82.22.167.39 at 21:43, 10 January 2022

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{{short description|Bengali jurist, politician and Prime Minister and Vice-President of Pakistan (1893-1974)}}
{{other people}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2014}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name = Nurul Amin
|native_name = نورالامین
|image = Nurul Amin.jpg
|office = 8th [[Prime Minister of Pakistan]]
|president = [[Yahya Khan]]
|term_start = 7 December 1971
|term_end = 20 December 1971
|predecessor = [[Feroz Khan Noon]] [[Ayub Khan (general)|Ayub Khan]] (acting)
|successor = [[Zulfikar Ali Bhutto]]
|deputy = Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
|office1 = Acting [[President of Pakistan]]
|president1 = Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
|term_start1 = 20 January 1972
|term_end1 = 28 January 1972
|predecessor1 = [[Zulfikar Ali Bhutto]]
|successor1 = [[Zulfikar Ali Bhutto]]
|office2 =
|president2 = Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
|term_start2 = 1 April 1972
|term_end2 = 21 April 1972
|predecessor2 = [[Zulfikar Ali Bhutto]]
|successor2 = [[Zulfikar Ali Bhutto]]
|office3 = [[Vice President of Pakistan]]
|president3 = Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
|term_start3 = 20 December 1971
|term_end3 = 14 August 1973
|predecessor3 = ''Post created''
|successor3 = ''Post abolished''
|office4 = [[Leader of the Opposition (Pakistan)|Leader of the Opposition]]
|term_start4 = 9 July 1967
|term_end4 = 7 December 1970
|predecessor4 = [[Fatima Jinnah]]
|successor4 = [[Khan Abdul Wali Khan]]
|office5 = [[Chief Minister of East Pakistan]]
|governor5 = [[Feroz Khan Noon]] [[Chaudhry Khaliquzzaman]]
|term_start5 = 14 September 1948
|term_end5 = 3 April 1954
|predecessor5 = [[Khawaja Nazimuddin]]
|successor5 = [[A. K. Fazlul Huq|Fazlul Huq]]
|birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1893|7|15}}
|birth_place = [[Shahbazpur Union, Sarail|Shahbazpur]], [[Bengal Presidency]], [[British Raj|British India]] (now in [[Bangladesh]])
|death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1974|10|2|1893|7|15}}
|death_place = [[Rawalpindi]], [[Punjab, Pakistan]]
|resting_place = [[Mazar-e-Quaid]], Karachi
|nationality = {{flagicon image|Flag of Pakistan.svg}} [[Pakistani]]
|party = [[Pakistan Muslim League]] (since 1962)
|otherparty = [[Muslim League (Pakistan)|Muslim League]] (1947–1958)
|alma_mater = [[Ananda Mohan College]] [[University of Calcutta]]
}}
'''Nurul Amin''' ({{lang-ur|{{Nastaliq|نورالامین}}}}; 15 July 1893 – 2 October 1974), referred to as the 'Patriot of Pakistan',{{citation needed|date=August 2017}} was a prominent [[Pakistani]] leader, and a jurist who served as the eighth [[prime minister of Pakistan]] and as the first and only [[vice president of Pakistan]]. He is noted as being the last [[Bengali people|Bengali]] leader of Pakistan. His term of only 13 days as Prime Minister was the shortest served in Pakistani parliamentary history.

Starting his political career in 1948 as [[Chief Minister of East Bengal]], he headed the [[Ministry of Supply]]. After participating in the [[1970 Pakistani general election]], Amin was appointed as the [[Prime Minister of Pakistan]]. He was the first and only [[Vice President of Pakistan]] from 1970 till 1972, leading Pakistan in the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971]].

As an anti-war and principal [[Pakistan Movement]] activist, Amin is considered within Pakistan a patriot who worked to keep Pakistan united. He opposed the creation of [[Bangladesh]] during the [[Bangladesh Liberation War]] – but after the [[Operation Searchlight|25 March massacre]],{{explain|date=July 2020}} he devoted his position to reopening communication channels between the warring sides, curbing wartime crimes and repatriating Bengalis stranded in West Pakistan after the Bangladeshi liberation. In Bangladesh, he is considered a traitor who abandoned his own people.

