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The 75-Year Mystery of Pakistan First PM Liaquat Ali Khan Assassination
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News18•16-10-2026, 20:06
The 75-Year Mystery of Pakistan First PM Liaquat Ali Khan Assassination
- •Pakistan's first Prime Minister, Liaquat Ali Khan, was assassinated on October 16, 1951, by two gunshots while addressing a public gathering at Company Bagh in Rawalpindi.
- •The gunman, an Afghan national named Said Akbar Babrak, was killed on the spot by police, which permanently destroyed the opportunity to uncover the real motive behind the murder.
- •Company Bagh, later renamed Liaquat Bagh, also witnessed the tragic assassinations of political figures like former PM Benazir Bhutto in 2007.
- •Various theories emerged regarding the assassination, including disputes over the Kashmir policy, opposition to the Prime Minister's lifestyle, and potential links to the Rawalpindi Conspiracy.
- •An inquiry commission led by Justice Muhammad Munir and investigations by Britain Scotland Yard failed to find conclusive evidence of a larger conspiracy, leaving the mystery unresolved after 75 years.
Key Questions Answered
Pakistan's first Prime Minister, Liaquat Ali Khan, was assassinated on October 16, 1951, while addressing a public gathering at Company Bagh in Rawalpindi.
The shooter was identified as Said Akbar Babrak, an Afghan national belonging to the Zadran tribe of the Khost region who was living in Abbottabad. He was immediately shot dead by the police on the spot.
Nine days after the murder on October 25, 1951, the Pakistan government established an inquiry commission headed by Federal Court judge Muhammad Munir, which submitted its report in February 1952.
