Tariq Aziz (Urdu: طارق عزیز) is a close-aide of Pakistani ex-President Pervez Musharraf and the former secretary of the National Security Council. He resigned from the post of NSC secretariat, when Musharraf resigned from presidency on 18 August, 2008.^[1] A former income tax officer, he was a college buddy of Pervez Musharraf, since both of them went to FC College, Lahore. Because of his close proximity with the military coup-maker, General Musharraf appointed him as the political wheeler and dealer whose job was to "knock together a pro-military alliance."^[2] He was aided by Major General Syed Ehtasham Zamir, the head of ISI's political wing, in maneuvering/coercing a list of 'loyal' candidates, before and after 2002 general elections.^[3]

The list of such politicians included former two-time chief minister Aftab Ahmad Sherpao who fled Pakistan after the 1999 military takeover, but later was cleared of such crimes by anti-corruption agency NAB set-up by the military regime, once Sherpao decided to support it. He was later made Minister of Water and Power and then the Interior Minister^[4] Other such politician was Makhdoom Faisal Saleh Hayat, a former PPP stalwart, who had been charged with defaulting on the repayment of loans from state-owned banks and had spent months in prison. He was then inducted in the pro-establishment PML-Q and served first as the Interior Minister and then as Environment Minister.^[5]

Aziz is the Chairman of the Lahore Race Club.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• National Security Council of Pakistan