to victory for the third time in 2013 . In 2017, Nawaz was removed from office by the Supreme Court of Pakistan regarding revelations from

13689-474: Was unconstitutional, that the president could dissolve the assembly only if a constitutional breakdown had occurred and that the government's incompetence or corruption was irrelevant. ( Justice Sajjad Ali Shah was the only dissenting judge; he later became 13th Chief Justice of Pakistan . ) Issues of authority continued. In July 1993, under pressure from the armed forces, Nawaz resigned under an agreement that also removed President Khan from power. Chairman of

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