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Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy

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Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy
হোসেন শহীদ সোহ্‌রাওয়ার্দী
حسین شہید سہروردی
Suhrawardy (in left).
5th Prime Minister of Pakistan
In office
12 September 1956 – 17 October 1957
PresidentMGen (retired) Iskander Mirza
Governor‑GeneralMohammad Ali Jinnah
GovernorSir Frederick Chalmers
Preceded byChaudhry Muhammad Ali
Succeeded byIbrahim Ismail Chundrigar
6th Defence Minister of Pakistan
In office
September 12, 1956 – October 18, 1957
PresidentIskander Mirza
Prime MinisterChaudhry Muhammad Ali
Preceded byOffice created
Succeeded byKhawaja Nazimuddin
1st Chief Minister of East-Pakistan
In office
1946–1947
Governor‑GeneralMohammad Ali Jinnah
Prime MinisterLiaqat Ali Khan
GovernorSir Frederick Chalmers
Personal details
Born
Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy

September 8, 1892
Midnapore, now in West Bengal
DiedDecember 5, 1963,
Beirut, Lebanon
Nationality Pakistan
Political partyMuslim League (1925-1948)
Awami League (1949-1963)
Other political
affiliations		Swaraj Party (1924-1925)
Muslim League (1925-1963)
Awami league (1949-1957)
National Democratic Front (1957-1963)
Spouse(s)Niaz Fatima (1920-1922)
Vera Alexandrovna Tiscenko (1940-1951)
ChildrenRobert Ashby
Alma materSt. Xavier's College, Calcutta
University of Calcutta
St Catherine's College, Oxford
Gray's Inn

Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy (English IPA: ɦusæŋ ʃɑid sɦuɾɑwɑɾdɪə Urdu:: حسین شہید سہروردی; Bengali: হোসেন শহীদ সোহ্‌রাওয়ার্দী ; September 8, 1892 - December 5, 1963, Beirut) was a Pakistani left-wing statesman of Bengali origin, and one of the principal Founding Fathers of modern-day Pakistan. Appointed as the fifth Prime minister of Pakistan in 1956, Suhrawardy headed Pakistan until 1957, and was a close associate of Mohammad Ali Jinnah and Liaquat Ali Khan, first Prime minister of Pakistan.

Born and hailing from East-Pakistan, Suhrawardy, as many of his Muslim League peers, educated from Calcutta University and Oxford University, and upon his return to India in 1921. Rising to the leadership of the Muslim League in the Bengal Presidency, Suhrawardy was a leading advocate of creating a separate Muslim state of Pakistan. Famous for his role in Direct Action Day— a peace protest called by Jinnah— he advocated and played a major role for the success of Pakistan Movement and, under auspices of Jinnah, Suhrawardy rose to prominence, and became a important ally of Jinnah in East-Pakistan. Suhrawardy was a populist leader who advocated socialism, left the ruling Muslim League in 1949, shortly after the death of Jinnah, to join East Pakistan Awami Muslim League of Maulana Bhashani, but was forced out from the party by the junior leadership. In 1957, forming the National Democratic Front, Suhrawardy fought for the rights of people of Pakistan, both in East and West-Pakistan.

Although an anti-communist, Surawardy won the slot of Prime minister, and appointed to head a coalition government of Pakistan in 1956, with initial target to resolve the energy crises, economical disparity, and promised to build a massive military in an arms race with the India. At first, his initiatives included the re-building and reforming of the military forces, expansion of defence infrastructure, establishing the plan of nuclear power against India, and supply-side economics polices. As for the Foreign policy, Suhrawardy was also the first Prime minister to have visit the China, strengthening the Sino-Pak relations and was one of the pioneer of foreign policy to enhance the pro-United States-Pakistan's long associated ties, due to his common distrust of communism. The economic disparity, the collapse of One Unit programme, and failure to control and diminished the influence of business monopoly in national politics, further forced Suhrawardy to resigned from his post, with many believe he was forced to resigned under threat of dismissal on October 10, 1957, by the President. A chronic heart patient, Suhrawardy died in Beirut, Lebanon, on December 5, 1963.

