Veteran politician Wali Khan dies

PESHAWAR: Veteran politician Khan Abdul Wali Khan passed away here on Thursday after protracted illness at the age of 89. Abdul Wali Khan slipped to comma after brain hemorrhage two days back. Wali Khan, who started his politics from Khudai Khidmatgar Party, later led the Awami National Party. Khan Abdul Wali Khan was one of the most politically active sons of Badshah Khan. Wali Khan is a senior politician in Pakistan. He served as President of the National Awami Party, National Democratic Party and Awami National Party (ANP) for many years and now acts as the ideological mentor (rehbar) of his party (Rehbar).
In 1970 elections, he elected both National Assembly and Provincial assembly from Charsada In 1988 elections, Khan Abdul Wali Khan elected Member of National assembly from NA-5 after defeating Nisar Muhammad Khan. He became the leader of opposition in the National Assembly in which Benazir Bhutto was the leader of the house.
In 1990 general elections Khan Abdul Wali Khan was defeated at the hands of Maulana Hassan Jan of JUI(F).
Wali Khan was born on January 11, 1917 in Utmanzai town of Charsadda District.He received his early education from Azad Islamia High School and later shifted to Irish government's Deradun Public School. He completed his Senior Cambridge in 1933 and started his political career by joining Khudai Khidmatgar Movement in 1942. The movement was launched by his father prominent Pakhtoon freedom fighter Abdul Ghaffar Khan, commonly known as Bacha Khan.
His funeral prayers would be offered on Friday at Jinnah Park, Peshawar. A widow, two sons and three daughters survived Wali Khan.