Mahmud Husain Khan (15 July 1907 – 10 April 1975) was a

Pakistani Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. As much as ...

historian, educationist, and politician, known for his role in the

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 ...

, and for pioneering the study of

social sciences Social science (often rendered in the plural as the social sciences) is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of society, societies and the Social relation, relationships among members within those societies. The term was former ...

. He served as Minister for Kashmir Affairs from 1951 to 1953 and

Minister for Education An education minister (sometimes minister of education) is a position in the governments of some countries responsible for dealing with educational matters. Where known, the government department, ministry, or agency that develops policy and deli ...

in 1953, as well as minister of state in Pakistan's first cabinet under Prime Minister

Liaquat Ali Khan Liaquat Ali Khan (1 October 189516 October 1951) was a Pakistani lawyer, politician and statesman who served as the first prime minister of Pakistan The prime minister of Pakistan (, Roman Urdu, romanized: Wazīr ē Aʿẓam , ) is the he ...

. As a member of the country's first

Constituent Assembly A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...

, Husain served on

Muhammad Ali Jinnah Muhammad Ali Jinnah (born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai; 25 December 187611 September 1948) was a barrister, politician, and the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until the inception of Pa ...

's parliamentary committee for fundamental rights and minorities. He refused to rejoin the cabinet when

Governor-General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

Ghulam Muhammad dismissed the Nazimuddin ministry. He played a key role in authoring the draft Constitution of 1954 and attempting to curtail the governor-general's powers, after which Ghulam Muhammad dissolved the assembly. Returning to academia, Husain served as

vice-chancellor A vice-chancellor (commonly called a VC) serves as the chief executive of a university in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Kenya, other Commonwealth of Nati ...

Dhaka University The University of Dhaka (), also known as Dhaka University (DU), is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Established in 1921, it is the oldest active university in the country. The University of Dhaka was founded in 1921 ...

, resigning in 1963 when

Ayub Khan Mohammad Ayub Khan (14 May 1907 – 19 April 1974) was a Pakistani military dictator who served as the second president of Pakistan from 1958 until his resignation on 1969. He was the first native commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Army, se ...

military dictatorship A military dictatorship, or a military regime, is a type of dictatorship in which Power (social and political), power is held by one or more military officers. Military dictatorships are led by either a single military dictator, known as a Polit ...

sought disciplinary action against student protestors. A proponent of greater rights for

East Bengal East Bengal (; ''Purbô Bangla/Purbôbongo'') was the eastern province of the Dominion of Pakistan, which covered the territory of modern-day Bangladesh. It consisted of the eastern portion of the Bengal region, and existed from 1947 until 195 ...

and later

East Pakistan East Pakistan was the eastern province of Pakistan between 1955 and 1971, restructured and renamed from the province of East Bengal and covering the territory of the modern country of Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India and Burma, wit ...

, now

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

, Husain emerged a vocal but unsuccessful critic of West Pakistan's policies towards its eastern wing. He later served as vice-chancellor of

University of Karachi The University of Karachi (; informally Karachi University, KU, or UoK) is a public research university located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Established in June 1951 by an act of Parliament and as a successor to the University of Sindh (which is ...

until his death in 1975. He founded Jamia Milia Islamia,

Malir Malir Town () is the Constituent Town of Karachi Malir District and lies in the northern part of the city that was named after the Malir River. History Administrative status 2000 The federal government introduced local government re ...

, modelled on the university of the same name in India founded by his brother,

Zakir Husain Zakir Husain Khan (8 February 1897 – 3 May 1969) was an Indian educationist and politician who served as the vice president of India from 1962 to 1967 and president of India from 13 May 1967 until his death on 3 May 1969. Born in H ...

. University of Karachi renamed its library in his memory in 1976.

Early life and family

Mahmud Husain was born in Qaimganj, United Provinces,

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

to Fida Husain Khan, a lawyer, and Naznin Begum.Zia-ul-Hasan Faruqi (1999
''Dr. Zakir Hussain: Quest for Truth''
APH Publishing, India, GoogleBooks website The youngest of seven sons, he was the brother of Dr

, the third

President of India The president of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, and the commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the Indian Armed ...

, and scholar and historian

Yusuf Husain Yusuf Husain Khan (1902–1979) was an Indian historian, scholar, educationist, critic and author. He mastered the languages of Arabic, English, French, Urdu, Hindi and Persian. Early life and education Born in Hyderabad, India to a cultured an ...