Early life and family

Suhrawardy was born on 8 September 1892 to a Muslim family in the town of Midnapore, now in West Bengal. He was the younger son of Justice Sir Zahid Suhrawardy, a prominent judge of the Calcutta High Court and of Khujastha Akhtar Banu (c. 1874–1919) a noted name in Urdu literature and scholar of Persian. Kujastha was the daughter of Maulana Ubaidullah Al Ubaidi Suhrawardy and sister of, amongst others, Lt. Col. Dr. Hassan Suhrawardy, OBE and Sir Abdullah Al-Mamun Suhrawardy.

Suhrawardy had an elder brother Shahid Suhrawardy, the co-founder of Pakistan PEN Miscellenay with Professor Ahmed Ali.

Education and marriage

Suhrawardy completed his undergraduate studies at St. Xavier's College, and completed a masters degree at the University of Calcutta. Afterwards, he moved to the United Kingdom to attend St Catherine's College, Oxford University from where he obtained a BCL degree. On leaving Oxford, he was called to the bar at Gray's Inn. He then started his practice at Calcutta High Court.

In 1920, Suhrawardy married Begum Niaz Fatima, daughter of Sir Abdur Rahim, the then home minister of the Bengal Province of British India and later President of India's Central Legislative Assembly. Suhrawardy had two children from this marriage; Ahmed Shahab Suhrawardy and Begum Akhtar Sulaiman (née Akhtar Jahan Suhrawardy). Ahmed Suhrawardy died from pneumonia whilst he was a student in London in 1940. Begum Akhtar Sulaiman was married to Shah Ahmed Sulaiman (son of Justice Sir Shah Sulaiman) and had one child, Shahida Jamil (who later became the first female Pakistani Federal Minister for Law). Shahida Jamil has two sons, Zahid Jamil (a lawyer in Pakistan) and Shahid Jamil (a solicitor in London).

His first wife, Begum Niaz Fatima, died in 1922. In 1940 Suhrawardy married Vera Alexandrovna Tiscenko Calder, who, after her conversion to Islam had changed her name to Begum Noor Jehan.[1] She was a Russian actress of Polish descent from the Moscow Art Theatre and protege of Olga Knipper.[2][3] The couple divorced in 1951 and had one child, Rashid Suhrawardy (aka Robert Ashby), who is an actor living in London. Vera later settled in America.

Return to British India

Suhrawardy returned to the subcontinent in 1921 as a practising barrister of the Calcutta High Court. He became involved in politics in Bengal. Initially, he joined the Swaraj Party, a group within the Indian National Congress, and became an ardent follower of Chittaranjan Das. He played a major role in signing the Bengal Pact in 1923.

Suhrawardy became the Deputy Mayor of the Calcutta Corporation at the age of 31 in 1924, and the Deputy Leader of the Swaraj Party in the Provincial Assembly. However, following the death of Chittaranjan Das in 1925, he began to disassociate himself with the Swaraj Party and eventually joined Muslim League. He served as Minister of Labour, and Minister of Civil Supplies under Khawaja Nazimuddin among other positions. In the Bengal Muslim League, Suhrawardy and Abul Hashim led a progressive line against the conservative stream led by Nazimuddin and Akram Khan.

In 1946, Suhrawardy established and headed a Muslim League government in Bengal. It was the only Muslim League government in India at that time.