==Early life==
Amin was born on 15 July 1893 to a [[Bengali Muslim]] family in [[Shahbazpur Union, Sarail|Shahbazpur]] in his father working place, in what was then [[Bengal Presidency|undivided Bengal]]'s [[Comilla District|Tippera District]] (now in [[Brahmanbaria District]]).<ref name=Banglapedia>{{cite book |last=Khan |first=Muazzam Hussain |year=2012 |chapter=Amin, Nurul |chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Amin,_Nurul |editor1-last=Islam |editor1-first=Sirajul |editor1-link=Sirajul Islam |editor2-last=Jamal |editor2-first=Ahmed A. |title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh |edition=Second |publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]]}}</ref> He then moved with his family to [[Nandail Upazila]] which was his native home in neighbouring [[Mymensingh District]].<ref name="Scarecrow Publication Inc.">{{cite book|author1=Syedur Rehman|author2=Craig Baxter|author2-link = Craig Baxter|title=Dictionary of Bangladesh|year=2010|publisher=Scarecrow Publication Inc.|location=Library of Congress|isbn=978-0-8108-6766-6|pages=101–223|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bJfcCPUr0OoC&q=nurul+amin&pg=PA223}}</ref> In 1915, Amin passed the college entrance examination from [[Mymensingh Zilla School]], joining [[Ananda Mohan College|Mymensingh Ananda Mohan College]] two years later to obtain his Intermediate in Arts (I.A); he graduated with a bachelor's degree in [[English literature]] in 1919.<ref name="Scarecrow Publication Inc."/>

After graduating, Amin took a position teaching at the local school Gaffargaon Islamia Government High School, and then another local school in [[Calcutta]], but decided to pursue his career in law.<ref name="Scarecrow Publication Inc."/> In 1920, Amin began at the [[University of Calcutta]]; he gained an LLB in Law and Justice in 1924, and passed the Bar exam the same year. Amin started his career in law after joining the [[Mymensingh]] Judge Court Bar.{{citation needed|date=July 2021}}

==Public service==
In 1929, Amin was appointed as a member of Mymensingh Local Board, and later became a member of Mymensingh District Board in 1930. In 1932, the British Indian Government appointed him as commissioner of Mymensingh Municipality. In 1937, Amin was appointed as the Chairman of Mymensingh District Board, an assignment he continued until 1945.{{citation needed|date=July 2021}}

During this time, Amin's interest in politics increased. He became an early member of the [[All-India Muslim League]] led by [[Mohammad Ali Jinnah]]. During this time, Amin was appointed as President of the Muslim League's Mymensingh district unit. In 1944, he was elected vice-president of the Bengal Provincial Muslim League.{{citation needed|date=July 2021}}

In 1945, Amin participated in the Indian general elections, securing a landslide victory. He became a Member, and the following year was elected as the Speaker General of the [[Bengal Legislative Assembly]].{{citation needed|date=July 2021}}

==United Pakistan==

===Pakistan Movement===
Amin became a trusted lieutenant of Mohammad Ali Jinnah in East Bengal, fighting for the rights of [[Bengali Muslims]] in British India.<ref name="Parliament of Pakistan">{{cite book|last=Minister of Parliamentary Affairs|title=Parliamentary Debates. Official Report (Honorary Speech by the Prime minister)|year=1976|publisher=Parliament of Pakistan|location=Parliament of Pakistan, Capital Territory Zone|pages=3–5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hSsdAAAAIAAJ&q=nurul+amin+}}</ref> Amin took an active part in the [[Pakistan Movement]], organising Bengali Muslims, while he continued to strengthen the Muslim League in Bengal.<ref name="Parliament of Pakistan"/>

In 1946, Jinnah came to visit Bengal, where Amin assisted him. He promised the Bengali nation he would build a democratic country.<ref name="Parliament of Pakistan"/> In East Bengal, Amin promoted the unity of Muslims. By the time of the creation of Pakistan, Amin had become one of the leading advocates and activists of the Pakistan Movement; he had wide approval ratings by the Bengali population.<ref name="Parliament of Pakistan"/>

