Gohar Ali Khan
Gohar Ali Khan (Urdu: گوہر علی خان; born 15 April 1971) is a Pakistani lawyer and politician who is the chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) since 2 December 2023. He previously served as the party's chief election commissioner from 15 July 2023 till 30 November 2023. As an attorney, Khan has aided former Prime Minister Imran Khan, his predecessor as chair of the PTI, in his legal cases.[1]
Gohar Ali Khan | |
|---|---|
گوہر علی خان | |
| Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf | |
| Assumed office 2 December 2023 | |
| Vice Chairman | Shah Mahmood Qureshi |
| Preceded by | Imran Khan |
| Chief Election Commissioner of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf | |
| In office 15 July 2023 – 30 November 2023 | |
| Chairman | Imran Khan |
| Vice Chairman | Shah Mahmood Qureshi |
| Succeeded by | Niazullah Niazi |
| Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan | |
| Assumed office 29 February 2024 | |
| Constituency | NA-10 Buner |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Buner District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan |
| Political party | PTI (2022–present) |
| Other political affiliations | PPP (2004–2009) |
| Parent | Abdur Rauf Khan |
| Alma mater | University of Wolverhampton (LL.B.) University of Washington School of Law (LL.M.) |
| Profession |
|
| Website | barristergoharkhan |
Prior to joining the PTI in 2022, he was affiliated with the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) for 5 years.[2][3] He had unsuccessfully contested the 2008 Pakistani general election as a member of the PPP.[4] As an attorney, he notably participated in the Lawyers' Movement in 2007, a popular mass protest movement against the unconstitutional suspension of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.[5]
Barrister Gohar is been considered close to Aitzaz Ahsan and to businessman Malik Riaz, having served as his legal adviser.[6]
Early life and education edit
Khan was born in Buner, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa into a Pashtun family of the Yusufzai tribe. His father, Abdur Rauf Khan, originally from Buner, served twice as a member of the Provincial Assembly of the North-West Frontier Province and was the first ever legislative member of the Parliament from Buner.[7]
He moved to the United Kingdom to pursue his LLB degree at the University of Wolverhampton in 1997. He was then called to the Bar of England and Wales by the Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn in 2001. He also obtained his LLM degree at the University of Washington School of Law in 2004.[8]
Political career edit
He ran for the National Assembly of Pakistan from NA-28 Buner as a candidate of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) in the 2008 Pakistani general election, but was unsuccessful. He received 27,532 votes and was defeated by Abdul Matin Khan, a candidate of the Awami National Party (ANP).[4]
On 3 July 2022, he joined the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the presence of Imran Khan, Pervez Khattak, and Asad Qaiser.
On 15 July 2023, he was appointed as the Chief Election Commissioner of the PTI. He held this position till he resigned on 30 November 2023 due to his nomination for the party's chairmanship.[9]
On 2 December 2023, he was elected to the chairmanship of the PTI. Imran Khan, the previous chairman, decided not to contest due to legal troubles in the Toshakhana reference case.[2][10]
On 22 December 2023, he was removed from chairmanship of the PTI due to the party's intra-party elections being declared null and void by Election Commission of Pakistan.[11] However, the order of his removal was suspended by Peshawar High Court on 26 December 2023.[12]
On 22 February 2024, it was announced by Gohar himself that new elections would be held for the post on March 3, with Barrister Ali Zafar as Gohar's nominee for the post. However, Ali Zafar did not accept the nomination and thus Gohar filed to re-contest the chairmanship elections as he had been nominated by Imran Khan. Three more candidates filed nomination forms to contest. One nomination form was rejected while the other two were accepted. The two candidates, one from Karachi and the other one from Balochsitan withdrew their candidature. Therefore Gohar was announced by the Returning Officer as 'elected unopposed'. The date for official declaration of the result is March 03, 2024.
Legal career edit
Associated with the law firm Aitzaz Ahsan and Associates, he started his legal career in Pakistan under the guidance of renowned lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan. He achieved a significant milestone in his legal career when he became involved in the Lawyers' Movement in 2007. He also assisted in the case of the restoration of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhmmad Chaudhry.[8]
After joining the PTI, he fought several cases for the party, such as the PTI foreign funding case, and Imran Khan's contempt of the Election Commission of Pakistan case.[8]
Khan also has experience in civil and criminal trials, and he has appeared before the Supreme Judicial Council, the Field General Court Martial, and its Court of Appeals.[3]
References edit
- ^ "Gohar Ali Khan elected unopposed as new chief of ex-Pakistan PM Imran Khan's party". India Today. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ^ a b Guramani, Nadir (29 November 2023). "Imran to not take part in intra-party polls, Gohar Khan nominated for PTI chairman". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
- ^ a b "PTI chairman-designate: Who is Barrister Gohar Khan?". www.geo.tv. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
- ^ a b . geo.tv. Geo News. 2013. Archived from the original on 9 October 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
- ^ "Profile: Gohar Ali Khan". Daily Pakistan Global. 18 December 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ^ Asad, Malik (27 February 2024). "How will PTI's 'black-coat brigade' fare in parliament?". Dawn News.
- ^ "About-Us". barristergoharkhan.com.
- ^ a b c "Who is Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Imran Khan's choice for PTI's caretaker chairman?". SAMAA News. 29 November 2023.
- ^ "Niazullah Niazi appointed new chief election commissioner of PTI". ARY NEWS. 30 November 2023. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
- ^ "Barrister Gohar Khan elected new PTI chairman". Geo.tv. 2 December 2023. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
- ^ "PTI loses election symbol of 'bat' as ECP voids intra-party polls". The Nation. 22 December 2023. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
- ^ Hakeem, Abdul (26 December 2023). "Peshawar High Court suspends ECP order stripping PTI's 'bat' symbol". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 26 December 2023.