As the demand for a separate Muslim state of Pakistan became popular amongst Indian Muslims, the partition of India on communal lines was deemed inevitable by mid-1947. To prevent the inclusion of Hindu-majority districts of Punjab and Bengal in a Muslim Pakistan, the Indian National Congress and the Hindu Mahasabha sought the partition of these provinces on communal lines. Bengali nationalists such as Sarat Chandra Bose, Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, Kiran Shankar Roy, Abul Hashim, Satya Ranjan Bakshi and Mohammad Ali Chaudhury sought to counter partition proposals with the demand for a united and independent state of Bengal. Suhrawardy and Bose sought the formation of a coalition government between Bengali Congress and the Bengal Provincial Muslim League. Proponents of the plan urged the masses to reject communal divisions and uphold the vision of a united Bengal. In a press conference held in Delhi on April 27, 1947 Suhrawardy presented his plan for a united and independent Bengal and Abul Hashim issued a similar statement in Calcutta on April 29. Such a unifying movement was started by Rabindranath Tagore and others in 1905 during British Bengal administrative division(Bongovongo) or Division of United Bengal. But unfortunately Suhrawardy's plan gained no popularity, although among-st the people who wanted unity of east and west Bengal in 1905.

Direct Action Day

Sir Frederick Burrows declared August 16, 1946 to be a public holiday following the Direct Action Day called by Jinnah to protest against the Cabinet Mission plan for the independence of India. Suhrawardy, acting on the advice of R.L. Walker, the then chief secretary of Bengal, requested Governor Burrows to declare a public holiday on that day.[4] Walker made this proposal with the hope that the risk of conflicts, especially those related to picketing, would be minimized if government offices, commercial houses and shops remained closed throughout Calcutta on the 16th.

Independence

In 1947, the balance of power in Bengal shifted from the Muslim League to the Indian National Congress, and Suhrawardy stepped down from the Chief Ministership. Unlike other Muslim League stalwarts of India, he did not leave his hometown immediately for the newly established Pakistan. Anticipating revenge of Hindus against Muslims in Calcutta after the transfer of power, Suhrawardy sought help from Gandhi. Gandhi was persuaded to stay and pacify tempers in Calcutta with the intention that Suhrawardy share the same roof with him so that they could appeal to Muslims and Hindus alike to live in peace. "Adversity makes strange bed-fellows," Gandhi remarked in his prayer meeting.[5]

Political life in East Bengal

Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy (right) with Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, 1949.

Upon the formation of Pakistan, Suhrawardy maintained his work in politics, continuing to focus on East Bengal as it became after the partition of India. On return to Dhaka he joined Awami Muslim League that Maulana Bhashai formed.

In the 1950s, Suhrawardy worked to consolidate political parties in East Pakistan to balance the politics of West Pakistan. He, along with other leading Bengali leaders A.K. Fazlul Huq and Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani, formed a political alliance in the name of Jukta Front which won a landslide victory in 1954 general election of East Pakistan. Under Muhammad Ali Bogra, Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy would serve as Law Minister and later become the head of opposition parties.

Prime Minister of Pakistan

In 1956, Suhrawardy won the slot of Prime minister and was hastily appointed as fifth Prime Minister by President Iskander Mirza after the surprise resignation of Chaudhry Muhammad Ali. As Prime minister, Suhrawardy took the nation on confidence on national radio, promising to resolve the energy crises, economical disparity and promised the nation to build a massive military in an arms race with India.

One Unit programme

Suhrawardy inherited a political schism that was forming in Pakistan between the Muslim League and newer parties, such as the Republican Party. The schism was fed by the attempt to consolidate the four provinces of West-Pakistan into one province, so as to balance the fact that East Pakistan existed as only one province. The programme was opposed in West-Pakistan, and the cause was taken up by the Muslim League and religious parties. Suhrawardy supported the plan, but the vast opposition to it stalled its progress. The One Unit programme suffered several set back in West, and it was brutally failed to produce any last effective results, while the programme was a quiet success in East. The nationalist and socialist democratic parties oppose Suhrawardy's One Unit programme, and soon Suhrawardy was forced to end the programme; the four provinces did not integrate into one single province, and retained its current status. The East was revolved into one single large province, with overwhelming Bengali population.

