Khawaja Nazimuddin
Sir Khawaja Nazimuddin[a] KCIE (19 July 1894 – 22 October 1964) was a Pakistani politician and statesman who served as the second governor-general of Pakistan from 1948 to 1951, and later as the second prime minister of Pakistan from 1951 to 1953.
"Nazimuddin" redirects here. For other uses, see Nazimuddin (disambiguation).
Khawaja Nazimuddin
Huseyn Suhrawardy (as Prime minister of Bengal)
19 July 1894
Dacca, Bengal, British India
22 October 1964 (aged 70)
Dacca, East Pakistan, Pakistan
British Indian (1894–1947)
Pakistani (1947–1964)
Muslim League (1947–1958)
All-India Muslim League
(1922–1947)
Pakistan Muslim League
(1947–1964)
Shahbano Ashraf
Khwaja Shahabuddin (brother)
Barrister, politician
Born into an aristocratic Nawab family in Bengal in 1894, he was educated at the Aligarh Muslim University before pursuing his post-graduation studies at the Cambridge University. Upon returning, he embarked on his journey as a politician on the platform of All-India Muslim League. Initially, his political career revolved around advocating for educational reforms and development in Bengal. Later on he started supporting the cause for a separate Muslim homeland, rising to become the party's principal Bengali leader and a close associate of Muhammad Ali Jinnah. He served as Prime Minister of Bengal in British India from 1943 to 1945, and later as the 1st Chief Minister of East Bengal in independent Pakistan.
Nazimuddin ascended to Governor-General in 1948 after the death of Jinnah, before becoming Prime Minister in 1951 following the assassination of his predecessor, Liaquat Ali Khan.[1] His term was marked by constant power struggles with his own successor as Governor-General, Ghulam Muhammad, as law and order deteriorated amid the rise of the Bengali language movement and protests in his native Dhaka in 1952, and religious riots in Lahore a year later. The latter crisis saw the first instance of martial law, limited to the city, and led to Governor-General Ghulam Muhammad dismissing Nazimuddin on 17 April 1953.
Nazimuddin's ministry was the first federal government to be dismissed in Pakistan's history, though his former ministers Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar, Abdul Sattar Pirzada, and Mahmud Husain refused to take the oath of office in the new cabinet.[2] He retired from national politics, passing away after a brief illness in 1964. He is buried at the Mausoleum of Three Leaders in Dhaka.[3] He was one of the leading founding fathers of Pakistan and the first Bengali to have governed Pakistan.
Biography[edit]
Family background, early life and education[edit]
Khawaja Nazimuddin was born into a wealthy Muslim family of the Nawabs of Dhaka on 19 July 1894 then under British Raj rule.[4][5][6][7] His father was Khwaja Nizamuddin and paternal grandfather was Khwaja Fakhruddin. His family hailed from Kashmir and was long settled in Dhaka.[8] He was the maternal grandson of Nawab Bahadur Sir Khwaja Ahsanullah and his mother, Nawabzadi Bilqis Banu, was notable for her own statue.[9] Nazimuddin had a younger brother, Khwaja Shahabuddin, who would later play a vital role in Pakistani politics.[10][9]: xxx They were the first cousin of Nawab Khwaja Habibullah son of Nawab Sir Khwaja Salimullah Bahadur who helped laid foundation of Muslim League in 1906.[11][12][13][14] He grew up speaking Urdu.[15]
He was educated at the Dunstable Grammar School in England, but returned to British India following his matriculation where he enrolled to attend the MAO College of the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) in Uttar Pradesh, India.[16] Nazimuddin secured his graduation with a bachelor's degree in sociology from AMU and returned to England to pursue higher education.[17]
After AMU, Nazimuddin went to England. He attended Trinity Hall in the University of Cambridge, and earned a Master of Arts.[18] His training in England enabled him to practice law and become a Barrister-at-Law in England.[16]
He was knighted in 1934.[19] In 1947–49, Nazimuddin was granted the degree of Doctor of Laws by the vice-chancellor of Dhaka University, Dr. Mahmud Hasan.[20]: 161
Governor-General of Pakistan (1948–51)[edit]
On 14 August of 1947, Governor-General Muhammad Ali Jinnah relinquished the party presidency of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML) to Sir Khwaja Nazimuddin who took over the party of the President of Pakistan Muslim League (PML), due to his party electoral performance.[32]: 50–51 After the death of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Nazimuddin was appointed acting governor-general. at the urging of Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan, on 14 September 1948.[33] His oath of office was supervised by Chief Justice Sir Abdul Rashid of the Federal Court of Pakistan, with Liaquat Ali Khan in attendance.[6]
As Governor-General, Nazimuddin set a precedent of neutrality and non-interference in the government, and provided his political support to Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan's government, which was seen as essential to the working of the responsible government at that time.[34]
In 1949, Governor-General Nazimuddin established the parliamentary committee, the Basic Principles Committee, on the advice of Prime Minister Ali Khan to underlying basic principles that would lay foundation of Constitution of Pakistan.[35]
Commemorative postage stamp[edit]
In his honour, the Pakistan Post issued a commemorative stamp in its 'Pioneers of Freedom' series in 1990.[52][53]