In his memory: Hayat Sherpao’s death anniversary observed today

Hayat was appointed 15th governor of K-P in 1971 at age of 34; became youngest person to hold post

PESHAWAR: The 41st death anniversary of former governor of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Hayat Muhammad Khan Sherpao will be held on Sunday (today). The ceremony will take place in his native village, Sherpao.

Hayat Sherpao, the elder brother of Qaumi Watan Party Chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao, was a close aide of Pakistan Peoples Party founder and former prime minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. He was also the first chairperson of the party in K-P.



He was credited with strengthening PPP in K-P, which was called the North West Frontier Province at the time.

Aftab will address a gathering of party workers and leaders of other political parties at the village on Sunday.

Hayat was appointed the 15th governor of K-P in 1971 at the age of 34 and became the youngest individual to hold the post. He continued in the position till April 30, 1972. He graduated from Islamia College Peshawar and launched a movement for student rights.

He also played an active role in Fatima Jinnah’s election campaign against Ayub Khan and raised a voice against the field marshal’s dictatorship.

He was given the reins of the province at a difficult time as East Pakistan was lost and bomb blasts became the order of the day. He also served as a federal minister in the cabinet of Bhutto and was the provincial interior minister.

Born to Khan Bahadur Ghulam Haider Khan in 1943, Hayat was assassinated in a bomb blast at University of Peshawar on February 8, 1975. He was addressing students at the time.

The Awami National Party was accused of his assassination and an FIR was registered against Nisar Muhammad Khan, Asfandyar Wali Khan and others. However, his real assailants remain unknown to the day.

Later, he was succeeded by his younger brother Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao who was elected chief minister of K-P on two occasions.

Aftab parted ways with PPP after differences emerged with former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in 1998. He formed his own party called PPP-Sherpao and renamed it Qaumi Watan Party in 2013.

My brother was the first victim of terrorism,” said Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao when contacted. He said QWP would carry his mission forward and serve the poor of the country with the aim of an uplift.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 14^th, 2016.