Economic policies

An anti-communist, Suhrawardy put the country's economical system towards capitalism and Free-market economy. Suhrawardy encourage the small business community to expand their business activities, allowing the community to establish and invest their money to contribute the country's economy. In order to divert attention from the controversy over the "One Unit" programme as it was called, Suhrawardy tried to ease economic differences between East and West Pakistan. However, despite his intentions, these initiatives only led to more political frictions, and was worsened when Suhrawardy tried to give more financial allocations to East Pakistan than West Pakistan from aids and grants.

Rebuilding the military

Suhrawardy, as promised, decided to rebuild the massive military forces, and the military promotion in East and West was projected all over the country. Approving a new defence policy, Suhrawardy expanded the area of military districts, integrating the adjacent areas, and making arm deals enhance the military capabilities. Suhrawardy appointed radiochemist dr. Abdul Hafeez as the Chairman of the Pakistan Ordnance Factories (POF) whilst the ingenious military reforms and production were also taken. The presence of Pakistan Armed Forces in East Pakistan also exponentially grew, but restricted to maintain combatant forces in West whilst the reserves were sent to East Pakistan.

Such moves led to a threat of dismissal looming over Suhrawardy's head, and he resigned in 1957. His contribution in formulating 1956 constitution of Pakistan was substantial as he played a vital role in incorporating provisions for civil liberties and universal adult franchise in line with his adherence to parliamentary form of liberal democracy.

Foreign policy

In the foreign policy arena, Suhrawardy wasted no time announcing his foreign policy in first session of the parliament of Pakistan.[6] Suhrawardy advocated a pronounced pro-western policy, supporting a strong support to United States.[6] Suhrawardy is considered to be one of the pioneers of Pakistan's pro-United States stand, a policy that is presently continued by the present government.[6] He was also the first Pakistani Prime Minister to visit China in 1956 and the delegation included Professor Ahmed Ali, Pakistan's First Envoy to China (1951–52) who had established the Pakistani embassy in Peking and formed Pak-China friendship and strengthened the official diplomatic friendship between Pakistan and China[7] (a friendship that Henry Kissinger would later use to make his now-famous secret trip to China in July 1971).

His pro-western policy dismantle the socialist alliance in Pakistan, most notable of them were Maulana Bhashani who challenged him for the party's chairmanship.[6] Although, Maulana Bhashani managed to consolidate the Awami League, but failed to carry the party mass with him, leading to left the party to junior leadership. [6]

Nuclear power

Main articles: Nuclear power in Pakistan, Nuclear energy in Pakistan, and Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission

During 1950s, Pakistan was suffering from severe energy crises, although the East did not suffered the energy crises as severe as West.[8] Amid protest and civil disorder demanding to resolve the issue, force Suhrawardy to took approach to resolve the issue.[8] In 1956, Suhrawardy announced the nuclear policy, only benefiting the West-Pakistan, and addpoted the parliamentary act of 1956.[8]

File:Paec logo.jpg
The PAEC was established by Prime minister Suhrwardy in 1956.

It was Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy's premiership when Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) was established by a Parliamentary Act of 1956.[8] Suhrawardy renounced to develop the nuclear weapons, and disassociated scientific research on the nuclear weapons, after signing the Atoms for Peace programme. Suhrawardy approved the appointment of Dr. Nazir Ahmad, a experimental physicist, as the first Chairman.[8] Suhrawardy asked the PAEC to survey the site to establish the commercial nuclear power plants.[8] Suhrawardy upgraded the government rank, and extended the appointment of Salimuzzaman Siddiqui as his government's Science Advisor.

