Arif Mohammed Khan was born on 18th November 1951 in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh. He received his BA (Hons) from Aligarh Muslim University (1972-73) and LLB from Lucknow University, Uttar Pradesh (1977).
He started his political career as a student leader and led the Aligarh Muslim University Students’ Union as General Secretary during 1972-73 and President during 1973-74.
He became a member of the Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh in 1977 at 26, from the Siyana constituency, Bulandshahar. He was elected to the seventh Lok Sabha from Kanpur in 1980. He was again elected as a Member of Parliament from the Bahraich constituency during the 8th, 9th, and 12th Lok Sabha.
His administrative capabilities were nationally noted during his ministerial tenures. As Union Cabinet Minister, He held the Energy and Civil Aviation portfolios during 1989- 90. Earlier, he had also served as Deputy Minister, Information and Broadcasting (1982-83) and Union Minister of State, holding portfolios such as Agriculture (1983-84), Energy (1984 and 1985-86), Industry and Company Affairs (1984-85) and Home Affairs (1985).
He was a member of the Kendriya Hindi Samiti during 1980-82. As a Member of Parliament, he worked on the Parliamentary Committees on Public Undertakings, Home Affairs, and Foreign Affairs.
He is the author of Text and Context: Quran and Contemporary Challenges, published in 2010. He is also a well-known writer and columnist on various matters, including religious reforms. A voracious reader, his lectures on various topics are trendy among universities and other nationwide audiences.
He has travelled extensively, leading the Indian delegation to the Non-aligned Information Ministers Conference in 1982 and the World Economic Forum Switzerland in 1990. He was also a member of the Indian Parliamentary Delegation to the 100th IPU Conference in Moscow in 1998. In 1990, as Union Civil Aviation Minister, He played a vital role in evacuating the Indian immigrants stranded in Kuwait.
He is married to Smt. Reshma Arif and they have two sons – Mustafa Arif, an advocate, and Kabeer Arif, a pilot by training and currently pursuing his passion for organic farming in Uttar Pradesh.
He assumed office as the 22nd Governor of Kerala on 06th September 2019.
