Pakistani Politicians: The ones you don't know much about..

Society Pakistan & World Affairs
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SARDAR ABDUR RAB NISHTAR (1899-1958)

Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar was born at Peshawar on June 13, 1899, in Mohalla Rampura, Kocha Makran. He made a major contribution to the Muslim League in the North West Frontier Province. In addition to his role in politics, through his poetry Nishtar also contributed to creating political consciousness and Islamic spirit among his compatriots. Nishtar’s father, Abdul Hannan, a railway contractor, was a prominent figure of the Afghan tribe, Kukar, who opposed the British. His ancestors who had settled in Zhob valley, Quetta migrated to Qandhar because of British tyranny; Nishtar’s grand father, Abdul Rahman, established his business there. After the death of Abdur Rahman, Maulvi Abdul Hannan settled in Peshawar. He was a literary person and a great religious scholar. Nishtar’s grandmother named him Abdur Rab due to a dream she had had before his birth. Nishtar’s family was deeply religious, and this family influence made Nishtar an enthusiastic votary of Islam.

Nishtar passed fifth grade in Choppel School, Peshawar, joined Mission High School, Peshawar, and later shifted to Sanatan Dharram High School. In 1918, was admitted to Edwards College. Although his father opposed any further study, Nishtar did not give up. Nishtar was influenced by Hazrat Syed Tajamal Hussain, who helped him formulate his ideas on Islamic injunctions. He was also fond of Sufism and other branches of religious knowledge. Nishtar prepared himself for the Munshi Fazil examination on the advice of Syed Tajjamal Hussain. After passing this exam, he went on to take the B.A. examination from the University of Punjab as an external candidate in 1923. He completed his L.L.B. in 1925 from Aligarh Muslim University with distinction. He received his professional training in law from Khan Bahadur Saadullah Khan. In 1920 he started his own legal practice.

Nishtar had ample opportunity to observe the political developments then taking place in India. It was the outbreak of the Khilafat Movement that made him concentrate whole-heartedly on politics. Nishtar occupies on eminent place in the history of the freedom movement in South Asia as a great freedom fighter, a top-ranking politician and a leader. He championed the cause of Muslim freedom in his oratory and in his Urdu and Persian poetry, which sheds light on his high aims and ideals. His first poem, composed in 1919, illustrates the significance of the Khilafat Movement.

Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar remained member of Indian National Congress 1927-31, was elected Municipal Commissioner, Peshawar Municipal committee, successively from 1929-38, joined All India Muslim League in 1932, remained a member AIML Council, 1936, member NWFP legislative Assembly 1937-45, Finance Minister NWFP 1943-45, member AIML Working Committee, 1944-47, represented the AIML at Simla Tripartite Conference 1946. Communication member, Interim Govt., 1946-47, He singed Air Agreement on behalf of India with France, Netherlands and USA. Minister of Communication, Govt. Of Pakistan 1947-49, Governor of Punjab, 1949-51, Minister Federal Govt. 1951-53. President Pakistan Muslim League 1956-58.

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Re: Pakistani Politicians: The ones you don’t know much about..

Good topic,

I respect him the most,…after Jinnah.,:k:

BTW,…I saw his Picture in Edwardes college Peshawar too…As my father went to the same college ( Edwardes College Peshawar Cantt )…after High School.

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http://www.pakistanlink.com/sah/03-05-99.html

Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar- A Man for all Seasons

Most nations have a poor collective memory of the past and Pakistan is no exception. Within fifty years of the independence, the main characters of the struggle for a Muslim homeland have receded into oblivion. Despite emphasis on Pakistan studies in educational institutions, the past has been all but forgotten. It shouldn’t be. Nishtar needs to be remembered for what he was. A common man who despite reaching the pinnacle of power, remained a dedicated and humble public servant.

