Ghulam Ishaq Khan[a] (20 January 1915 – 27 October 2006), commonly known by his initials GIK, was a Pakistani bureaucrat, politician and statesman who served as the seventh president of Pakistan from 1988 to 1993. He previously served as Chairman of the Senate from 1985 to 1988 under president Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, and was sworn in shortly after Zia's death.
Initially looking for a university job, Khan joined the Indian Civil Service in 1941, serving in various provincial assignments on behalf of British India.[4] After independence in 1947, Khan opted for Pakistan and was assigned to the bureaucracy of the provincial government of North-West Frontier Province in 1947. He took over the provincial secretariat as the secretary of the irrigation department, which he held until 1955.[1]
Initial public service
In 1956, Khan was appointed in the provincial government of Sindh as the Home Secretary, but was later appointed Secretary of Department of Development and Irrigation by the Sindh government.[5] In 1958, he was elevated to federal government level, and assigned to the secretariat control of the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), an appointment approved by the President Ayub Khan.[5] Since 1958, Khan had been serving on the Board of Governors of the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), before being elevated to chairman in 1961. As Chairman, he played a vital role in the construction and financial development of Mangla Dam and Warsak Dam.[6]
In 1966, Khan left the chairmanship to be appointed as the Federal Finance Secretary to the Government of Pakistan until 1970, which he relinquished to incoming Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.[5] After Pakistan's loss to India in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, Khan was called to administer all retail and commercial services pertaining to the national economy tattered by war.[7] In 1971, Bhutto appointed him Governor of State Bank of Pakistan when he was tasked to formulate and administer monetary and credit policy in accordance with Government policy with influence of socialism.[8] In the latter position, he questioned the wisdom of many of the economic policies of then-Prime MinisterZulfiqar Ali Bhutto who was keen to intensify his nationalization and socialist influence in the financial institutions that marked the slow down of the economy.[8][9]
Defence Secretary (1975–77)
In 1975, Prime MinisterBhutto transferred him from Governor of the State Bank to the Ministry of Defence as Defence Secretary. It was a fortuitous move in that it brought him into close contact with the Pakistani military establishment and enabled him to closely manage the nuclear weapons program.[9] Though an unusual assignment for a financial expert, this appointment made him a powerful bureaucrat in the country.[10] During that time, Khan became closer to General Zia-ul-Haq and had later coveted for General Zia-ul-Haq's appointment as the chief of army staff.[9]
His involvement and support earned him the nickname "Mr Nuke"[1][8] by the U.S. diplomats, while the new media dubbed him as "Baba Atom Bomb".[2] On the contrary, Khan did not have the directorial role in the atomic bomb program until Munir Ahmad Khan retired.[12] However, he maintained complete logistic and operational control over ERL project from the time of its inception using Major General S A Nawab who reported to Ghulam Ishaq at the Ministry of Defence. After Munir Ahmad Khan took retirement from Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), President Ghulam Ishaq Khan eventually consolidated the entire program under the civic-military control, and supervised the classified projects of the program.
Reaching the mutual understanding with the leftistPakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Khan participated in presidential elections on a PPP platform.[22] Khan secured 608 votes in the elections, competing against four other candidates; he was also supported by the conservative IDA led by Nawaz Sharif.[22] At the time of assuming the office of president, he became the oldest president of Pakistan.[23]
As president, Khan was marred with political struggle with Prime MinisterBenazir Bhutto who attempted for pushing the bill to reverse the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan.[22] Furthermore, Khan was in a conflict with Prime Minister Bhutto in two areas; the appointment of the military chiefs of staff and the Justices of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.[22] Khan consolidated his position in controlling the nuclear deterrence program, keeping all the control over its direction. Problems arose when Prime Minister Bhutto made contact with Munir Ahmad and Abdul Qadeer Khan over the program's direction, which frustrated Khan.[5] Economic growth slowed down and introduction of the US Embargo on Pakistan caused a great economic panic in the country.[5] In the 1990s, Khan and Bhutto failed to arrest the 30% fall in the value of ₨. from 21 to 30 to the US $.[5]
Soon after assuming the presidency, President Ghulam Ishaq Khan's conflict arise with Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's invalid and inappropriate appointments in nation's court system, which were primarily political rather than meeting merit.: 281 [25] Many of Benazir government's recommendations for judicial appointments were voided and the judicial appointments made by the President himself became a controversial issue in the nation.[26]: 141–227
The appointments of chiefs of staff in the command of the military was another issue where the President Khan was in conflict with the Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in 1989.: 77 [27] President Khan also confirmed AdmiralYastur-ul-Haq Malik as the Chief of Naval staff and raised no objections.[28]
Problems with Sharif arose with the issue of reversing the Eighth Amendment when Sharif tried to pass the bill.[22] Eventually, he used the same Amendment to dismiss Sharif's government on similar charges. However, Sharif retaliated by bringing a lawsuit against him in the Supreme Court of Pakistan.[22] President Khan's attempt to use the Eighth Amendment was deemed illegal by the Court and Sharif was reinstated as the Prime Minister.[22] The political deadlock persisted and after the joint intervention of the judiciary and the military, both Khan and Sharif were forced to resign.[22]
^ abcKhan, A. Q. (26 January 2015). "An indomitable man". Special biographical accounts by Dr. A. Q. Khan, published at the News International. News International, 2015. News International, 2015. Archived from the original on 26 July 2015. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
^Talbot, Ian (1998). "Ghulam Ishaq Khan"(google books). Pakistan : a modern history (3rd ed.). New York, N.Y.: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 386–387. ISBN978-0230623040. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
^Duffey, James P. Farwell ; foreword by Joseph D. (2011). The Pakistan cauldron conspiracy, assassination & instability (1st ed.). Washington, D.C.: Potomac Books. ISBN978-1597979832.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Blood, Federal Research Division, Library of Congress. Ed. by Peter R. (1995). Pakistan : a country study (6. ed., 1. print. ed.). Washington, D.C.: Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Gov. Print. Off. ISBN0-8444-0834-4.
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