Abdul Qadir Baloch


Abdul Qadir Baloch is a Pakistani politician and retired army general who served as Minister for States and Frontier Regions in the third Sharif ministry from 2013 to 2017 and in Abbasi cabinet from August 2017 to May 2018. A leader of the Pakistan Muslim League, Baloch briefly served as the Governor of Balochistan during Pervez Musharraf rule in 2003
Baloch had been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from 2008 to May 2018.

Early life

He was born on 9 April 1945.

Military career

Baloch was appointed as field operations commander of the XXX Corps where he oversaw the redeployment of the military troops near border with India. In the wake of the 9/11 attacks in the United States, Baloch was assigned as field operations commander of the XII Corps which had the area of responsibility of the Balochistan.

Political career

In 2001, Baloch was appointed as Martial Law Administrator of Balochistan. In 2003, he received honorable discharge from the army and prematurely retired from the military as corps commander of Quetta to be appointed as Governor of Balochistan.
In 2008 Pakistani general election, Baloch elected as member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from constituency NA-271. In 2010, he joined the Pakistan Muslim League. In August 2011, Baloch was selected by PML as the assistant secretaries-general of the PML-N for Balochistan.
In 2013, the PML allotted a party ticket to Baloch for the constituency NA-271 to participate in general elections. Baloch performed well in the election and defeated Ahsanullah Raki of PPP. Later, he was appointed as Minister for States and Frontier Regions by the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and took oath on 8 June 2013.
He had ceased to hold ministerial office in July 2017 when the federal cabinet was disbanded following the resignation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif after Panama Papers case decision. Following the election of Shahid Khaqan Abbasi as Prime Minister of Pakistan, Baloch was inducted into the federal cabinet of Abbasi and was appointed Minister for States and Frontier Regions for the second time. Upon the dissolution of the National Assembly on the expiration of its term on 31 May 2018, Baloch ceased to hold the office as Federal Minister for States and Frontier Regions.