Shakespeare sums up the persona of Nishtar:

His nature is too noble for the world:

He would not flatter Neptune for his trident,

Or Jove for’s power to thunder. (Coriolanus III, I, 254)

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HUSSAIN SHAHEED SUHRAWARDY (1893-1963)

Hussain Shaheed Suhrawardy was born on 8 September 1893, into an illustrious Muslim family from Midnapore in West Bengal, India. The ancestral home of the family was Suhraward, a city in Iraq, from which the family assumed its surname.

Suhrawardy received his early education from his mother and from his maternal uncle Sir Abdullah-al-Mamum Suhrawardy. Later he entered the Calcutta Aliya Madrassa and graduated with honours in science from St. Xavier's College. He obtained an M.A. in Arabic from Calcutta University in 1913. That same year he left for England for higher studies and graduated in science with honours from Oxford. He also received his B.C.L. degree from this university and was called to the bar from Grey's Inn in 1918.

Suhrawardy married Sr. Abdur Rahim's daughter, Begum Niaz Fatima, in 1920. Their married life lasted only three years. Begum Niaz died in 1922. They had a son and a daughter. The son, Shahab Suhrawardy, died in London in 1940 while pursuing his studies at Oxford. The daughter, Akhtar Jahan Suhrawardy, was married to Sir Muhammad Sulaiman's son, Shah Ahmad Sulaiman. Begum Akhtar Sulaiman died in Karachi in 1982 and is survived by her only daughter, Shahida Munni, who is also a barrister. In 1940, Suhrawardy married Vera Tiscenko, a former actress of the Moscow Arts Theater. They divorced in 1951. Their only son, Rashid, was brought up in England, where he pursued a career as a professional actor.

In 1921 Suhrawardy was elected to the Bengal Legislative Assembly. As secretary to the Calcutta Khilafat committee, he became acquainted with C.R. Das, a Bengali leader who worked for Hindu Muslim Unity. As a result, when C.R. Das formed the Swaraj party in 1923, he appointed Suhrawardy as deputy leader of the party. In 1924, the Swaraj party captured a majority of the seats in the Calcutta corporation election. Although he was never in Congress, in accordance with a stipulation of the Bengal part, Shaheed Suhrawardy was elected the first deputy mayor of the Congress hidden corporation, the first Muslim to be appointed to such a post.

Between 1923 and 1926, Suhrawardy was associated with youth organizations and, after 1927, with the labour movement. The National Labour Federation was formed in 1927. Suhrawardy was successful in setting up thirty-six trade union organizations in different mills, ensuring that disputes between employers and labourers were brought to the negotiation table before drastic measures were taken. As general secretary of the Khilafat Committee, Suhrawardy organized the All India Khilafat Conference with Maulana Muhammad Ali presiding. He also organized the first All-Bengal Muslim Conference in Calcutta in 1928. In 1933 Suhrawardy appeared before the commission for constitutional reforms in London as a representative of the Muslim Conference.

In 1936, Suhrawardy organized the Independent Muslim Party (IMP) and became its general secretary, while Khawaja Nazimuddin served as its president. In the same year he affiliated his organization with the All India Muslim League and thus became the general secretary of the Bengal Provincial Muslim League (BPML).

After the introduction of provincial autonomy in the 1935 Act, the first general election was held in 1936. Suhrawardy organized the election campaigns, and his untiring efforts helped in securing 39 of the 119 Muslim seats in Bengal. As a result of a coalition with other parties, the BPML ministry was formed in 1937. Suhrawardy joined the Praja-League coalition government as minister for labour and commerce. He also held the portfolio of finance for a brief period. Suhrawardy attended the Lahore session of the AIML as the spokesmen for the Bengal delegation. In 1941, he left Fazalul Huq's ministry when the Muslim League withdrew its support from the ministry. He joined Khawaja Nazimuddin's ministry formed in April 1943 as civil supplies minister. Suhrawardy dauntlessly handled the great famine of Bengal of 1943, and saved millions of lives.

