21 Facts About Ajmal Khattak

Ajmal Khan Khattak was a Pashtun politician, writer and Pashto poet, who served as the President of Awami National Party.

Ajmal Khattak was a close friend of the Khan Abdul Wali Khan.

Ajmal Khattak was defeated by Abdul Haq in the 1970 general election, however following a crackdown against the Party by the government of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, Ajmal Khattak fled into exile to Kabul.

Ajmal Khattak returned in 1989 and was elected in 1990 to the National Assembly of Pakistan, he was then elected President of the Awami National Party following the retirement of Wali Khan.

Ajmal Khattak rejoined the Awami National Party shortly afterwards and retired from active politics.

Ajmal Khattak was a student then at the Government High School, Peshawar, but he left to contribute more to the movement.

Ajmal Khattak has had a long career in both the Indian Independence Movement against the British in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of what was then undivided India as well as part of the National Awami Party in its various incarnations in Pakistan.

Ajmal Khattak was forced to leave the school due to his involvement in the Quit India Movement.

Ajmal Khattak was defeated in the 1970 election in his home constituency.

Ajmal Khattak was the organiser and stage secretary at the United Democratic Front rally held at Liaquat Bagh Rawalpindi on 23 March 1973, when shots were fired at the UDF leaders, including Khan Abdul Wali Khan.

Since Ajmal Khattak was a prominent figure in the National Awami Party, he was wanted by the Federal Security Force as part of the general crackdown on NAP.

Ajmal Khattak's work has been the subject of renewed interest by the South Asian Studies Department at the University of Pennsylvania, which has translated his works into English.

Ajmal Khattak was awarded the Kamal-e-Funn Award 2007 by the Pakistan Academy of Letters.

Ajmal Khattak ended his exile in 1989 after the Awami National Party, the successor of the NAP, entered into an electoral alliance with Nawaz Sharif and his Pakistan Muslim League- led Islami Jamhoori Ittehad.

Ajmal Khattak was elected as the President of the ANP when Khan Wali Khan stepped down from the post.

Ajmal Khattak's Party was routed in the 2002 general elections amidst the religio-political parties alliance, Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, sweep of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

Ajmal Khattak retired from active politics in 2003 and was given the title of party patron in Chief.

Ajmal Khattak died at a local hospital in Peshawar on Sunday, 7 February 2010.

Ajmal Khattak had left politics years earlier and had been residing at his native village, Akora Khattak.

Ajmal Khattak was laid to rest a day after his death.

On 12 May 2012, Ajmal Khattak's shrine was blown up by unknown militants in Akora Ajmal Khattak village.