. He was also the father of television compere Anwar Husain, uncle of academic Masud Husain Khan, and the father-in-law of General

Rahimuddin Khan Rahimuddin Khan (21 July 1926 – 22 August 2022) was a four-star rank Pakistani general who briefly served as the 16th Governor of Sindh in 1988. Previously, he had served as the fourth Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee from 1984 to 19 ...

, the

Governor of Balochistan The Governor of Balochistan is the head of the province of Balochistan, Pakistan. The post was established on 1 July 1970, after the dissolution of West Pakistan province and the end of One Unit. Under Pakistan's current parliamentary system, the ...

. Mahmud Husain's family were ethnic

Afridi The Afrīdī ( ''Aprīdai'', plur. ''Aprīdī''; ) are a Pashtun tribe present mostly in tribal areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The Afridis are most dominant in the Spin Ghar range west of Peshawar in Tribal areas of modern-day Khyb ...

Pashtuns Pashtuns (, , ; ;), also known as Pakhtuns, or Pathans, are an Iranian peoples, Iranic ethnic group primarily residing in southern and eastern Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan. They were historically also referred to as Afghan (ethnon ...

whose roots were in

Kohat Kohat (; ) is a city that serves as the capital of the Kohat District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is regarded as a centre of the Bangash tribe of Pashtuns, who have lived in the region since the late 15th century. With a population o ...

and

Tirah Tirah, also spelled Terah (), also called the Tirah Valley (), is a mountainous region located in the Orakzai District and the southern part of the Khyber District, positioned between the Khyber Pass and the Khanki Valley in Pakistan. Due to ...

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ; , ; abbr. KP or KPK), formerly known as the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Northern Pakistan, northwestern region of the country, Khyber ...

. His ancestor Husain Khan migrated from

to Qaimganj in 1715. Husain attended Islamia High School,

Etawah Etawah (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''Iṭāvā''), also known as Ishtikapuri, is a city situated on the banks of Yamuna River in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. It is the administrative headquarters of Etawa ...

and Aligarh Government High School. He was part of the first batch of students to be admitted into the newly established

Jamia Milia Islamia Jamia Millia Islamia is a public and research university located in Delhi, India. Originally established at Aligarh, United Provinces (present-day Uttar Pradesh, India) during the British Raj in 1920, it moved to its current location in Okhla ...

, where he was heavily influenced by the ideas of

Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar Muhammad Ali Jawhar (10 December 18784 January 1931) was an Indian politician and activist of the Indian independence movement. He was a co-founder of the All-India Muslim League and Jamia Millia Islamia. Born into an anti-colonial family, Jaw ...

. He received his PhD from the

University of Heidelberg Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg (; ), is a public university, public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Founded in 1386 on instruction of Pope Urban VI, Heidelberg is List ...

in Germany in 1932. Mahmud Husain started his career in

academia An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

as a reader of

modern history The modern era or the modern period is considered the current historical period of human history. It was originally applied to the history of Europe and Western history for events that came after the Middle Ages, often from around the year 1500, ...

at the

University of Dhaka The University of Dhaka (), also known as Dhaka University (DU), is a public university, public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Established in 1921, it is the oldest active university in the country. The University of Dhaka w ...

in 1933, where he became

provost Provost may refer to: Officials Ecclesiastic * Provost (religion), a high-ranking church official * Prince-provost, a high-ranking church official Government * Provost (civil), an officer of local government, including the equivalent ...

Fazlul Haq Fazlul Haq () is a male Muslim given name, meaning ''bounty of the Truth'', referring to ''Al-Haqq'', one of the Names of God in Islam. Both parts of the name are subject to varying transliteration, as the first part may be written ''Fazl'' or ''Fad ...

Hall in 1944 and professor of

international relations International relations (IR, and also referred to as international studies, international politics, or international affairs) is an academic discipline. In a broader sense, the study of IR, in addition to multilateral relations, concerns al ...

in 1948.

Political career

Pakistan Movement

Unlike his brother Zakir Husain, Mahmud Husain had been a strong proponent of the

, and catalysed support for Pakistan among students in

and at

. On

Direct Action Day Direct Action Day (16 August 1946) was the day the All-India Muslim League decided to take a "direct action" using general strikes and economic shut down to demand a separate Muslim homeland after the British exit from India. Also known as ...

in 1946, Husain was charged with leading the pro-Pakistan rally in

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

Member of the Constituent Assembly

He was elected Member of the first

Constituent Assembly of Pakistan The Constituent Assembly of Pakistan was the supreme federal legislature of the Dominion of Pakistan. It was established in August 1947 with the primary tasks of framing Constitution of Pakistan of 1956, a constitution; and serving as an interim ...

from East Bengal on the platform of

Muslim League Muslim League may refer to: Political parties British India *All-India Muslim League, led the demand for the partition of India resulting in the creation of Pakistan ** Punjab Muslim League, a branch of the organization above **Unionist Muslim L ...

