Malik Muhammad Akhtar

Malik Muhammad Akhtar (1915–1999) was a Pakistani politician, former Federal Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs and for Fuel Power and Natural Resources, human rights advocate and lawyer.^[1][2][3][4]

Career

Malik Akhtar belonged to a Pashtun – Kakazai business family of Lahore and he entered politics at a young age and was elected as a councillor in Lahore pre-1947, following in the footsteps of his maternal uncle Muhammad Din Malik.^[5]

Malik Akhtar continued in politics and was elected as an Independent Member of the West Pakistan Provincial Assembly (1965–1969) from Lahore.^[6]

In 1970, he joined the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) under the leadership of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and was elected from Lahore NW-58.^[7] He initially served as the State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs (1974–1976)^[8] and was later appointed Federal Minister of Law Minister and Parliamentary (1976–1977)^[8] and was also Federal Minister of Fuel Power and Natural Resources (1977)^[8] in Bhutto's Cabinet. He played a key role in the formation of Pakistan's constitution in 1973.^[9]

In the 1977 elections^[10] he was elected again from Lahore NA-86 and was appointed to Bhutto's cabinet before martial law was imposed by General Zia-ul-Haq.

He remained associated with PPP till the end and passed away on 2 May 1999.^{[citation needed]}

He was educated at Government College Lahore & Punjab University Law College, Lahore.^{[citation needed]}