Nazir Ahmed Khan (politician)
Chaudhry Nazir Ahmed Khan (Urdu: چوہدری نذیراحمد خاں) is a veteran politician and former member of the All India Muslim League, who served as a Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan (1990-1993). During the course of pre and post partition of the subcontinent, Nazir Ahmed Khan played a significant role in major political parties like the All India Muslim League (Pre-Partition) and Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan. He has great vision on the political horizon of Pakistan.
Family Background
Nazir Ahmed Khan was born in 1923 to a Muslim Rajput family in the Tehsil Batala of District Gurdaspur, Eastern Punjab in what is currently India. His great-grandfather accepted Islam and converted from Kesar Singh to Kesar Khan. Keser Khan was the direct descendant of famous Rajput warriors, Jaimal and Fatta known for their legends, one of the famous was their resistance to Mughal Emperor Akbar, when Akbar’s army besieged the fort of Chittor. After the Partition of India , Nazir Ahmed Khan’s family migrated to Sialkot Pakistan, he later permanently settled in Bhopalwala, a small town of Sialkot district. [1] [2]
Education and Early Life
Nazir Ahmed Khan holds a Bachelor of Education, a Diploma in Civil Engineering and later completed his master's degree in Political Science. In year 1940, when All India Muslim League adopted Lahore Resolution (Urdu: لاہور قرارداد ), popularized as Pakistan Resolution or Resolution of Pakistan, Nazir Ahmed Khan was a student in M.A.O College of Amritsar, where the famous poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz was his professor of English. During the years 1944 - 1948, Nazir Ahmed Khan worked as a subengineer in the Public Works Department. From 1949 - 1962, he served as School Teacher and then College Lecturer in Tehsil Daska of District Sialkot.
Member of National Assembly of Pakistan (1990-1993)
In the general elections of 1990, Chaudhry Nazir Ahmed Khan elected as MNA (Member of National Assembly of Pakistan) from NA-87 Sialkot-III, which is now divided into two constituencies NA-111 Sialkot and NA-112 Sialkot. He was the candidate, important member and office bearer of Jammat-e Islami-Pakistan at that time, but after being elected as MNA, he requested his party Jammet-e-Islami to detach him from party responsibilities. His term of MNA lasted for three years (1990-1993). As a member of National Assembly and Ruling Alliance, Nazir Ahmed Khan represented Pakistan in Iran and 6th OIC Summit Conference in Dakar, Senegal (9–11 December 1991), along with the other delegates from Pakistan. He was considered one of the most uncontroversial and honest members of Pakistan National Assembly. During his tenure as MNA, he strived hard to eradicate corruption from Government Departments especially from Police. When Ghulam Ishaq Khan dissolved the National Assembly in 1993, city police of Daska launched a celebratory gunfire to hail the decision of Ghulam Ishaq Khan, upon asking the reason of aerial firing by the Assistant Commissioner of Daska, policemen replied “Thank God we finally got rid of the old man”(Punjabi: شکر اے بابے توں جان چھوٹی ). It was like a sigh of relief for the Daska Police that the strict surveillance of Nazir Ahmed Khan had come to its end.
Role in Independence Movement of Pakistan
Before the partition of Indian Subcontinent, Nazir Ahmed Khan was a member of All India Muslim League Batala, and also a member of Central Advisory Committee of the city Batala. When Muhammad Ali Jinnah was travelling to Lahore with his team for the three-day general session, the occasion later marked as Lahore Resolution or Pakistan Resolution, Nazir Ahmed Khan was one of the students who greeted Muhammad Ali Jinnah at Amritsar Railway Station. In 1946, when All India Muslim League started rallies against the Government of Khizar Hayat Tiwana who was the Prime Minister of Punjab Province, Nazir Ahmed Khan actively participated in these rallies. Each day during the rallies, a group of Muslim League’s youth surrender themselves voluntarily to the authorities. The decision of volunteer arrest was made by Muslim League and Syed Bahauddin Ahmed Gillani (President of City Muslim League). In the final rally, the group of youth being handed over to the authorities was led by Nazir Ahmed Khan. He continued his struggle with Muslim League until the creation of sovereign Islamic state of Pakistan. [7]
Jammat-e-Islami-Pakistan
Nazir Ahmed Khan became member of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan in 1952, and served his party on different positions. He remained member of Central Advisory Committee of Jammat-e-Islami for 42 consecutive years (1958-2000), Ameer (President) of Jammat-e-Islami District Sialkot, Ameer (President) of Jammat-e-Islami Division Gujranwala and Naib Ameer (Vice President) of Jammat-e-Islami Punjab Province. With other prominent leaders of party, Nazir Ahmed Khan faced politically motivated imprisonment for almost one year, where he wrote his book Wardaat-e-Zindan (Urdu: واردات ذنداں). He no longer engages himself in practical politics and spends most of his time writing.