Naseerullah Khan Babar | |
|---|---|
 Naseerullah Khan Babar (1928–2011) | |
| 28th Minister for Interior | |
| In office 21 October 1993 – 5 November 1996 | |
| President | Farooq Leghari |
| Prime Minister | Benazir Bhutto |
| Preceded by | Fateh Khan Bandial |
| Succeeded by | Omar Khan Afridi |
| Special Advisor on Internal Affairs | |
| In office 2 December 1988 – 6 August 1990 | |
| President | Ghulam Ishaq Khan |
| 12th Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province | |
| In office 1 March 1975 – 6 July 1977 | |
| President | Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry |
| Preceded by | Syed Ghawas |
| Succeeded by | Abdul Hakeem Khan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1928 Pirpiai, North West Frontier Province, British India |
| Died | 10 January 2011 (aged 82–83)[1] Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province |
| Resting place | Pirpiai, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan |
| Nationality | Pakistani |
| Political party | Pakistan Peoples Party |
| Relatives | Maria Babar (daughter, adopted) |
| Alma mater | Presentation Convent School, Peshawar Pakistan Military Academy, Dehra Dun, Burn Hall |
| Occupation | Military administrator |
| Profession | Politician |
| Cabinet | Zulfikar Bhutto Government Bainazir Bhuttoo Government |
| Awards | Sitara-e-Jurat (1971) Hilal-i-Jur'at (1973) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Pakistan |
| Branch/service |  Pakistan Army |
| Years of service | 1948–1974 |
| Rank |  Major General |
| Unit | Pakistan Army Artillery Corps |
| Commands | 23 Division, Jehlum IG Frontier Corps DG Military Intelligence |
| Battles/wars | Indo-Pakistani War of 1947 Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 |
Major-General Naseerullah Khan Babar (Urdu: نصیر اللہ خان بابر; born 1928 – 10 January 2011) was a Pakistani army officer, diplomat, and politician who served as the 28th Interior Minister of Pakistan from 1993 to 1996. A member of the Pakistan Peoples Party, he also served as the 12th Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province between 1975 and 1977. He was a retired 2-star general officer in the Pakistan Army, and later career military officer-turned-statesman.
During 1974, Babar was tasked to fund and train Tajik rebels, by the order of Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, to stage uprising against the government of Sardar Mohammed Daoud Khan.[2] The operation was a huge success for Pakistan as Daoud Khan was forced to change his way and end his support to Anti-Pakistani militants.[3][2] Babar then proceeded to retire from the army to start his career in politics. He became Governor of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa from 1975 to 1977 [4][5] under Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto's government until the term was cut short due to Operation Fair Play— a clandestine operation undertaken to remove Bhutto. In 1988, Babar served as the Special Advisor on Internal Affairs in Benazir Bhutto's first government. Between 1993 and 1996, he tenured as the Interior Minister during Benazir Bhutto's second government where he supervised and successfully contended Operation Blue Fox.[5][6]
Babar is also credited with successfully curbing targeted killings and criminal activities in Karachi in the 1990s. He took the charge of Sindh police and effectively dealt with criminal activities, which were at that time rampant in Karachi, by 1996.[7][6]
Babar was a collector of antique art and Buddha statues. Before Aziz Deri was declared archiological site in 1996, among others, Naseerullah Babar took several artifacts and statues from the area. He kept them at his Peshawar Town residence. Later, items were recovered and placed at Peshawar Museum. [8][9]
- ^ "Former interior minister Naseerullah Babar dies". Dawn (newspaper). 10 January 2011. Archived from the original on 12 January 2011. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
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Dawnwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b "Undoing of Sindh Police". The Express Tribune (newspaper). 7 August 2016. Archived from the original on 7 August 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
- ^ Anthony, Davis. "Fitful peace". CNN (Asiaweek.com) magazine. Archived from the original on 1 May 2018. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
- ^ "Aziz Dheri and the footprints of Buddhism in K-P". The Express Tribune. 5 February 2023. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
- ^ I have seen the Buddha statues personally several times at his home. I'm staying anonymous because the family knows me and will muddy our relations.