===Chief Minister===
After the death of Jinnah, Amin was nominated as the Chief Minister of East Bengal in September 1948 by [[Khawaja Nazimuddin]], who succeeded Jinnah as Governor General.<ref name="Northern Book Center">{{cite book|last=Nair|first=N.B|title=Politics in Bangladesh|year=1990|publisher=Northern Book Center|location=New Delhi|isbn=978-81-85119-79-3 |pages=44; 53; 73; 142|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mB9N4oxuSY8C&q=nurul+amin&pg=PA164}}</ref>

Amin worked for the Muslim League in East Bengal, while continuing his relief programme for the population. As Chief Minister, his relations were significantly strained with Prime Minister [[Liaquat Ali Khan]] and the [[Governor-General of Pakistan]] Khawaja Nazimuddin. Soon after the [[assassination of Liaquat Ali Khan]], Amin was appointed as [[Minister of Supply]]. He was elected as a member of the [[Pakistan National Assembly]] from 1947 until 1954.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}} Amin assumed the office of Chief Minister in a few weeks.<ref name="Northern Book Center"/>

Historians have noted that Amin's government was not strong enough to administer the provincial state; it was completely under the control of the central government of Nazimuddin.<ref name="Northern Book Center"/> His government did not enjoy enough power, and lacked vision, imagination, and initiatives.<ref name="Northern Book Center"/> Amin failed to counter the [[Communist Party of Pakistan|Communist Party]]'s influence in the region, which widely took the credit for turning the language movement in 1952 into large unified mass protest.<ref name="Northern Book Center"/>

===Language Movement===
{{Main|Bengali Language Movement|Communist Party of Pakistan}}
During Amin's term as Chief Minister, Governor General Nazimuddin (also from East Bengal but bilingual) reiterated the federal government's position that while [[Bengali language|Bengali]] was the language of virtually all East Pakistanis as well as the majority of Pakistanis as a whole, it was not to be considered a national language on par with [[Urdu language|Urdu]].<ref name="Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, 1997">{{cite book|last=Aklam Hussain|first=Sirajul Islam|title=History of Bangladesh, 1704–1971|year=1997|publisher=Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, 1997|location=Dacca|isbn=978-984-512-337-2|pages=398; 440; 470|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K-FtAAAAMAAJ&q=nurul+amin}}</ref> In response, the [[Bengali Language Movement]] developed, and the ruling Muslim League lost popularity in East Pakistan. Both Nazimuddin and Amin failed to integrate the East Pakistani population with that of West Pakistan, and eventually the East Pakistan Muslim League lost significant administrative control of the province.<ref name="Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, 1997"/> Amin on other hand, held Communist Party responsible for this failure, accusing them as provoking the language movement.<ref name="Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, 1997"/>

Public dissatisfaction with Amin had grown since October 1951, when Nazimuddin became Prime Minister. Amin expelled dissidents from within the ranks of the Muslim League, but doing so simply strengthened opposition to the party.<ref name="Ziring1997">{{cite book |last=Ziring |first=Lawrence |year=1997 |title=Pakistan in the Twentieth Century: A Political History |publisher=Oxford University Press |pages=153–154 |isbn=0-19-577816-2}}</ref> In early 1952, students protested against Prime Minister Nazimuddin's declaration in the provincial capital Dacca (now [[Dhaka]]) that Urdu would be the sole national language. During the unrest, the civilian [[East Pakistan Rifles|East-Pakistan police]] opened fire, killing four student activists. This raised more opposition in the region to the Muslim League.<ref name="Mahmood1997">{{cite book |last=Mahmood |first=Safdar |title=Pakistan: Rule of Muslim League & Inception of Democracy (1947-54) |year=1997 |location=Lahore |publisher=Jang Publishers |page=116 |oclc=39399433}}</ref> [[Mohammad Ali Bogra|Prime Minister Bogra]] (also a Bengali) visited East Bengal in early 1954 in an attempt to rally support for the League, but it was too late.<ref name="Ziring1997" /> Leading politicians in West and East Pakistan called for Amin's resignation, and the new elections were soon held.