Under Dr. Nazir Ahmad's scientific direction, Pakistan started its nuclear energy programme and Prime Minister Suhrawardy also allotted PAEC to set up its new pilot-nuclear labs.[8] As Prime minister, he played an important role in establishing of Nuclear research institutes in West-Pakistan, working to build the nuclear power infrastructure.[8] The PAEC brought the role of Raziuddin Siddiqui, a theoretical physicist, but refrained him to work on the atomic bombs, instead asking him to constitute research on theoretical physics and alternative use of nuclear energy.[8] Suhrawardy made extremely critical decision on nuclear power expansion, and denied the request of PAEC Chairman dr. Nazir Ahmad to acquiring the NRX reactor from Canada.[8] Instead approved the recommendation of Raziuddin Siddiqui after authorizing an agreement to acquire the Pool-type reactor from the United States in 1956.[8]

He also laid foundation of the first nuclear power plant in Karachi, when it was recommended by the PAEC.[8] After addressing the West population, Suhrawardy planned to provide country's first nuclear power plant in near future to end the energy crises.[8] However, after his removal from office, the proposal went into cold storage and severely undermined by a political turmoil in the country.[8] Furthermore, Ayub Khan had also froze the further programmes as he thought Pakistan was too poor to work on this programme.[8] Thus, the nuclear energy programme and academic research was halted by Ayub Khan's military regime for more than a decade.[8]

Resignation

The Awami League's close interaction with Pakistan Muslim League, who at that time was re-organizing itself, threatened another Bengali President Iskandar Mirza.[9] President Mirza wanted to control the democracy in the country, which Suhrawardy had always resisted.[10] President Mirza refused Prime minister Suhrawardy's request to convene a meeting of Parliament for seeking a vote of confidenc movement.[10] Amid pressure to resigned from his position and given vital threats to be removed by the President Mirza, Prime minister Suhrawardy submitted his resignation letter after losing the considerable party support from the junior leadership.[10]

Post-political life and death

Tomb of Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy at Dhaka.

Despite the initiatives, Suhrawardy resigned from his position due to amid pressure and a threat to be removed by the President. Soon, his resignation, Suhrawardy departed from the country and was disqualified from politics under the military regime of Ayub Khan. He had been a chronic heart patient and died in Lebanon in 1963 due to a cardiac arrest. His death was officially due to complications from heart problems, though some have alleged he was poisoned, gassed or subjected to blunt-trauma in his bedroom, although there are no proves.

After a befitting funeral attended by a huge crowd, he was buried at Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka. Suhrawardy is also honored in Pakistan, with a honorary plate is placed in local and main traffic road Khayaban-e-Suhrawardy in Islamabad, honoring his services, is named after him.

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.indiankanoon.org/doc/772490/
  2. ^ http://google.com/search?q=cache:LKsLeVk3ALQJ:www.paklinks.com/gs/pakistan-affairs/182277-pakistani-politicians-ones-you-dont-know-much-about
  3. ^ New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Stanislavski Revisited, Broadcast on WNYC AM NYC, July 18, 1976, LT-10 3099
  4. ^ Tsugitaka, Sato (2000). Muslim Societies: Historical and Comparative Aspects. Routledge. p. 112. ISBN 0415332540.
  5. ^ The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/books/first/enwiki/w/wolpert-gandhi.html. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. ^ a b c d e General Survey (2002). Far East and Australasia: Pakistan. Berlin, Germany: Europa Publications. pp. 1657 onwards. ISBN 1-85743-133-2.
  7. ^ Bahree, Megha (2 July 2009). "China In Pakistan". Forbes.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Mir, Hamid. "A Hope is still alive..." Hamid Mir.... Penmanship. Hamid Mir. Retrieved 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  9. ^ Story of Pakistan. "Resignation of Suhrawardy". Story of Pakistan. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
  10. ^ a b c Story of Pakistan. "Suhrawardy and the resignation". Story of Pakistan Press. Retrieved 2 February 2012.

Further reading

  • Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy: A Biography by Begum Shaista Ikramullah (Oxford University Press-1991)
  • Freedom at Midnight by Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins
  • Gandhi's Passion by Stanley Wolpert (Oxford University Press)
  • Memoirs of Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy by Muhammad H R Talukdar (University Press Limited, 1987)


Political offices
New office Chief Minister of East Bengal
1946–1947 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Prime Minister of Pakistan
1956–1957 		Succeeded by
Minister of Defence
1956–1957 		Succeeded by

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