Engr.
Khurram Dastgir Khan is affiliated politically with PML-N. He currently
holds the office of Central Joint Secretary and is an ex officio member
of the Central Working Committee of the party. He participated in
drafting PML-N''s 2008 election manifesto as a member of the Policy
Planning Committee. He was serving as Special assistant to Prime
Minister at the time of the military coup d''etat in October 1999.
Brought up in a learning environment throughout – a true son of the soil:
The young scrupulous mindset of Khurram Dastgir is not the result of any sudden spell; he is what his parents brought him up with. It is a long journey spread over years of hard work and comprises of painstaking initiatives by Khurram’s parents who have always been supportive of their intelligent child. Integrity is what he got from his father, a true dad Khurram has been blessed with. Khurram continues the legacy of his father ‘Ghulam Dastgir Khan’ who won elections to the National Assembly in 1977, 1990, 1993 and 1997; apart from serving twice in the federal cabinet as Minister for Labour, Manpower, and Overseas Pakistanis and later as Minister for Local Government and Rural Development. Khurram did not for any single moment find his father’s feet stagger. Ghulam Dastgir Khan was amongst the few who stood against the Military takeover of Musharraf in October 1999, and remained consistent thereafter. Khurram finds his father’s decision a reflexive one guided by strong principles. Ghulam Dastgir Khan instilled into his son that if one stands for nothing then he falls for everything. Khurram Dastgir knows how hard it was to stand against a despot throughout his tenure, but he proudly states how firm he found his father to be: living every day through the hard times.
Academia: Started from Gujranwala, became an Abdalian and afterwards made it to ‘Bowdoin’ and later to ‘Caltech’
Khurram Dastgir Khan received his schooling from ‘Saint Joseph High School’ in Gujranwala. He then got selected for being at one of the most Prestigious Institutions of Pakistan: “Cadet College Hasanabdal”. He became a part of the 29th entry there, and spent his five years as part of ‘Iqbal Wing’ doing his Matriculation in 1985 and subsequently qualifying with his FSc (Pre Engineering) in 1987.
The Engineer’s return to Pakistan and involvement in active politics:
Being the only brother of five sisters, he immediately came back from USA after graduation. He still cherishes the immense learning he had at his leaning abodes in States. Over the years he has managed to build up his father’s business in a different way. Khurram is into the Real Estate business, being commercial developers. Apart from that he is also managing a couple of petrol pumps. His active involvement in politics has helped him develop a fine reputation in the political circles.
Problems abound; Pakistan calling for help:
Khurram Dastgir Khan feels that real problems must be identified and addressed. For instance, National Assembly has nothing to say when it comes to FATA because Article 247(3) of the constitution explicitly states that the parliament cannot legislate for FATA. This contradiction in the constitution is still there and we are busy in bloodshed, the need of the hour is to tackle it at the legislative front first, in fact it should had been done in the 70s. Khurram does recognize that the odds are daunting as all the contradictions have exploded at once. However, Khurram Dastgir Khan is optimistic that Pakistan will sustain and prevail – for sure.
The personal front:
Khurram Dastgir Khan is a down
to earth person, and feels extremely blessed to be a member of the
alumni of one of the best institutions of the world. He loves listening
to classical music, and is a great fan of the three Bs in western
classical music: Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, and
Johannes Brahms.
Favourite Poet
Among urdu poets he admires Faiz
and Iqbal. English Literature has been his life long companion, and he
is a great fan of Henry David Foro. Science oriented fiction interests
Khurram a lot. Among creators of Urdu Literature he is an admirer of
Mukhtar Masud.
Interests
Khurram Dastgir has no interest
for pets. He, however, has been a great sportsman all through his life.
He played a great deal of basketball when he was at Cadet College
Hasanabdal, and later played Squash at university level. Nowadays he
likes to walk and watches cricket and tennis with interest.
