The Assassination Of Liaquat Ali Khan

On 16 October 1951, Pakistan’s first prime minister was shot dead in Rawalpindi. The gunman, Said Akbar, was killed on the spot. For decades the official story ended there. But the assassin’s own son, Farooq Babrakzai, has spent years digging through forgotten files - and what he found challenges everything we thought we knew.

On 16 October 1951, while addressing a crowd of 100,000 in Rawalpindi’s Company Garden, Pakistan’s first Prime Minister, Liaquat Ali Khan, was shot twice in the chest. The assassin, Said Akbar Babrak - an Afghan national - was immediately killed by police. The government’s inquiry, assisted by Scotland Yard, quickly closed the case, branding Said Akbar a lone madman. But was it really that simple?

In this explosive investigative book, Farooq Babrakzai (Said Akbar’s third son) pieces together a very different picture. Drawing on long‑buried intelligence files, family papers, and a meticulous re‑examination of the evidence, he traces the roots of the murder back to:

• The unresolved Kashmir War of 1947–48
• The failed Rawalpindi Conspiracy (a coup plot by military officers earlier in 1951)
• Fierce power struggles within Pakistan’s army, bureaucracy, and political circles
• A deeply flawed Scotland Yard investigation, which ignored key witnesses and contradictions
• The critical role of CID officer Askar Ali Shah, who uncovered much more than the official story admits

Babrakzai does not merely repeat conspiracy theories - he presents concrete, overlooked evidence, including testimony that was never recorded and files that remain sealed. This is not a sensationalist account, but a sober, fact‑driven investigation by a man who has lived with the mystery his entire life. A must‑read for anyone who wants to understand the hidden currents of Pakistan’s early history.

Why We Love It:
This is the rarest kind of historical book: one written by the family of the alleged perpetrator, with access to private archives. Babrakzai does not defend his father, nor does he engage in cheap accusation. Instead, he methodically shows where the official narrative is full of holes. We love the book’s refusal to accept easy answers, and its quiet insistence that Pakistan deserves to know the truth about its foundational tragedy. For students of Pakistani politics, true‑crime enthusiasts, and anyone who questions official stories, this is indispensable.

About the Author:
Farooq Babrakzai is a linguist and educator. Born in North Waziristan, he lived and studied in Abbottabad, Kabul, Beirut, and Honolulu, where he earned his doctorate in Linguistics. He has taught at the University of Hawaii, in Muscat, Beijing, and as an Academic Specialist at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California. He is the third son of Said Akbar Babrak, the man officially declared as the lone assassin of Liaquat Ali Khan. The Assassination of Liaquat Ali Khan is his first major work of historical investigation.

The Assassination of Liaquat Ali Khan is available now at Kitab Markaz. We deliver across Pakistan and worldwide - so this crucial piece of hidden history can reach you, wherever you are.

Format: Hardback