During 1945 and 1946, central and provincial elections were held on the Pakistan issue. As general secretary of the BPML, Suhrawardy was in charge of elections. Due to his superb organization, the BPML captured 114 of the 119 Muslim seats of the provincial assembly. Elected leader of the parliamentary group, Suhrawardy formed the ministry on 24 April. He was responsible in amending the lahore resolution 1946. During his ministry, communal clashes took place in Bengal. The victims mostly were Muslims. To protect the Muslims, Suhrawardy against the wishes of the governor recruited 1,200 Muslim Punjabi sepoys to keep a balance in the Police force.

After independence, when the Punjabi Muslim armed police opted for East Bengal and left Calcutta, the Hindus took advantage of this and began planned attacks on Muslim localities. Suhrawardy, in order to make the majority community responsible, stayed behind in Calcutta and dedicated himself to the fight for peace. He put forward a proposal for United Bengal with the blessing of Quaid-e-Azam, but they did not succeeded.

In November 1947, he convened an All India Muslim League convention in Calcutta. That same year Suhrawardy also attended the last session of the AIML council session in Karachi with Jinnah presiding.

In 1948 June, Khawaja Nazimuddin, the League premier in East Bengal, imposed a ban on Suhrawardy's entry into East Bengal. Suhrawardy's ailing father died in Calcutta in early 1949. The Indian government imposed an enormous income tax on him, and, on the flimsy ground of non-payment, appropriated his entire property. Suhrawardy was penniless, and since his entry into East Bengal was banned, he returned to Karachi in March 1949 to witness his National Assembly seat retrospectively canceled on technical grounds by Liaqat Ali Khan.

In June 1949, Suhrawardy and his former Muslim League workers in East Pakistan formed the East Pakistan Awami Muslim League, which he renamed the Awami League in 1953. With A. K. Aazazul Haq and Maulana Bhashani, Suhrawardy established the United Front in November 1953 in Dhaka to fight the Muslim League in East Pakistan. The United Front, with its 21 point programme, captured 215 of the 237 Muslim seats in the 1954 general elections. The Awami League contested 140 Muslim seats and won all of them. As a result, a United Front ministry was formed in East Bengal. Suhrawardy joined the ministry of Muhammad Ali Bogra in December 1954 as law minister, 1954-1955.

H. S. Suhrawardy became the fifth prime minister of Pakistan on 12 September 1956. During his brief stint, he took a number of measures, which included the passage of the Joint Electorate Bill and the formulation of aggressive economic policies to remove disparity in the east. He followed a spirited foreign policy, based on friendly relations with neighboring countries and the Muslim world and close relations with the western bloc. Suhrawardy resigned as Prime Minister in October 1957 following the president's refusal to convene a meeting of parliament to seek a vote of confidence. In order to forestall his campaign, Ayub Khan arrested Suhrawardy on 30 January 1962, but owing to popular demonstration, the president released him on 19 August. He ppposed East Pakistan's demands for further provincial autonomy.

Upon his release from jail, Suhrawardy and other political leaders on 5 October 1962 formed the National Democratic Front, consisting of all the parties opposed to Ayub Khan. He died in Beirut in mysterious circumstances.

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Re: Pakistani Politicians: The ones you don’t know much about..

Great Man. Visionary, fair minded, and strong character politician in its true sense. When he was Prime Miniter, Suez Canal (Egypt) was nationalized by Nasser and the Brits/French/Israel launched an attack. At that moment, Pakistan was member of Seato/Cento (Baghdad Pact). Probably all Paki political parties were up in arms and wanted Pak govt to leave Baghdad Pact. This man stood his ground on the principle that he will not do anything which damages long term interest of Pakistan. He lost his job, but will be remembered for his principled political history.

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Zakk, very good thread :k:

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Mian Iftikharuddin
Yasser Latif Hamdani
May 2, 2004

Pakistani historians ignore him because he was too modern, secular and liberal for them, and the Indians ignore him because he was Muslim League’s brightest young super star.