===1954 elections===
{{Main|Elections in Pakistan}}
In the 1954 provisional elections, the Muslim League was defeated by the United Front, an alliance between the [[Awami League]] (led by [[Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy]]), the [[Krishak Sramik Party]] (chaired by [[A. K. Fazlul Huq]]), the Nizam Islam Party (headed by Maulana Athar Ali), and the [[Ganatantri Dal]] (led by [[Haji Mohammad Danesh]] and [[Mahmud Ali (statesman)|Mahmud Ali]]), eventually becoming more and more influential in Pakistani politics.<ref>{{cite book |last=Chatterjee |first=Pranab |year=2010 |title=A Story of Ambivalent Modernization in Bangladesh and West Bengal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lAR1D0Wi2rsC&pg=PA23 |publisher=Peter Lang |page=23 |isbn=978-1-4331-0820-4}}</ref> It was in this turnover that Amin lost his assembly seat to a veteran student leader of East Pakistan, [[Khaleque Nawaz Khan]], who had also been active in the Language Movement.<ref>{{cite book |last=Zaman|first=Habibuz|date=1999|title=Seventy Years in a Shaky Subcontinent |publisher=Janus Publishing Company Limited|isbn=1-85756-405-7|page=182}}</ref> The Muslim League was effectively eliminated from the provincial political landscape.<ref name="Electronic Government of Pakistan">{{cite web |url=http://elections.com.pk/contents.php?i=10#Nurul |url-status=dead |title=Elections in Pakistan: Nurul Amin |website=Election Commission of Pakistan |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118180755/http://elections.com.pk/contents.php?i=10 |archive-date=18 January 2012 |access-date=28 January 2012}}</ref>

Amin served as the president of the East Pakistan Muslim League, and worked to improve its standing. During this time, the Pakistani authorities made reforms, including granting official status to the Bengali language in 1956 alongside Urdu.<ref name="Global Nonviolent Action Database">{{cite web |last=Swarthmore College |title=Global Nonviolent Action Database |url=https://nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu/content/pakistanis-demand-their-government-recognize-bengali-official-language-1947-1952 |access-date=12 March 2019}}</ref> But after [[Army Chief of Staff (Pakistan)|Army Commander]] [[General Mohammad Ayub Khan]] imposed martial law following the successful October [[1958 Pakistani coup d'état]] against the government of President [[Iskander Mirza]], Amin's political career was halted as Ayub Khan disbanded all political parties in the country.<ref name="Electronic Government of Pakistan"/>

===Leader of the opposition===
Amin ran as a candidate in the [[1965 Pakistani presidential election|1965 presidential elections]], in East Pakistan, winning the majority vote in the [[Parliament of Pakistan]]. He declined to work with Ayub Khan. The same year, after the death of [[Fatima Jinnah]], Amin succeeded Jinnah as [[Leader of Opposition, Pakistan|Leader of Opposition]], which he held until 1969, after General [[Yahya Khan]] imposed martial law again.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}}

==Dissolution of Pakistan==
In the 1970 elections, Amin was elected to the [[National Assembly of Pakistan|National Assembly]] as one of only two non-[[Awami League]] members from East Pakistan. During this time, the Pakistani authority had already become highly unpopular, as the Bengali language movement was suppressed. Civil unrest was sparked by the Language Movement and fuelled by discriminatory practices against the Bengali people; this led to East Pakistan's declaration of independence.

===1971 Liberation War===
The [[Bangladesh Liberation War]] of 1971, as it is now known, escalated as India and Pakistan formally acknowledged the "existence of a state of war between the two countries", even though neither government had formally issued a [[declaration of war]].<ref name="time-edge">{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,910155-1,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080307230515/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,910155-1,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 March 2008|title=India and Pakistan: Over the Edge|work=Time|date=13 December 1971|access-date=17 August 2011}}</ref>

===Prime Ministership and Vice Presidency===
As the situation in his home province of East Pakistan worsened, Amin was appointed [[Prime Minister of Pakistan|Prime Minister]] by [[President of Pakistan|President]] General Yahya Khan on 6 December 1971. On 20 December 1971, however, Amin's term as prime minister was cut short as Khan resigned, leaving the Deputy Prime Minister (and Foreign Minister) [[Zulfikar Ali Bhutto]] to be sworn in as the new president. Two days later, Amin was appointed as [[Vice President of Pakistan]], the only person to have held this post. He was sworn into the post again on 23 April 1972 after the interim constitution came into effect and [[martial law]] was lifted. He continued to hold the post until the office was abolished with the entry into force of the new constitution on 14 August 1973.

