Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan

Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan (Urdu: نواب زاده نصر الله خان) (13 November 1916 – 27 September 2003) was a statesman in British India and later Pakistan.^[2] He was also a prominent Urdu poet. He was the only West Pakistani to have served as the leader of the Awami League of the then East Pakistan (Now Bangladesh).

Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan
نواب زاده نصر الله خان
Chairman of Pakistan Democratic Party
In office June 1967 – 27 September 2003
Succeeded by	Nawabzada Mansoor Ahmed Khan[1]
Chairman of Alliance for Restoration of Democracy
In office unknown – 27 September 2003
Personal details
Born	13 November 1916 Muzaffargarh, Punjab, British India
Died	27 September 2003 Islamabad, ICT, Pakistan
Nationality	British Indian Pakistani
Political party	Pakistan Democratic Party (1967 – 2003)
Other political affiliations	Majlis-e-Ahrar-e-Islam (1933 – 1947) All-India Muslim League (1947 – 1947) Muslim League (1947 – 1966) Awami League (1966 – 1967)
Children	Nawabzada Mansoor Ahmed Khan (son) Nawabzada Iftikhar Ahmed Khan Babar (son)

Early life

He was born in Khangarh, Punjab in Muzaffargarh District in southern Punjab in a prominent land-owning aristocratic family. Following the tradition of the elite of British India, he was educated at Aitchison College. ^[3]

Political Career

He started his political career in 1933 by joining the anti-British Majlis-e-Ahrar-e-Islam, soon after it was formed by Syed Ata ullah Shah Bukhari.^[3] He was considered to be close to the famous journalist Agha Shorish Kashmiri. He was also elected the Secretary General of All India Majlis-e-Ahrar-e-Islam in 1945. This party held an Indian Nationalist position.^[4] Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan, coming from a 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.^[5]

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.^[3] In 1964, he supported Fatima Jinnah in the election against president Ayub Khan.^[6] In 1966, he served as the President of the Awami League party mostly active in former East Pakistan. In June 1967, he founded his own political party named as Pakistan Democratic Party and served its chairman till his death in 2003.^[7][8][1] He helped form the opposition alliance Democratic Action Committee to remove military dictator President Ayub Khan from power.^[3] In 1993, he was elected again to the National Assembly of Pakistan. He was also made the chairperson of the Kashmir Committee.^[6][9] 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.^[3][6]

Death

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.^[3]

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."^[6]

In its obituary for Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan, Dawn (newspaper) of Pakistan called him a 'Crusading democrat'.^[10]

Another major English-language newspaper The Nation (Pakistan) ran his obituary in its editorial - titled, 'Death of a veteran'.^[11]

Legacy

Two of his sons have been politicians.

Family Tree

Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan

Nawabzada Mansoor Ahmed Khan

Iftikhar Ahmed Khan Babar

References

1. "Mansoor elected PDP chief". Dawn (newspaper). 13 October 2003. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
2. ISLAMABAD: Glowing tribute paid to Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan (obituary) Dawn (newspaper), Published 28 September 2003, Retrieved 20 December 2018
3. 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.
4. 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 party 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.
5. Durrani, Ashlq Muhammad Khan (January–June 2007). "Multan Muslim League: Activities and Leaders". Journal of the Pakistan Historical Society. 55 (1–2): 166.
6. "Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan: A true democrat". The News International. 28 September 2015. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
7. "The endgame of a dictator". The News International (newspaper). 31 March 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
8. "Nasrullah re-elected PDP chief". Dawn (newspaper). 4 August 2002. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
9. "Nightmare on 32 Nicholson Road (Lahore, Pakistan)". The News International. 31 January 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
10. 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
11. Death of a veteran The Nation (Pakistan) newspaper, Retrieved 20 December 2018