Mian Iftikharuddin is a forgotten name from our history. Pakistani historians ignore him because he was too modern, secular and liberal for them, and the Indians ignore him because he was Muslim League’s brightest young super star. Like many in the Muslim League, Iftikharuddin started his career firmly in the Congress fold. He was far left of center within that organization, and a very close friend and comrade of Jawaharlal Nehru. Winning over brilliant idealists like Iftikharuddin was Jinnah’s and the League’s greatest triumph. Nehru was furious. In his personal diary of September 4th 1941 Nehru writes:

“Iftikhar, disillusioned Iftikhar, seeing no light except in a compromise with the League- which of course enrages me. I shout at him till I am hoarse”

Of course Iftikhar went farther than a compromise. Jinnah realized the potential this young and sophisticated Punjabi held. His Punjab strategy had long been the victim of petty feudal conflicts between the conglomerate of Punjabi Muslim aristocracy. He wanted fresh blood, with the right kind of political training and Jinnah more than anyone else knew that there wasn’t a better organization than the Congress with its long political history. Mian Iftikharuddin was the best thing that ever happened to the Punjab Muslim League. Once he became convinced of Jinnah’s cause, Iftikhar put his considerable resources at the League’s disposal. This also resulted in his most concrete contribution to Pakistan yet i.e. The Pakistan Times. Founded in January of 1947 under the patronage of Jinnah himself, this paper sought to present the League’s point of view with a leftist spin. It was Iftikhar then who chose the great Faiz as the Pakistan Times first and most able editor.

Pakistan Times was the leading light of Pakistan’s left oriented journalism. It also was perhaps the best attempt at creating a modern democratic and secular society in Pakistan. In its editorial the ‘End and the Beginning’ the morning after the bifurcation of the Muslim League into two separate bodies i.e. one for each successor state, the editorial penned by Faiz called for a just and secular society in Pakistan based on inclusiveness and equality. It was a wonderfully written editorial giving logical reasons for such a dispensation in Pakistan, and was impressive enough for Jinnah to save in his papers. The same Pakistan Times that was founded by Jinnah and Iftikhar was later to suffer the most horrible death in the state they had created. Pakistan Times, once hailed as a great mouth piece of league, was routinely suspected of anti-national activity, especially after the horrible ‘Rawalpindi conspiracy case’. The Progressive Papers Ltd. was taken over by the Military Government in 1960s, which mutilated it and then handed Pakistan Times over to a delusional right winger Qudratullah Shahab. This same Shahab berates Iftikharuddin as a formerly ‘Nehru ki mooch ka baal’ in his book ‘Shahab Nama’.

In 1947 however, Mian Iftikharuddin could have hardly imagined such an outcome. It was the effective civil disobedience movement against Unionist Government of Khizer Hayat that won him national recognition. It was the presence of men like Iftikharuddin in the Muslim League fold that forces us to review the simplistic TNT= Pakistan thesis something both the Indian nationalists and the rightwing forces in Pakistan keep shoving down our throat. After June 3rd plan was announced Jinnah looked increasingly towards young men like Iftikhar to help Pakistan stand on its feet, and so Iftikharuddin was chosen to be the Pakistan Minister for rehabilitation of refugees after partition. This was a good choice because Iftikhar was a fair man free of any bias against any group. Later he won a lot of praise for the effective manner in which he discharged his duties. In his speeches and statements discussing the nature of Pakistan, Jinnah echoed the fine ideals of equality fraternity and justice that men like Iftikharuddin lived by. He remained part of the ruling party for as long as the ruling party adhered to the promises that Jinnah had made during that first crucial year of Pakistan’s existence. After Jinnah’s death, the distance between Iftikharuddin and the rest of the league started to grow. The first wrong turn that Government took was the objectives resolution. Iftikharuddin was the only Muslim MP to speak out against it. Later he jumped off the League ship, and formed his ‘Azad Pakistan Party’ committed to liberal secularism in the country. Though big names like Dr. Khan Sahib and the Khudai Khidmatgars were attracted to it, Azad Pakistan Party soon faded away in history.

