ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s former foreign minister and ex-National Assembly speaker, Gohar Ayub Khan, passed away on Friday, as confirmed by his family, after a brief illness.
A retired army officer who attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, the 86-year-old politician was Field Marshal Ayub Khan’s son and served as his aide while he ruled the country following the first military coup in 1958.
Gohar Ayub resigned from the army as a captain in 1962 before setting up his own business and entering politics in the 1970s.
“Mr. Gohar Ayub Khan Former Speaker National Assembly of Pakistan and former Foreign Minister, passed away peacefully after a brief illness,” a notification posted on the social media account of his son, Omar Ayub Khan, read.
“His Namaz-e-Janaza [funeral prayer] will be offered at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, 18th November, 2023 at Village Rehana, District Haripur,” it added.
Gohar Ayub’s son, also a politician and former federal minister, has served as the secretary-general of former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
President Arif Alvi, elected to the National Assembly on a PTI ticket in the last general elections before getting the top state office, expressed deep sorrow over Gohar Ayub’s passing and offered heartfelt condolences to his family.