===Postwar===
{{Rquote|right|So Dhaka has fallen, and East Pakistan has gone and you are enjoying yourselves.....|Nurul Amin scolding Yahya Khan, 1971.|<ref name="Nurul Amin - The story of Pakistan">[http://www.storyofpakistan.com/person.asp?perid=P083 Nurul Amin – The story of Pakistan]</ref>}}
Amin is a controversial figure, considered by many Pakistanis to be a patriot for supporting the unity of their country, but thought by many Bangladeshis as a traitor who collaborated with an occupying force accused of genocide and other war crimes.{{citation needed|date=March 2019}}

==Death and legacy==
Amin stayed in West Pakistan, while his home region achieved independence as the [[Bangladesh|People's Republic of Bangladesh]]. He died of cardiac arrest at age of 81 in [[Rawalpindi]] on 2 October 1974 and was given a public state funeral by Prime Minister [[Zulfikar Ali Bhutto]].<ref name="The News International">{{cite news|last=Shah|first=Sabir|title=An overview of Quaid's mausoleum|url=http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=11283&Cat=13|access-date=27 January 2012|newspaper=The News International|date=26 December 2011}}</ref> He was buried in [[Mazar-e-Quaid|Jinnah Mausoleum]], next to Jinnah. His tomb was specially designed, made of Italian white marble, with golden letters for his name and contributions.<ref name="The News International"/>

{{quote|text=Nurul Amin was a trusted lieutenant of Quaid-i-Azam and a valiant fighter for the Pakistan Movement, and for Pakistan. He proved himself to be a crusader of (Pakistan's) solidarity and earned for himself the highest pedestal by dint of his efforts, intelligence, and his struggle... |sign=[[Malik Meraj Khalid|Malick Meraj Khalid]], minister of law and parliamentary affairs, tribute to Nurul Amin, at [[Pakistan Parliament|ninth parliamentary session, 1976]] |source=<ref name="Parliament of Pakistan"/>}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Khawaja Nazimuddin]]}}
{{s-ttl|title={{nowrap|[[Chief Minister of East Bengal]]}}|years=1948–1954}}
{{s-aft|after=[[A. K. Fazlul Huq|Fazlul Haq]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[Fatima Jinnah]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Leader of the Opposition (Pakistan)|Leader of the Opposition]]|years=1967–1970}}
{{s-aft|after={{nowrap|[[Khan Abdul Wali Khan]]}}}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[Feroz Khan Noon]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Prime Minister of Pakistan]]|years=1971}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Zulfikar Ali Bhutto]]}}
|-
{{s-new|office}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[President of Pakistan]]|years=1971–1972}}
{{s-non|reason=Position abolished}}
{{s-end}}

{{Chief Minister of East Pakistan}}
{{PakistaniPMs}}
{{Leader of the Opposition (Pakistan)}}
{{Conservatism in Pakistan}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Amin, Nurul}}
[[Category:1893 births]]
[[Category:1974 deaths]]
[[Category:Bengali politicians]]
[[Category:Bengali Muslims]]
[[Category:Leaders of the Opposition (Pakistan)]]
[[Category:Pakistan Movement activists from Bengal]]
[[Category:Pakistani anti-war activists]]
[[Category:Pakistani democracy activists]]
[[Category:Pakistani educational theorists]]
[[Category:Pakistani people of Bengali descent]]
[[Category:Prime Ministers of Pakistan]]
[[Category:University of Calcutta alumni]]
[[Category:Vice presidents of Pakistan]]
[[Category:Presidents of Pakistan]]
[[Category:Mymensingh Zilla School alumni]]
[[Category:Pakistani MNAs 1947–1954]]
[[Category:Chief Ministers of East Bengal]]
[[Category:20th-century Bengalis]]
[[Category:People from Sarail Upazila]]

Nurul Amin - Revision history

82.22.167.39 at 21:43, 10 January 2022