None the less Mian Iftikharuddin continued his struggle for civil liberties and secular democracy in Pakistan. He sounded an ominous warning to Ghulam Muhammad against the dissolution of the Pakistan constituent assembly. He warned against the one unit scheme which he thought would poison Pakistan into ethnic conflict, and he rejected the 1956 constitution for being against both national interest and Islam. Always a fair man, Iftikharuddin called the Indian constitution prepared by Dr. B R Ambedkar a far more Islamic document than the constitution under deliberation in the Pakistan constituent assembly. He was continuously spurned by those in power in his own country. They even took away his most precious creation i.e. the Progressive Papers’ Ltd. Yet he continued to bequeath his country gifts, a building here and a library there. One such gift was the ‘Sohail Iftikhar Research Institute’ at the Quaid-e-Azam Campus of the Punjab University. During the period when Pakistani universities were under the sway of the left this institute, named after his dead son, became the bastion of progressive and Marxist activity in Pakistan.

Clever Nehru at this time was trying to wean away as many brilliant men and women (like Quratulain Hyder) from Pakistan as possible. Despite his tremendous disillusionment with the establishment in Pakistan, Mian Iftikharuddin attempted all such attempts, preferring to live and die as a Pakistani.

He was the epitome of the saying:

My Country right or wrong,
If right will continue to make right
If wrong will make right

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Dr Khan Sahib Remembered

By Syed Afzaal Hussain Zaidi

On May 9, 1958, an assassin's dagger pierced through Dr. Khan Sahib's heart and snuffed a life of devotion to the service of down trodden and deprived people. Sir Olaf Curoe author of the famous book "The Pathans" recorded that once when he asked the Doctor who was his role model instantly he replied Sher Shah Suri whose name shines in history for building roads, Sarais and wells for welfare of common people. President Iskander Mirza, his life long friend, paying homage to Dr. Khan Sahib described him as "the greatest Pathan of his times, a great leader and a gallant gentleman whose life-long fight in the cause of freedom, his sufferings and sacrifices for the sake of his convictions and his passion to do good to the common man were the attributes of a really great man." In my official position as Information Officer, I came into contact with Dr. Khan Sahib on December 2, 1954, the very day he was sworn in as Minister for Communication and Railways in Muhammad Ali Bogra's Cabinet. Thus began a relationship of utmost devotion from me and trust and affection by him as long as he lived. His most endearing quality, which stuck me, was his total commitment to the service of the common people of Pakistan. Addressing the officers of the Ministry of Communications and Railways immediately after assuming charge of the Ministry he said ""I have no desire but the service of the people and this is what I expect from all whom God has placed in positions of power. We should endeavour to translate political freedom into ways and means for social and economic uplift of our people". He said he was a member of an interim government and for a short period with them wants to accomplish one or two things which should really alleviate the sufferings of the people. In the discussion, that followed there was consensus that people of Karachi faced great hardship due to inadequate transport facilities in the fast expanding metropolis. Dr. Khan Sahib commissioned a senior officer of Pakistan Railways to prepare a plan for transport for Karachi. As a result of Dr. Khan Sahib's personal interest in the project, the Karachi Road Transport Corporation came into being. Dr. Khan Sahib was meticulous in attending his office in the Tughlaq House. He would first examine the chart of the arrivals and departures of the trains at and from Karachi. He believed that the punctuality of the trains was an indicator of the efficiency of the Railways. An incident comes to mind. The Karachi Mirpukhas train was usually running late. Dr. Khan Sahib issued several warnings to the divisional superintendent of Railways but to no avail. Dr. Khan Sahib ordered transfer of the officer, who was brother-in-law of the Prime Minister Mohammad Ali Bogra, to East Pakistan Railways. The Prime Minister interceded on behalf of his brother-in-law but Dr. Khan Sahib refused to withdraw his orders. Dr. Khan Sahib himself would draw schedule of his engagements. Every month he would travel by train to Peshawar would look into the amenities in the lower class compartments, and state of cleanliness at the Railway Stations. Every week he would visit the Karachi Port to see the progress of construction of new jetties. Every third month he would visit East Pakistan, to inspect progress of expansion of Chittagong Port and Railway, and post and telecommunications projects. He would discuss his observations with the Heads of the Departments. He was averse to file work and rarely wrote notes on the files. He believed in direct approach to the subject. Dr. Khan Sahib developed close trust in Syed Mufidul Hasan, Director General of Railways, Col. S.A Siddiqui, Director General of Postal Services and Mr. Muhammad Hussain, Chief Engineer of Telecommunications. I heard him saying a number of times that Pakistan should be proud of these officers. One incident comes to memory. The Ministry of Finance had proposed to increase the price of post card by one paisa in order to recover cost of production. Dr. Khan Sahib put his foot down. He said post card was poor man 's mode of communication and he should not be burdened. He used to say postman was the most deprived official and deserved substantial increase in salary. He spoke to Chaudhri Muhammad Ali, Finance Minister Chaudhri Sahib regretted that the budget was already stretched to the utmost limit. Dr. Khan Sahib conveying finance minister's response to Col.. Siddiqui said, "what can you expect from a babu." I met Dr. Khan Sahib last time in April 1958. He came from Lahore to stay with President Iskander Mirza. I went to pay my respects. While I was with him, the President walked into the room. They talked for a couple of minutes in Pushto. Suddenly Dr. Khan Sahib addressing the President said "Malik Sahib (Malik Feroze Khan Noon) has told me you have forced him to grant another extension to that man (General Ayub Khan). You take it from me he will stab you as his brother (Sardar Bahadur Khan) has stabbed me." Iskander Mirza laughed. Then he seized Dr. Khan Sahib 's arms saying "come, Khanum is waiting for us at lunch table", led him out of the room.