, and also elected Secretary of the Muslim League's Parliamentary Group. He was included by Prime Minister

in the Basic Principles Committee, the main parliamentary group charged with drafting the underlying principles of the

Constitution of Pakistan The Constitution of Pakistan ( ; ISO 15919, ISO: '' Āīn-ē-Pākistān''), also known as the 1973 Constitution, is the supreme law of Pakistan. The document guides Pakistan's law, political culture, and system. It sets out the state's outlin ...

. He also served on the committee of minorities and fundamental rights.

Liaquat ministry

Husain was appointed both Deputy Minister for Defense and

Foreign Affairs ''Foreign Affairs'' is an American magazine of international relations and foreign policy of the United States, U.S. foreign policy published by the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit organization, nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership or ...

in the cabinet of Prime Minister Liaquat in 1949, before becoming State Minister for State and Frontier Regions a year later. He was appointed chairman of the five-member Balochistan Reforms Committee by Liaquat on 4 October 1950; the committee submitted its report to the assembly after extensive tours of the province. It proposed provincial autonomy and raising Balochistan to the status of Governor's province, the introduction of adult franchise and local bodies, and greater provincial autonomy. Termed a 'remarkable document', it was opposed by the centre. Following the assassination of Liaquat Ali Khan,

Khawaja Nazimuddin Sir Khawaja Nazimuddin (19 July 1894 – 22 October 1964), also spelled Khwaja Nazimuddin, was a Pakistani politician and statesman who served as the second Governor-General of Pakistan from 1948 to 1951, and later as the second Prime Minister ...

assumed the post of prime minister.

Nazimuddin ministry

In the Nazimuddin ministry, Husain served as Minister for Kashmir Affairs from 26 November 1951, and was handed the additional portfolio of

on 4 February 1953. Following

anti-Ahmadiyya The Ahmadiyya branch of Islam has been subjected to various forms of religious persecution and Religious discrimination, discrimination since the movement's inception in 1889. The Ahmadiyya Muslim movement emerged within the Sunni Islam, Sun ...

riots in 1953,

martial law Martial law is the replacement of civilian government by military rule and the suspension of civilian legal processes for military powers. Martial law can continue for a specified amount of time, or indefinitely, and standard civil liberties ...

was imposed in

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

, and Governor-General Ghulam Muhammad dismissed Nazimuddin's government soon after. Husain along with Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar and Abdul Sattar Pirzada refused to join the new cabinet constituted by Ghulam Muhammad.

Move against governor-general's powers

On 21 September 1954, Mahmud Husain was part of the Muslim League parliamentary group, along with party leaders Nazimuddin and Fazlur Rahman, that passed the Fifth Amendment to the Government of India Act, 1935, stripping Governor-General Ghulam Muhammad of his powers to dissolve parliament and remove the prime minister. The session was presided over by Speaker

Maulvi Tamizuddin Khan Maulvi Tamizuddin Khan (M. T. Khan; March 1889 – 19 August 1963) was the Speaker of Pakistan's Constituent Assembly from 1948 to 1954 and National Assembly of Pakistan between 1962 and 1963. Early life Khan was born in March 1889 to the Benga ...

. The Constituent Assembly also finalised and adopted the Report of the Basic Principles Committee on the same day, aiming to promulgate the report as the

at the next session on 27 October. On 24 October, three days before parliament was to promulgate the new Constitution, Ghulam Muhammad dissolved the Constituent Assembly. Mahmud Husain formally retired from politics afterward.

Academic career

After the

independence of Pakistan 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 th ...

in 1947, Husain, inspired by the old

Jamia Millia Islamia Jamia Millia Islamia is a Public university, public and research university located in Delhi, India. Originally established at Aligarh, United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, United Provinces (present-day Uttar Pradesh, India) during the British R ...

