Rehman Malik

Abdul Rehman Malik NI (Punjabi, Urdu: رحمان ملک; born 12 December 1951 – 23 February 2022) was a Pakistani politician and a Federal Investigation Agency officer, having served as the Interior Minister from being appointed on 25 March 2008 until 16 March 2013.

Malik was born on 12 December 1951 in Sialkot, Punjab, Pakistan.

He gained his BSc degree and MSc in Statistics in 1973 from the Karachi University.

In 1973, Malik joined the National Alien Registration Authority (NARA) as the immigration agent and subsequently served in the various services of the intelligence community, working in various criminal offense cases.

In the 1980s, allegedly on the recommendation of Chaudhry Zahoor Elahi, he joined the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) as a special agent and initially investigated cases against KHAD's terrorist-sponsored operations in the country.

Prior to his entry in national politics, Malik had pursued a successful career in the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) as a special agent, eventually becoming the Additional Director General of the Federal Investigation Agency in 1993 until 1996.

Eventually he was appointed an Additional Director General of the FIA in 1993.

His appointment was personally approved by Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

As Director of the FIA, Malik launched a secret war against the Islamist elements in Pakistan, which amounted to a direct attack on the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

His efforts equally dismayed the military establishment by reports of the FIA contacting the Israeli secret service, the Mossad, to investigate Islamist terrorists.

The FIA leadership under Malik also angered Taliban supporters within the conservative establishment, because they allowed the extradition of Ramzi Yousef to the United States for trial on the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

During his stint as Director, he coordinated successful counter-terrorist operations in the country as well as abroad, including the arrest and extradition of Yousaf Ramzi to the United States in 1995.

After being removed from the Directorship, Malik moved to the United Kingdom and began political activity through the PPP platform.

In the ending months of 1996, President Farooq Leghari exercised the constitutional option to dismiss his party's own government.

One of the first acts of President Leghari, after dismissing Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto on 5 November 1996, was to imprison Ghulam Asghar, Director General of the FIA, on non-specified corruption charges.

Malik, Additional Director General of FIA, was also arrested and remained in prison for one year.

Later, he also survived assassination attempt.

Immediately, Malik was terminated from the FIA by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in 1997.

In November 1998, Malik termed the termination of his service by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif an "act of retaliation" because of the 200-page report, which he had sent to then-President Rafiq Tarar, disclosing large-scale corruption of the Sharif family.

Malik then flew to London and made a corruption accusation against the Sharif brothers.

With the dismissal of the government of the PPP, Malik left the country and settled in the United Kingdom, where he set up his own private security firm, DM Digital Network.

Malik, serving at the capacity as firm's president, established its head office at Manchester.

Earlier in 2002, Fahim had formed the extension of PPP (although later merged it) and acted as the leader of PPP in the absence of Benazir and her husband Asif Ali Zardari.

It was also reported in The News International that after Malik took over the role of top "adviser and broker" of Benazir on important matters ranging from politics to business, Fahim seemed to have become an "obsolete political commodity."

From 2004 until 2007, he served as the chief of security of Benazir Bhutto and became senior official of the central committee of the PPP.

Through this firm, he assisted Benazir Bhutto during her exile, and he was her Chief of Security when she returned home in 2007.

During his nine-year-long exile in England, Malik obtained British citizenship.

In 2007, he replaced Amin Fahim as the most trusted political aide of Benazir Bhutto, and was appointed the chief of security of Benazir Bhutto in 2007.

He became extremely known in public after breaking a "political deal" between Benazir Bhutto and Pervez Musharraf, which allowed Benazir Bhutto to return to the country.

After successfully contesting the general elections held in 2008, Malik was appointed adviser and eventually appointed Interior Minister by Prime Minister Yousaf Gillani.

However, he stated that he gave up his British nationality in 2008 before holding public office.

He was the Founder President of DM Digital Network with head office at Manchester, but he resigned after his appointment as Advisor/Minister to the Prime Minister for the Interior.

Over his years in the United Kingdom, he grew closer to the elite central committee of the PPP.

In 2011, Malik was conferred with an honorary PhD by the Karachi University in recognition of "matchless services to the country in the war on terror and particularly in restoring peace to the citizens of Karachi."

Controversially, the decision of conferring a PhD to Rehman Malik was criticized by the university's professors.

The media also criticized the university's decision.

Over this issue, the teachers society of Karachi University passed a unanimous resolution demanding the Governor of Sindh and the Vice Chancellor revoke the honorary doctorate degree.

In 2013, he lost his ministerial appointment after a Supreme Court's hearing against the dual nationality case, which also influenced his decision of resigning from the Pakistan Senate, also the same year.

On 15 September 2014, angry passengers at a domestic flight forced Rehman from boarding a Pakistan International Airlines plane, after the plane reportedly waited for over two hours for the former minister.

The passengers refused to let him on board, and a verbal altercation occurred, resulting in the denial of Malik's boarding.