Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan

Nawabzada NasrUllah Khan (Urdu: نواب زاده نصر الله خان‎) (13 November 1916 – 27 September 2003) was a senior political figure in colonial India and later, Pakistan.[1] He was the only Pakistani to have been the leader of the Bangladeshi Awami League.

Early life and career

He was born in Khangarh, Punjab in Muzaffargarh District in southern Punjab.[2]

He started his political career in 1933, soon after Majlis-e-Ahrar-e-Islam was formed by Syed Ata ullah Shah Bukhari.[2] He was also elected the Secretary General of All India Majlis-e-Ahrar-e-Islam in 1945, which held an Indian Nationalist position.[3] Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan, coming from the background with ties to the Indian National Congress and Majlis-e-Ahrar-ul-Islam, opposed the Muslim League and its demand for the partition of India.[4] However, he joined the All-India Muslim League in 1947 after the partition of India and the creation of Pakistan occurred. He won a seat of Provincial Assembly of Punjab in general elections in 1952 and the National Assembly of Pakistan seat in the 1962 general elections.[2] In 1964, he supported Fatima Jinnah in the election against president Ayub Khan.[5] In 1966, he served as the President of the Awami League party. He helped form the opposition alliance Democratic Action Committee to remove military dictator President Ayub Khan from power.[2] In 1993, he was elected again to the National Assembly of Pakistan. He was also made the chairperson of the Kashmir Committee.[5][6] Just before his death, he was the Chairman of Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) working for the restoration of democracy in Pakistan against General Pervez Musharraf.[2][5]

Death and legacy

He died on 27 September 2003 after being admitted to a hospital in Islamabad, following a heart attack. He was 86 years old. He is buried in Khangarh, District Muzaffargarh, Punjab, Pakistan. His survivors include five sons and four daughters.[2]

A major Pakistani English-language newspaper comments about him, "Known for his Hukka, dark achkan and distinctive cap, Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan spent all his life in fighting against dictators, military as well as civilian, and struggled to strengthen the parliamentary democracy, bothering little how he would go down in history for targeting all governments."[5]

In its obituary for Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan, Dawn (newspaper) of Pakistan called him a 'Crusading democrat'.[7]

Another major English-language newspaper The Nation (Pakistan) ran his obituary in its editorial - titled, 'Death of a veteran'.[8]

References
  1. ISLAMABAD: Glowing tribute paid to Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan (obituary) Dawn (newspaper), Published 28 September 2003, Retrieved 20 December 2018
  2. Azad, Arif (7 October 2003). "Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan - Battling for democracy against Pakistan's authoritarian governments (his obituary and profile)". The Guardian (newspaper). ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  3. Khan, Adil Hussain (2015). From Sufism to Ahmadiyya: A Muslim Minority Movement in South Asia. Indiana University Press. p. 148. ISBN 9780253015297. Soon thereafter, in 1943, the Ahrar passed a resolution officially declaring itself against partition, which posed a problem in that it put the Ahrar in direct opposition to the Muslim League. The Ahrar introduced a sectarian element into its objections by portraying Jinnah as an infidel in an attempt to discredit his reputation.
  4. Durrani, Ashlq Muhammad Khan (January–June 2007). "Multan Muslim League: Activities and Leaders". Journal of the Pakistan Historical Society. 55 (1–2): 166.
  5. "Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan: A true democrat". The News International (newspaper). 28 September 2015. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  6. "Nightmare on 32 Nicholson Road (Lahore, Pakistan) TNS – The News on Sunday". The News International (newspaper). 31 January 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  7. Crusading democrat (scroll down to this title on the Dawn - Editorial of 28 September 2003) Dawn (newspaper), Published 28 September 2003, Retrieved 20 December 2018
  8. Death of a veteran The Nation (Pakistan) newspaper, Retrieved 20 December 2018
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