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

, India, played a key role in establishing an educational society, Majlis-i-Taleem-i-Milli Pakistan, in 1948, which served as the parent body of the Jamia Millia Educational Complex located in

, Karachi. In 1947, he was one of the pioneers in establishing Department of International Relations in University of Dhaka, the first IR department in any South Asian Universities. Later in the early 1950s, many educational institutions were built at this Malir educational complex. He joined

Karachi University The University of Karachi (; informally Karachi University, KU, or UoK) is a public research university located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Established in June 1951 by an act of Parliament and as a successor to the University of Sindh (which is ...

as its first professor of international relations and history. He also began the faculties of journalism and

library science Library and information science (LIS)Library and Information Sciences is the name used in the Dewey Decimal Classification for class 20 from the 18th edition (1971) to the 22nd edition (2003). are two interconnected disciplines that deal with info ...

, the first in Pakistan. Husain also laid the foundation of the Library Association in 1957 and served as its president for fifteen years. Husain taught as visiting professor at his alma mater Heidelberg University (1963–64), Columbia University (1964–65) and University of Pennsylvania (1965–66).

Vice-Chancellor of Dhaka University

Husain returned to academia in 1954, after the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly. A known supporter of greater rights for

, he was appointed vice-chancellor of the

University of Dacca The University of Dhaka (), also known as Dhaka University (DU), is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Established in 1921, it is the oldest active university in the country. The University of Dhaka was founded in 1921 ...

in 1960. During his tenure, Husain refused government requests to intervene in mass

student protests Campus protest or student protest is a form of student activism that takes the form of protest at university campuses. Such protests encompass a wide range of activities that indicate student dissatisfaction with a given political or academi ...

against President

and martial law, culminating in his resignation on 12 February 1963. During and after his tenure, he became a vocal critic of the government's handling of East Pakistan, and urged integration. He strongly opposed the army operation in East Pakistan in 1971 but to no avail.

Vice-Chancellor of Karachi University

In 1966, Husain went back to the University of Karachi as professor of history and worked there as the dean of its Faculty of Arts until 1971. He served as vice-chancellor of the

from 1971 to 1975. He died while serving as vice-chancellor on 10 April 1975.

Works

Husain was fluent in

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

, English, German, and

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

, writing primarily in the Urdu language. His Urdu translations are ''Mahida-i-Imrani'' (1935) from

Jean-Jacques Rousseau Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Republic of Geneva, Genevan philosopher (''philosophes, philosophe''), writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment through ...

's ''

Social Contract In moral and political philosophy, the social contract is an idea, theory, or model that usually, although not always, concerns the legitimacy of the authority of the state over the individual. Conceptualized in the Age of Enlightenment, it ...

'', and ''Badshah'' (1947), a translation of Machiavelli's ''

The Prince ''The Prince'' ( ; ) is a 16th-century political treatise written by the Italian diplomat, philosopher, and Political philosophy, political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli in the form of a realistic instruction guide for new Prince#Prince as gener ...

''. His other books include ''The Quest for an Empire'' (1937), and ''Fatah-i-Mujahideen'' (1950), an Urdu translation of Zainul Abideen Shustri's Persian treatise on

Tipu Sultan Tipu Sultan (, , ''Sultan Fateh Ali Sahab Tipu''; 1 December 1751 – 4 May 1799) commonly referred to as Sher-e-Mysore or "Tiger of Mysore", was a ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore based in South India. He was a pioneer of rocket artillery ...

. He was also editor of the ''A History of the Freedom Movement''. His best-known work is his English translation of Tipu's diaries from the original Persian, ''The Dreams of Tipu Sultan''.

Eponyms

* Dr. Mahmud Husain Road,

Jamshed Town Jamshed Town () lies in the Karachi East District of Karachi, Pakistan. To the northwest is Liaquatabad Town across the Lyari River, while to the east is Gulshan Town and to the southeast is Korangi Town across the Malir River. Jamshed Town ...

, Karachi * Mahmud Husain Library: On 12 April 1976, a year after his death, the Karachi University Syndicate renamed the Karachi University Library as the Dr. Mahmud Husain Library by unanimous resolution.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Husain, Mahmud 1907 births 1975 deaths English–Urdu translators Jamia Millia Islamia alumni Pakistani educational theorists 20th-century Pakistani historians Leaders of the Pakistan Movement People from Farrukhabad Heidelberg University alumni Academic staff of the University of Karachi 20th-century Urdu-language writers Muhajir people Vice-chancellors of the University of Karachi Politicians from Karachi Writers from Karachi 20th-century Pakistani translators Vice-chancellors of the University of Dhaka Pakistan Movement activists from the United Provinces Academic staff of the University of Dhaka University of Dhaka people Pakistani MNAs 1947–1954 First Pakistani Cabinet Members of the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan