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Muhammed Afzal Khan Lala also known as Afzal Khan Lala (b. 1926 – 1 November 2015) was a Pashtun nationalist, former Pakistani provincial and Federal minister from the Swat valley in the North-West Frontier Province.

Hailing from the Yousafzai tribe of Bara Durushkhela village of Matta, Swat and a senior member of the Awami National Party, he survived several assassination attempts allegedly by the supporters of Maulana Fazlullah.^[1]

Lineage

Khan Lala's lineage is as below: Afzal khan s/o muhmmad habib khan(darmi khan) s/o hussain khan s/o arsala khan s/o muhmmad alam khan s/o zarif khan s/o hussain khan(budha khel) s/o muhammad khan(mama khel) s/o nusrat khan s/o muhmmad khan(muhammad khel) s/o sham khan (shamizai) s/o khwaja mohd khan (khwaja zai) s/o ako (akozai) s/o yousaf (yousafzai) s/o mand s/o sheekha s/o kand s/o kharshabun s/o sarban s/o qais(abdur rasheed) s/o aees.

Political career

Afzal Khan began his political career affiliated with National Awami Party (NAP) in opposing the rule of the Wali of Swat.^[2] Formally joining the party in 1969 after Swat's merger into NWFP, he was elected member of provincial assembly in Pakistan's 1970, first ever national election. A close confidante of Abdul Wali Khan he was one of three National Awami Party provincial ministers appointed in the short-lived coalition government of Mufti Mehmud. In 1975, he was arrested by the government as part of general crackdown against the opposition and was charged as part of the Hyderabad tribunal. Released in 1978, he was elected provincial president of the Awami National Party, however in 1990 he along with senior party leaders formed a breakaway party called the Pakhtunkhwa Qaumi Party (PQP), in protest against the Awami National Party's decision to form an alliance with the conservative Islami Jamhoori Ittehad. Allying his group to the Pakistan Peoples Party, Afzal Khan was elected to the National Assembly in the 1993 elections. Serving as Federal Minister for the Northern areas and Kashmir from 1993 to 1996, he withdrew from electoral politics after 1997. He then allied himself with the Pakistan Oppressed Nations Movement (PONM), advocating full provincial autonomy for the various ethnicities of Pakistan. In 2005 he rejoined the Awami National Party.

Opposition to Taliban

One of the few opponents not in exile or dead at the hands of the Taliban in the region, he has been guarded by relatives and members of the Awami National Party.^[3]

In a recent interview he said from his house in the Durushkhela area of Swat that he refuses to leave the area to Taliban: "I shall die but will not leave the ground to militants".^[4]

Recognition by Pakistan government

As acknowledgement for his bravery in the face of terrorism, he was awarded by the President of Pakistan, the highest civilian award for bravery the Hilal-i-Shujaat in 2009.^[5]

Death

He died on 1 November 2015 in Swat after a protracted illness.^[6]

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, CEO Abdullah Abdullah, former President Hamid Karzai and other leaders expressed their condolences. Also there are seminars being kept until today, for example by Pashtoons Social Democratic Party.

References

^ Pakistan militants kill rival, bring fear to valley
^ Merger of swat state with Pakistan
^ Rahimullah Yousafzai (12 January 2009). "Afzal Khan Lala vows to stay in Swat despite fresh attack". THE NEWS. Jang group. Archived from the original on 24 September 2009.
^ Daud Khattak (12 December 2008). "Swat MPs celebrate Eid in Peshawar as trouble continues in valley". Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
^ "Afzal Lala gets Hilal-i-Shujaat". 11 June 2009.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
^ Naveed, Shahzad. "Afzal Khan Lala Died". www.swatnews.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2015.

Political offices
Preceded by Lt. Gen. (Retd) Mohammad Shafiq	Minister for Kashmir Affairs & Northern Areas, States & Frontier Regions November 1993 - February, 1997	Succeeded by Lt. Gen. (Retd) Abdul Majeed Malik