PROFILE: Pervez Khattak

Pervez Khattak is one of the veteran and seasoned politicians of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He has also enjoyed various important offices both at the provincial and federal level. Being an experienced political figure, he has also acquired diverse experience and exposure for joining streamlined parties of Pakistan and working in coalition governments. He has served as chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He also served as the Irrigation Minister and twice Minster of Industries & Labour of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Federal Minister for Defence. 

Pervez Khattak educational background

Pervez Khattak was born on January 1, 1950 at village Manki Sharif in district Nowshera. His father Hastam Khan (late) was a government contractor. He received his early education from Manki Sharif Primary School, and later at Pak-AIMS. He received his early education at the Aitchison College, Lahore. After doing Senior Cambridge from Aitchison, he went to Gordon College, Rawalpindi for graduation. 

Family background of Pervez Khattak

Pervez Khattak had married twice in his life. He is father of three sons and two daughters. His eldest son Ishaq Khattak, after completing his education, is managing the company that his grandfather had established before the creation of Pakistan. His other two sons Ibrahim Khan Khattak and Ismail Khan Khattak are receiving education in United Kingdom.

Pervez Khattak's wife

Pervez Khattak's wife passed away in Lahore in April this year. She was reportedly buried in the same city.

Pervez Khattak’s political party PTI Parliamentarians

In July 2023, Pervez Khattak launched a new political party under the name of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Parliamentarians (PTIP), claiming the support of 57 ex- assembly members and senior politicians mostly belonged to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He announced the new party name after a meeting with his 57 ex-assembly members at a local hotel.

Pervez Khattak’s PTI Parliamentarians and PTI prospect

The political analysts believe that Pervez Khattak’s new political party will damage PTI in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In the past, he also served as PTI’s KP President, central secretary general and chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during the PTI government and later quitted the post of PTI KP president after condemning the May 9 vandalism.

PTI leadership and Pervez Khattak conflicts 

Despite being very close and reliable worker, supporter and leader in PTI, he had some conflicting concerns with the top leadership. Especially on 9th May dismal incident, he disowned every type of vandalism as political leader and condemned the event and its provokers. Resultantly, he was expelled from the PTI just before launching his own new party. 

Political journey of Pervez Khattak 

Pervez Khattak career comprises four decades where he has witnessed various political, democratic and dictatorial regimes and their strong impacts on the general masses. He started his political career in 1983 as a member of the district council. Historically, Pervez Khattak has been a strong candidate in constituencies from Nowshera, winning provincial seats in 1993 and 1997 elections as Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) candidate.

In 2008 elections, Pervez Khattak was elected to the provincial assembly as a candidate backed by the Qaumi Watan Party but he later developed differences with the party leadership and joined the Independent Group in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly. Later, he was inducted into the provincial cabinet as Minister of Irrigation.

On December 15, 2011 Pervez Khattak resigned from the provincial ministry, membership of the provincial assembly, Provincial Presidency of the Qaumi Watan Party and also from parliamentary leadership of several members of the provincial assembly to join Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. He made an unsuccessful run as the party's provincial president, he lost by 14 votes to Asad Qaiser, but later successfully defeated Dr Arif Alvi for the key central post of General Secretary. During general election 2013, he was elected as member of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly from Constituency PK-13 Nowshera and member of National Assembly from Constituency NA-5. Lately, he served as federal defence minister from 2018 to 2022. Politically, Pervez Khattak has been associated with country’s leading political parties and remained at the top position. He is widely known for putting together a group of ‘electables’ in Pakistan’s political setup.

Reason for leaving PTI

Pervez Khattak has been in key position in PTI throughout his political career of 12 years. In the last era, he was also made the provincial president of PTI after Imran Khan’s ouster in April as prime minister through a parliamentary vote of no confidence. Earlier this year 2023, in light of the crackdown on the PTI after May 9 violence, he resigned from his party position during a press conference. On June 21, the PTI served a show-cause notice on him for allegedly contacting workers and inciting them to leave the party. 

Pervez Khattak’s contributions and achievements  

In Pakistan’s political circles, Pervez Khattak is known and respected for his reformist views of Pakistan's political system. As government representative, he prioritised accountability in his own government, increased education enrolment, instituted reforms in the police and security sector, anti-polio campaign and plans infrastructure projects such as improving the transportation network. During his minister ship era in KP, he also planned to revive the local economy by helping to rebuild tourism in the area. Most significantly, he also planned industrialization of the economy and a reduction in red tape. Being Chief Minister of KP, his major contributions are as follows:

• Implementation of the "Right to Information" bill in KP.

• Energy Generation.

• De-politicization of police.

• Online Crime's First Information Report (FIR) System.

• People empowerment & developments.

• Mobile Courts.

• Rehabilitation of drug addicts and IDPs.

• Law Enforcement Capability Enhancements.

• Upgradation of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa electricity distribution system.

• Working on Whistleblower law to be implemented in KP.

Pervez Khattak’s stance against drone strikes 

Pervez Khattak is known for his hardline stance against drone strikes, viewing them as extending extremism. In the past, he threatened to block NATO supply lines if drone strikes continued. On every forum, he spoke against drone attacks and considered them as root cause of terrorism and unrest in Pakistan.

Imran Khan and Pervez Khattak

Pervez Khattak became an active supporter and leader of PTI in December, 2011. Within least time, he enjoyed the chief ministership of KP, federal ministries and ace-ranks within the party. On May 13, 2013, Imran Khan nominated Pervez Khattak as the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the top post in the province where Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was the single largest party with 45 out of 99 seats, the party gained another 10 seats through allocation which increased its total seats to 55. Khattak was elected CM with 84 votes, more than his nearest rival from JUI-F Maulana Luftur Rehman who secured 37 votes.