Qazi Muhammad Isa (17 July 1914 – 19 June 1976) was a Pakistani politician and activist of 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 ...

. He represented the state of

Balochistan Balochistan ( ; , ), also spelled as Baluchistan or Baluchestan, is a historical region in West and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. This arid region o ...

in the Lahore Conference that led to the

ratification Ratification is a principal's legal confirmation of an act of its agent. In international law, ratification is the process by which a state declares its consent to be bound to a treaty. In the case of bilateral treaties, ratification is usuall ...

Lahore Resolution The Lahore Resolution, later called the Pakistan Resolution in Pakistan, was a formal political statement adopted by the All-India Muslim League on the occasion of its three-day general session in Lahore, Punjab, from 22 to 24 March 1940, call ...

. He led the Muslim League's branches in

and NWFP.

Early life and career

Qazi Muhammad Isa was born on 17 July 1914 in Pishin District,

. He received his basic education in

Quetta Quetta is the capital and largest city of the Pakistani province of Balochistan. It is the ninth largest city in Pakistan, with an estimated population of over 1.6 million in 2024. It is situated in the south-west of the country, lying in a ...

. In 1933, he went to England for higher studies and received his law degree from

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court entitled to Call to the bar, call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple (with whi ...

, London. After returning to British India, he started practicing law in

Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

in 1938 where he first met Jinnah.Profile of Qazi Muhammad Essa on storyofpakistan.com website
Retrieved 27 August 2021 He participated in the formation of the first Muslim political party in

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# ...

, ( Muslim league)

before 1947. He was from a

Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...

Hazara of Sheikh Ali tribe, which migrated from

Kandahar Kandahar is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city, after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118 in 2015. It is the capital of Kandahar Pro ...

, Afghanistan to Pishin in Balochistan, Pakistan. "After having been called to Bar in January 1939, he returned home and met Quaide-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah in Bombay. He was so impressed with his ideas and personality that on his return to Balochistan, he founded the All-India Muslim League in his province." He played a key role in the

and was one of the trusted lieutenants of

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 ...

. He was the youngest member of the Working Committee of the

All-India Muslim League The All-India Muslim League (AIML) was a political party founded in 1906 in Dhaka, British India with the goal of securing Muslims, Muslim interests in South Asia. Although initially espousing a united India with interfaith unity, the Muslim L ...

and as President of the Baluchistan Provincial Muslim League, he quickly organized the party throughout the province and played a key role in the 'Vote for Pakistan movement' and in the historical referendum of the then North-West Frontier Province. Qazi Essa travelled more than 300,000 miles to campaign for the Pakistan Movement between 1940 and 1947. He represented Balochistan in the 1940

(''Qarardad-e-Lahore'' قرارداد لاھور), commonly known as the Pakistan Resolution (قرارداد پاکستان ''Qarardad-e-Pakistan''). His nephew, Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, has been a Pakistani High Commissioner in India, Pakistan's Permanent representative in UNO and UN Secretary General Special Representative in

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

. Qazi Essa's son Qazi Faez Isa became Chief Justice of Balochistan High Court on 5 August 2009 and, later, took oath as a Judge of the

Supreme Court of Pakistan The Supreme Court of Pakistan (; ''Adālat-e-Uzma Pākistān'') is the apex court in the Judiciary of Pakistan, judicial hierarchy of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Established in accordance witPart VIIof the Constitution of Pakistan, it h ...

on 5 September 2014.Profile of Justice Qazi Faez Isa (son of Qazi Muhammad Essa) on supremecourt.gov.pk website
Retrieved 27 August 2021 Qazi Faez Isa, later, served as 29th Chief Justice of Pakistan from 17 September 2023 to 25 October 2024. Later, Qazi Muhammad Isa served as

Ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

of Pakistan to

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

from 1951 to 1953. He also was a member of Pakistan delegations to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

in 1950, 1954 and 1974. He was appointed member of the Committee on Minorities in 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 ...

Commemorative postage stamp issued in 1990

* Pakistan Postal Services issued a commemorative postage stamp in Qazi Muhammad Isa's honor in its 'Pioneers of Freedom' series in 1990.

Death and legacy

Qazi Muhammad Isa died on 19 June 1976. Qazi Isa devotedly served the Muslim League for 37 years. Among his survivors are some notable Pakistani personalities.

Notes

References

Bibliography