Khan Abdul Qayyum Khan | |
|---|---|
| عبد القیوم خان | |
 | |
| 17thMinister for Interior | |
| In office 13 May 1972 – 13 January 1977 | |
| Prime Minister | Zulfikar Ali Bhutto |
| Preceded by | Zulfikar Ali Bhutto |
| Succeeded by | Zulfikar Ali Bhutto |
| 5thChief Minister of the North-West Frontier Province | |
| In office 23 August 1947 – 23 April 1953 | |
| Governor | George Cunningham Ambrose Flux Dundas Sahibzada Mohammad Khurshid Muhammad Ibrahim Khan I. I. Chundrigar Khwaja Shahabuddin |
| Preceded by | Khan Abdul Jabbar Khan |
| Succeeded by | Sardar Abdur Rashid Khan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1901-06-16)16 June 1901 |
| Died | 23 October 1981(1981-10-23) (aged 80)[1] |
| Resting place | Peshawar,Pakistan |
| Political party | Qayyum Muslim League (1970-1981) |
| Other political affiliations | Indian National Congress (1934-1945) All-India Muslim League (1945-1947) Pakistan Muslim League (1947-1958) Council Muslim League (1962-1970) |
| Alma mater | Government College University, London School of Economics, Lincoln Inn |
Khan Abdul Qayyum Khan Kashmiri (Urdu:عبدالقیوم خان کشمیری) (16 July 1901 – 23 October 1981[1]) was a major figure in British Indian and later Pakistani politics, in particular in theNorth-West Frontier Province, where he served as theChief Minister from 23 August 1947 to23 April 1953. He also served as theInterior Minister of Pakistan from 1972 to 1977.[1]
Abdul Qayyum Khan was born in theState of Chitral but had Kashmiri origin.[2]His father, Khan Abdul Hakim, was originally from the Wanigam village in theBaramulla district,Jammu and Kashmir,[3][4][5] but worked as aTehsildar in theNorth-West Frontier Province (N.W.F.P., now calledKhyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan in 2017) ofBritish India.[citation needed]
Khan was educated atAligarh Muslim University and theLondon School of Economics.[6] He became abarrister of theLincoln's Inn.[7]
One of his brothers,Abdul Hamid Khan (Azad Kashmiri politician), was a prime minister ofAzad Jammu and Kashmir,[3] and another brother, Khan Abdul Rauf Khan, was a renowned lawyer.[citation needed]
Abdul Qayum Khan was one of the eminent lawyers of N.W.F.P. During his professional career he conducted some very important cases. He used to practice in criminal law. Mirza Shams ul Haq was his most trustworthy colleague, who remained always close to him during profession and politics. Abdul Qayum was also assisted in his chambers by Muhammad Nazirullah Khan advocate, who later served as a provincial secretary general and senior vice president of Pakistan Muslim League.[citation needed]
Starting his political career in 1934 with theIndian National Congress, Khan quickly rose to serve as an elected member of theCentral Legislative Assembly (1937–38) and the deputy leader of the Congress in the Assembly. At that time he admiredKhan Abdul Ghaffar Khan. He authored a book,Gold and Guns on the Pathan Frontier,[8] in which he praised Ghaffar Khan and denounced Jinnah and the two-nation theory. Abdul Qayyum Khan said that the North West Frontier Province wouldresist the partition of India with its blood.[9] He switched his loyalties to the Muslim League in 1945.[6] He later claimed that Ghaffar Khan was plotting Jinnah's assassination.[10] He banned his own book after he became the Chief Minister in the N.W.F.P. The book however continued fetching royalties even after he joined the Muslim League.[11][12]
In the1946 provincial elections, Khan campaigned for theAll-India Muslim League along withPir of Manki Sharif. However, the Muslim League won only 17 seats in comparison to the 30 seats of the Congress Party. The Congress Party formed the provincial government under the premiership ofKhan Abdul Jabbar Khan (popularly known as "Dr. Khan Sahib").[13][2]
Abdul Qayyum Khan was put in charge of destabilising the Congress government in the province through street agitations, ideological rhetoric and acquisition of sympathetic Muslim officers in the government.[2] The presence of a Congress government at the extreme north-west of the Indian subcontinent was anomalous, and the province became a bone of contention between the Congress and the Muslim League as part of thePartition of India.[14] Eventually, the British decided to hold a referendum to determine which dominion the province should go to.Abdul Ghaffar Khan demanded a separate nation of 'Pakhtunistan' comprising both theNorth-West Frontier Province and Pashtun parts ofAfghanistan. When it was denied by theBritish Raj, he and his party boycotted the referendum held by the British government. The Muslim League won an easy victory for Pakistan (289,244 votes against 2,874 for India).[2]
Within a week of the independence of Pakistan, the Congress government was dismissed under orders from Governor GeneralJinnah. Abdul Qayyum Khan was put in charge of a minority government on 23 August 1947. Khan navigated through the troubled waters ably, winning the defection of enough Congress legislators to support his government.[15][16]
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Qayyum Khan was a key instigator of theFirst Kashmir War, if not the chief instigator.[a]
As the premier of the NWFP, Qayyum Khan faced internal dissension. The Pir of Manki Sharif, who was a key figure in the campaign for referendum, was miffed that he was passed over for the post. He objected to Khan holding both the premiership of the state and the presidency of the provincialMuslim League. The Pir gathered disgruntled legislators and intended to bring a vote of no-confidence against Khan. Khan diffused his efforts. Then the Pir formed a separate party under the banner ofAll Pakistan Awami Muslim League. An exasperated Khan responded with "full fury and force". He forced out the Pir of Manki Sharif from the NWFP and imprisoned nine other leaders. Despite the crackdown, the Awami Muslim League contested the provincial elections in 1951 to win 4 seats.[17]
Qayyum Khan's administration was known for its development work in the province, including the construction ofPeshawar University and the Warsak dam.He introduced compulsory free education up to middle school level in Frontier province, the first province of Pakistan to have this reform. He also made poor friendly amendments to the land revenue laws. He evoked opposition from a section of the feudal class due to his egalitarian policies. His political stand was opposition to theKhudai Khidmatgar movement of Ghaffar Khan.[18][failed verification] His alleged role in ordering theBabrra massacre is one which he faces much criticism. He led the Muslim League to a landslide victory in the1951 elections, despite opposition from the Khudai Khidmatgar movement and opposition from federally backed fellow Muslim league opponents likeYusuf Khattak.[19]
Qayyum Khan served as the Chief Minister till 23 April 1953.[16]
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He served as central minister for Industries, