Humayun Akhtar Khan
Humayun Akhtar Khan (Urdu: ہمایوں اختر خان; born 1 April 1955) is a Pakistani politician, businessman, and actuary. He has been a member of Pakistan’s National Assembly multiple times, served as Federal Minister for Trade and Commerce from 2002 to 2007, and chaired the Board of Investment. He also leads major family businesses in beverages and sugar.
Early life and education
Humayun Akhtar Khan was born in Multan, Punjab, Pakistan, to General Akhtar Abdur Rahman, a former head of the ISI. He studied at Army Burn Hall College in Abbottabad and Saint Mary’s Academy in Rawalpindi. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business mathematics from Government College University, Lahore, and a master’s degree in actuarial science and business administration from the University of Manitoba in Canada. He is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (US) since 1980 and of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries since 1981.
Career
After working in senior executive roles in multinational companies and in the insurance sector in Toronto from 1977 to 1987, Humayun returned to Pakistan in 1988. He, his brothers, and Jahangir Khan Tareen built a beverage distribution business for PepsiCo (Riaz Bottlers), which later became Lotte Akhtar Beverages after South Korea’s Lotte Chilsung acquired a controlling stake in 2018. The Akhtar group also runs Tandlianwala Sugar Mills and related ventures, including ethanol distilleries and a carbon dioxide plant. The group operates three sugar mills and produces ethanol and CO2 for export and industry. By 2023, Tandlianwala Sugar Mills reported substantial annual sales.
Political career
Humayun began his political career in 1990 with Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (IJI) from Lahore. He later joined the Pakistan Muslim League (N) and won a National Assembly seat in 1993 (NA-93, Lahore). He was re-elected in 1997 from Rahimyar Khan (NA-150) in a by-election and was appointed Chairman of the Board of Investment and Minister of State for Investment (1997–1999). After the 1999 military coup, he and many of Nawaz Sharif’s allies were briefly under house arrest, and investigations followed, but he returned to politics in 2001.
In 2002 he was elected to the National Assembly from Lahore’s NA-125 and became Federal Minister for Trade and Commerce (2002–2007) under President Pervez Musharraf. He played a central role during the government’s formation and remained a key business-backed politician through the mid-2000s. In 2008–2013 he helped form the Pakistan Muslim League (Like-Minded) alliance with Nawaz Sharif’s PML-N but did not always receive party tickets. In 2018 he joined Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and campaigned for Imran Khan in Lahore’s NA-131 by-elections, which he narrowly lost to Khawaja Saad Rafique.
In June 2023, Humayun Akhtar Khan left PTI in the wake of the May 9 riots. He ran again in the 2024 general elections from NA-97 Faisalabad-III (Tandlianwala Tehsil) but was defeated by Saadullah Khan Baloch, though he remains active in development projects in his constituency.
Personal life and writings
Humayun Akhtar Khan is the eldest of four brothers. He is married to his first cousin, who is related to Punjab political figures, including Sibtain Khan and Jahangir Khan Tareen. His son is married to the daughter of media mogul Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman. He is known to have written columns and op-eds for publications such as The News International.
Overall, Humayun Akhtar Khan is a prominent figure who has balanced a long career in both politics and business, combining leadership roles in government with ownership and management of large industrial enterprises.
This page was last edited on 1 February 2026, at 19:51 (CET).