Iftikharuddin
Encyclopedia
Mian Iftikharuddin was a Pakistan
i leftist
leader.
Iftikharuddin was born in an affluent Mian
Arain
family of Baghbanpura
, Lahore District
, Punjab.
He was a member of the Congress Party
and President of its Punjab chapter until in 1946 when he switched over to the Muslim League under Mohammed Ali Jinnah. He was owner of the Pakistan Times
, a paper started by the leftists in the Muslim League as a balance to the centrist League mouthpiece Dawn
as well as the Hindu press.
After the June 3 plan was announced Jinnah looked increasingly towards young men like Iftikhar to help Pakistan stand on its feet, and so Iftikharuddin was chosen to be the Pakistan Minister for rehabilitation of refugee
s after partition. In 1949, he proposed radical land reform
s in the Punjab, however this led to a backlash from the Feudal leadership of the Pakistan Muslim League
under the Nawab of Mamdot. In frustration he resigned from his Ministry in 1949 and was formally expelled from the Muslim League in 1951.
Later he jumped off the League ship, and formed his ‘Azad Pakistan Party
’ committed to liberal
secularism
in the country. Though big names like Dr. Khan Sahib and the Khudai Khidmatgars were attracted to it, Azad Pakistan Party soon faded away in history. He was also considered a leading light of the National Awami Party
as well.
His Pakistan Times newspaper continued to espouse social justice
and agrarian reforms, it attracted many well known leftists including its first editor Faiz Ahmad Faiz. However in 1959, following the military take over by Ayub Khan, the paper was taken over by the government and despite a legal challenge he failed to obtain either compensation or the return of his paper.
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i leftist
Left-wing politics
In politics, Left, left-wing and leftist generally refer to support for social change to create a more egalitarian society...
leader.
Iftikharuddin was born in an affluent Mian
Mian
Mian is family name and a title of nobility used by Muslims in the Punjab region of South Asia.-Mian Khan Pashtuns:The Pathans of Bihar , have a large community of Pashtuns in the state of Bihar in India, who are said to have settled in the region from the 13th Century onwards...
Arain
Arain
The Arain , are a Muslim agricultural caste settled mainly in the Punjab, with significant numbers also in Sindh. They are chiefly associated with farming, traditionally being landlords or zamindars.- Origin :...
family of Baghbanpura
Baghbanpura
Baghbanpura is a town and Union Council of Shalimar tehsil, Lahore District, Punjab, Pakistan. It is located along the Grand Trunk Road some 5 kilometres northeast of the main Lahore city....
, Lahore District
Lahore District
Lahore District is a district in the Punjab province of Pakistan that contains the city of Lahore, the district and provincial capital. The total area is...
, Punjab.
He was a member of the Congress Party
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
and President of its Punjab chapter until in 1946 when he switched over to the Muslim League under Mohammed Ali Jinnah. He was owner of the Pakistan Times
Pakistan Times
Pakistan Times is an independent online daily newspaper. It is published from Islamabad.-External links:**...
, a paper started by the leftists in the Muslim League as a balance to the centrist League mouthpiece Dawn
Dawn (newspaper)
Dawn is Pakistan's oldest and most widely read English-language newspaper. One of the country's two largest English-language dailies, it is the flagship of the Dawn Group of Newspapers, published by Pakistan Herald Publications, which also owns the Herald, a magazine, the evening paper The Star and...
as well as the Hindu press.
After the June 3 plan was announced Jinnah looked increasingly towards young men like Iftikhar to help Pakistan stand on its feet, and so Iftikharuddin was chosen to be the Pakistan Minister for rehabilitation of refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
s after partition. In 1949, he proposed radical land reform
Land reform
[Image:Jakarta farmers protest23.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Farmers protesting for Land Reform in Indonesia]Land reform involves the changing of laws, regulations or customs regarding land ownership. Land reform may consist of a government-initiated or government-backed property redistribution,...
s in the Punjab, however this led to a backlash from the Feudal leadership of the Pakistan Muslim League
Pakistan Muslim League
The Pakistan Muslim League was founded in 1962, as a successor to the previously disbanded Muslim League in Pakistan. Unlike the original PML which ended in 1958 when General Ayub Khan banned all political parties, each subsequent Muslim League was in some way propped by the military dictators of...
under the Nawab of Mamdot. In frustration he resigned from his Ministry in 1949 and was formally expelled from the Muslim League in 1951.
Later he jumped off the League ship, and formed his ‘Azad Pakistan Party
Azad Pakistan Party
The Azad Pakistan Party was a leftist Pakistani party founded in November 1949 by Mian Iftikharuddin, an ex-Congressite and a member of the Muslim League that founded Pakistan....
’ committed to liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
secularism
Secularism
Secularism is the principle of separation between government institutions and the persons mandated to represent the State from religious institutions and religious dignitaries...
in the country. Though big names like Dr. Khan Sahib and the Khudai Khidmatgars were attracted to it, Azad Pakistan Party soon faded away in history. He was also considered a leading light of the National Awami Party
National Awami Party
The National Awami Party was a leftist political party in Pakistan. The party was founded in Dhaka in erstwhile East Pakistan in July 1957 through the merger of several leftist and progressive groups. It advocated provincial autonomy, rights on the basis of ethnicity, recognition of ethinicities...
as well.
His Pakistan Times newspaper continued to espouse social justice
Social justice
Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by...
and agrarian reforms, it attracted many well known leftists including its first editor Faiz Ahmad Faiz. However in 1959, following the military take over by Ayub Khan, the paper was taken over by the government and despite a legal challenge he failed to obtain either compensation or the return of his paper.