Khawaja Nazimuddin

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Khawaja Nazimuddin
Khawaja Nazimuddin

In office
17 October 1951 – 17 April 1953
Monarch Elizabeth II
Preceded by Liaquat Ali Khan
Succeeded by Muhammad Ali Bogra

In office
14 September 1948 – 17 October 1951
Preceded by Muhammad Ali Jinnah
Succeeded by Ghulam Muhammad

Born 19 July 1894
Dacca, Bengal
Died October 22, 1964 (aged 70)
Dacca, East Pakistan
Political party Muslim League
Religion Sunni Islam

Khawaja Nazimuddin (Urdu: خواجہ ناظم الدین, Bengali: খাজা নাজিমুদ্দীন) (July 19, 1894 - October 22, 1964) was the second Governor-General of Pakistan, and later the second Prime Minister of Pakistan as well.

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He was born in Dacca, Bengal (now Dhaka, Bangladesh) into the family of the Nawabs of Dhaka. He received his education from Dunstable Grammar School in England, then Aligarh Muslim University, and later Trinity Hall, Cambridge until the mid-1930s.

After returning to India, he became involved in politics in his native Bengal. Nazimuddin was initially the Education Minister, but climbed the ranks to become the Chief Minister of the province prior to independence. Nazimuddin also became the head of the Muslim League in Eastern India.

Upon the formation of Pakistan, he became an important part of the early government. After the early death of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Nazimuddin succeeded him as the Governor-General of Pakistan. At this point in time, the position was largely ceremonial, and executive power rested with the Prime Minister. The first Prime Minister of Pakistan, Liaquat Ali Khan was assassinated in 1951, and Nazimuddin stepped in to replace him.

During Nazimuddin's time as Prime Minister, Pakistan saw a growing rift within the Muslim League, especially between Punjabi and Bengali groups, as those were the two largest ethnic groups of Pakistan, but were separated by India. On 21 February 1952, a demonstration in the Language movement demanding equal and official status to Bangla language turned bloody, with many fatalities caused by police firings. During his reign, a framework was begun for a constitution that would allow Pakistan to become a republic, and end its Dominion status. Progress was made, but Nazimuddin's time as Prime Minister would be cut short in 1953.

In 1953, a religious movement began to agitate for the removal of the Ahmadi religious minority from power positions, and demanded a declaration of this minority as non-Muslims. Nazimuddin resisted such pressures; but riots broke out in The Punjab against both the government and followers of this religious minority. Nazimuddin responded by changing the governor of that province to Feroz Khan Noon, but the decision came late.

Ghulam Muhammad, the Governor-General, asked the Prime Minister to step down. Khawaja Nazimuddin refused, but Ghulam Muhammad got his way by invoking a reserve power that allowed him to dismiss the Prime Minister. The Chief Justice, Muhammad Munir, of the "Federal Court of Pakistan" (now named as the Supreme Court of Pakistan), did not rule on the legality of the dismissal, but instead forced new elections. The new prime-minister was another Bengali born statesman, Muhammad Ali Bogra.

The dismissal of Nazimuddin, the Prime Minister, by the Governor-General, Muhammad, signalled a troubling trend in Pakistani political history.

Tomb of Khawaja Nazimuddin at Dhaka
Tomb of Khawaja Nazimuddin at Dhaka

The Nazimabad and North Nazimabad suburbs of Karachi and Nazimuddin Road of Dhaka have been named in honor of Khawaja Nazimuddin.

He was buried at Suhrawardy Udyan of his hometown Dhaka.

Preceded by
Mohammad Ali Jinnah
Governor-General of Pakistan
1948–1951
Succeeded by
Ghulam Muhammad
Preceded by
Liaquat Ali Khan
Prime Minister of Pakistan
1951–1953
Succeeded by
Muhammad Ali Bogra
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