Abdullah Malik (10 October 1920 10 April 2003) was a Pakistani journalist, writer and political historian. While being an active member of communist party, he contributed to

Pakistan movement The Pakistan Movement was a religiopolitical and social movement that emerged in the early 20th century as part of a campaign that advocated the creation of an Islamic state in parts of what was then British Raj. It was rooted in the two-nation the ...

as a journalist. He worked at various newspapers as a foreign correspondent such ''

Daily Imroze ''Daily Imroze'' () is an Urdu language newspaper in Pakistan published daily from Karachi. This is one of the oldest newspapers of Pakistan that originally started publishing from Lahore in the newly independent Pakistan soon after 1947. It h ...

'' and

Pakistan Times ''The Pakistan Times'' (1947–1996) was a Pakistani newspaper, established by Mian Itikharuddin and Faiz Ahmed Faiz through the leftist Progressive Papers Limited. Its headquarters was in Lahore, Pakistan. Later, it started another edition fr ...

of Progressive Papers Limited. He also wrote more than twenty-four books, most of which are focused on the

history of Punjab The History of Punjab is the history of the Punjab region which is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in the northwest of South Asia, comprising the Punjab province in Pakistan and the Punjab state in India. It is believed that t ...

and

Indo-Pakistani wars and conflicts Since the partition of British India in 1947 and subsequent creation of the dominions of India and Pakistan, the two countries have been involved in a number of wars, conflicts, and military standoffs. A long-running dispute over Kashmir and ...

Biography

He was born in a

Kakazai The Kakazai (, Urdu, ),

family on 10 October 1920 in Lahore, British India. He obtained his education from the Government Islamia College. After he established his association with Movement for Liberation, he remained associated with the

Communist Party of India The Communist Party of India (CPI) is a political party in India. The CPI considers the Foundation of the Communist Party of India, December 26, 1925 Cawnpore (Kanpur) conference as its foundation date. Between 1946 and 1951, the CPI led m ...

until he died. In the 1940s, he worked for CPI's newspapers '' Qaumi Jang'' which played a significant role to the cause of

dominion of India The Dominion of India, officially the Union of India, * * was an independent dominion in the British Commonwealth of Nations existing between 15 August 1947 and 26 January 1950. Until its Indian independence movement, independence, India had be ...

and

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. Later, after the partition of the Indian subcontinent, he was jailed in

Lahore Fort The Lahore Fort (; ; ) is a citadel in the walled interior of Lahore in Punjab, Pakistan. The fortress is located at the northern end of the Walled City and spreads over an area greater than . It contains 21 notable monuments, some of which ...

prison in 1951. In the 1960s, he served as London correspondent for ''Daily Imroze'' and the ''Pakistan Times newspapers. However in 1971, he was jailed by the military dictator

Yahya Khan Agha Muhammad Yahya Khan (4 February 191710 August 1980) was a Pakistani army officer who served as the third president of Pakistan from 1969 to 1971. He also served as the fifth Commander-in-Chief, Pakistan, commander-in-chief of the Pakistan ...

for opposing military operation in East Pakistan. He was among the few Pakistanis who supported

Bangladesh Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War (, ), also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, was an War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali nationalism, Bengali nationalist and self-determination movement in East Pakistan, which res ...

, following which he was dismissed from the job at ''Daily Imroze'', which was controlled by the military dictators at the time. Following his dismissal, he established ''Azad'', a daily national newspaper which was later banned by the military after Bangladesh's liberation war broke out. Prior to its closure, he wrote columns and on historical topics for the newspapers besides producing scholarly works on history and politics.

Death

Malik was suffering from a

chronic condition A chronic condition (also known as chronic disease or chronic illness) is a health condition or disease that is persistent or otherwise long-lasting in its effects or a disease that comes with time. The term ''chronic'' is often applied when the ...

of a lung disease. He was subsequently admitted to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences where he died on 10 April 2003. He has two sons.

References

External links

Abdullah Malik's books
at

Rekhta ''Rekhta'' ( ; ''Rekhtā'') was an early form of the Hindustani language. This style evolved in both the Perso-Arabic and Nagari scripts and is considered an early form of Standard Urdu and Modern Standard Hindi. According to the Pakistan ...

Legendary Abdullah Malik remembered
Dawn (newspaper)
Fifth death anniversary of fearless journalist Abdullah Malik
Pakistan Press Foundation website * (Omar Kauser Malik

Academy of the Punjab in North America website {{DEFAULTSORT:Malik, Abdullah 1920 births 2003 deaths Journalists from Lahore 20th-century Pakistani writers Pakistani columnists Pakistani literary historians Government Islamia College alumni People from Punjab Province (British India)