I. I. Chundrigar

Early life and law practice

Ibrahim Ismail Chundrigar was born in Godhra, Gujarat in India on September 15, 1897.^{:106[1]:53[6]} He was the only child of his Gujarati-speaking Chundrigar family, a Muslim community in India.^[7] From his Chundriger community, he was of the Arabian descent.^:72[8]

Chundrigar was initially schooled in Ahmedabad where he finished his matriculation and moved to Bombay for his higher studies. He went to attend the Bombay University where he secured his graduation with the BA degree in philosophy, and later the LLB degree from the Bombay University in 1929.^{:101[9][10]:111[11]} From 1929 till 1932, Chundrigar served as a lawyer for the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation.^:90[12]

From 1932 until 1937, Chundrigar began practicing civil law at the High Court of Gujarat and moved to practice and read law at the Bombay High Court in 1937, where he established his reputation.^:111[11] During this time, he became acquainted with Muhammad Ali Jinnah, sharing the similar ideology, work ethics, and political views.^:321[13][7]

In 1935, Chudrigar was represented by the Muslim League to give a response to the Government of India Act introduced by the British government in India. Over the role of the Governor-General as head of state, Chundrigar notably contradicted the powers enjoyed by the Governor-General under the act introduced in 1935.^:50[14]

From 1937 till 1946, Chundrigar practiced and read law, taking several cases on civil matters where he advocated for his clients at the Bombay High Court.^:90[15]

Legislative career in India and Pakistan Movement

In 1936, Chundrigar joined the Muslim League and successfully participated in the provincial elections to be elected as a member of the Bombay Legislative Assembly in 1937.^[10][7] He took over the Muslim League's provincial presidency based in Bombay, and successfully retained his role as the member of the legislative assembly (MLA) of the Bombay Assembly for a Muhammadan Urban constituency until 1946.^:258[16][10]

In 1946, he was named and appointed as Commerce Minister under the presidential administrations of Viceroys of India, Archibald Wavell (1946) and Louis Mountbatten (1946-47).^[10] Chundrigar played a crucial and leading role in popularizing the Pakistan Movement in the British administration in India.^{:157[17]:42[18]}

Diplomacy and governorships

After the partition of India by the act of the British Empire that laid the establishment of Pakistan, Chundrigar endorsed Liaquat Ali Khan's bid for the Premiership and was retained as the Commerce Minister in the administration of Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan on 15 August 1947.^:612[19][20]

On 1 May 1948, Chundrigar was relieved his Commerce ministry and was appointed as the Pakistan Ambassador to Afghanistan, presenting his credentials to Afghan King Zahir Shah in Kabul.^{:88[21]:342[22]} Though, his appointment was met with favorable views in Afghanistan, Chundrigar was at odd with the Afghan government of supporting the issue of separating the country's north-west frontier, with Indian involvement as early as 1949.^{:220–221[23]}

His tenureship remained for a short brief of time when he was recalled to Pakistan due to Foreign Office's objections, which viewed Chundrigar's inability to understand the Pashtun culture may have factor in fracturing relations between two nations.^:487[24] In 1950, Chundrigar was appointed Governor of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, which he tenured until 1951.^[10] A Cabinet reshuffle in 1951 allowed him to be appointed as the Governor of Punjab but was removed amid differences developed in 1953 with Governor-General M.G. Muhammad when he enforced martial law at the request of Prime Minister K. Nazimuddin to control violent religious riots that occurred in Lahore, Pakistan.^:136[4] He was appointed as Pakistan's Ambassador to Turkey and presented his diplomatic credentials in Ankara.^:448[25]

Law ministry in Coalition administration

In 1955, Chundrigar returned to Pakistan from his ambassadorship from Turkey when he was invited to join the central government of three-party coalition: the Awami League, Muslim League and the Republican Party.^:136[4] He was appointed as Minister of Law and Justice.^:19[26] During this time, he also acted as a Leader of the Opposition, opposing the mainstream agenda presented by the Republican Party.^:149[27]

At the National Assembly, he established his reputation as more of constitutional lawyer than a politician and gained a lot of prominence in public for his arguments in favour of parliamentarianism when he pleaded the case of "Maulvi Tamizuddin vs. Federation of Pakistan".^[10]

Shortest tenure as Prime Minister

After the resignation of Prime Minister Suhrawardy in 1956, Chudrigar was nominated as the Prime Minister and was supported by Awami League, Krishak Sramik Party, Nizem-i-Islam Party, and the Republican Party.^[28] However, this coalition of mixed parties weakened him to exercise his authority to run the central government, with reaching a compromise with the Republican Party led by its presidents Feroze Khan and Iskander Mirza to amend the Electoral College.^[10] On 18 October 1957, Chundrigar became the Prime Minister of Pakistan oath from Chief Justice M. Munir.^[28]

At the first session of the National Assembly, Chundrigar presented his plans to reform the Electoral College which was met with great parliamentary opposition even by his Cabinet ministers from the Republican Party and the Awami League.^:62[29][28] With President Iskander Mirza and his Republican Party exploiting and manipulating the opponents of Muslim League, a successful vote of no-confidence movement in the National Assembly by Republicans and Awami Party effectively ended Chundrigar's term when he was forced to resign from his office on 11 December 1957.^{:62:62[29][28]}

Chundrigar served the shortest term of any Prime Ministers' tenure served in Pakistan: 17 October 1957 – 11 December 1957, 55 days into his term.^{:244[5]:136[4]}