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Rehman Malik

Rehman Malik

Interior Minister of Pakistan
Born: 12 December 1951
Profession: Politician
Affiliation(s): Paksitan Peoples Party

Rehman Malik was born in Sialkot, Pakistan on 12 December 1951.

He has obtained PhD in criminology from London

Federal Investigation Agency career

Rehman Malik began his career as an immigration officer and became the top-man in the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in the mid 90’s.During 26 years of active service as an officer of the FIA, he has held the post of Additional Director General of the FIA besides heading various regional offices of the department such as Crime Zone Peshawar, Immigration, Interpol and National Security Cell. He has been associated with anti-terrorism and anti-money launching operations of the FIA which have earned him recognition by the international law enforcement community. He was bestowed with the Sitara-e-Shujaat in 1995.

Benazir Bhutto appointed Rehman Malik as the additional director-general of the FIA which then launched a secret war against the Islamist elements in Pakistan, which amounted to a direct attack on the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).The Pakistani military was equally dismayed by reports of FIA contacts with the Israeli secret service, Mossad, to investigate Islamist terrorists. The FIA leadership under Bhutto also angered Taliban supporters within the establishment, because they allowed the extradition of Ramzi Yousef to the US for trial on the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

One of the first acts of President Leghari after dismissing Benazir Bhutto on 5 November 1996 was to imprison the Ghulam Asghar, head of FIA, suspended on non specified corruption charges, and Rehman Malik, Additional Director General of FIA, was also arrested.
Accusation against Sharif and exile

In November 1998, Rehman Malik termed the termination of his service by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif an “act of retaliation” because of the 200-page report, which he had sent to then President Rafiq Tarar, disclosing large-scale corruption of Sharif family. Rehman Malik then fled to London and made corruption accusation against the Sharif brothers.

With the dismissal of the government of the PPP, Rehman Malik left the country and settled in the United Kingdom where he started his business and became a business tycoon.

Political Career

He is a senior member of the Central Executive Committee of PPP and had worked for decades with Shaheed Mohtrama Benazir Bhutto and assisted her as political advisor besides assisting her in various political meetings both abroad and at home. He attended all political parties of SAARC meeting in Bangkok, Thailand in 2004 which was chaired by Shaheed Mohtrama Benazir Bhutto as PPP chairperson.

He attended all political parties of SAARC meeting in Bangkok, Thailand in 2004 which was chaired by Shaheed Mohtrama Benazir Bhutto as PPP chairperson.He represented PPP on behalf of Shaheed Mohtrama Benazir Bhutto in various political seminars and head of states world wide.

Rehman Malik emerged as the deal broker in Benazir-Musharraf reconciliation talks in Abu Dhabi in July 2007, and replaced Makhdoom Amin Fahim as the most trusted political lieutenant of Benazir Bhutto. Fahim was Benazir’s aide since 2002, when he formed the Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians and acted as the leader of PPP in the absence of Benazir and her husband Asif Ali Zardari. It was also reported in The News that after Rehman Malik took over the role of top “adviser and broker” of Benazir on important matters ranging from politics to business, Fahim seemed to have become an “obsolete political commodity.”

Under the amnesty of the National Reconciliation Ordinance, Malik had three cases of corruption allegations against himself dropped.

Assassination of Benazir Bhutto

Rehman Malik was the chief of the security of Benazir Bhutto when she returned home in 2007.After the assassination of Benazir Bhutto there were many accusation against Rehman Malik for lax security and his absence.

However, he was brought into the limelight for his past service to Asif Ali Zardari and PPP, and was made an adviser on interior affairs and narcotics control to the PPP Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani, with the status of Federal Minister. He was later upgraded as Interior Minister of Pakistan. He is the most controversial person regarding Bhutto’s assassination.