how many contacts
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Malik Meraj Khalid: a remembrance

By Shafqat Mahmood

Malik Meraj Khalid was a man of easy words and calm temperament. He was also a genuinely modest man. When he became caretaker Prime Minister in 1996, he refused to ride in a Mercedes and asked the escorts to go home. He also never moved into the Prime Minister House. This was not only because his tenure was only three months but also because he felt uncomfortable with the glitz and glamour of high office.

While visiting Karachi as prime minister he was lodged in the Governor House and I was staying nearby. He called me over one evening and it was obvious that something was wrong. I asked him what was it and he said that he had not slept for two days. I said why and he took me to his bedroom. It was large and ornate in a kitschy sort of a way and had a huge bed. He told me that I am so small and this bed is so large; I just cannot sleep. There was not much that I could say and there was no way the heavy bed could be removed, so he suffered it for one more night and left next morning.

He also returned the Boeing reserved for Prime Ministers to PIA and started to travel economy in a scheduled flight. It was during his tenure that VIP lounges were done away with and he himself always traveled through the normal economy class lounge. The interesting thing is that this was not a politician playing to the galleries but a genuinely simple man who never understood the fascination with luxury.

His simplicity and modest appearance sometimes made people take him lightly. He was no light weight. He had a deep understanding of history, great command over language and a core set of principles that were never abandoned. I had the pleasure of listening to his speeches many times and was awe struck by the beauty of his words and the learning that informed his thoughts.

He also had deep love for this country and its people. He was not only active in politics but had started an educational movement in the rural areas around Lahore which has benefited a large number of the rural poor. Education was a passion for him and he believed that the only way the poor can make a place for themselves in a cruel society is through education.

He was a model of honesty in an era when even District level politicians rolled in the loot. He had held almost every powerful political office in the land – Minister, Chief Minister of Punjab, Speaker National Assembly, and Prime Minister – yet he has died with hardly anything to his name. He continued to live in small flat off Hall Road, whatever political office he held. And what is more important he never carried his honesty as a badge of honor. It was just something that he did.

Malik Meraj Khalid lived a life of honor and dignity and of service to the country. He will be missed by everyone. May God bless his soul.

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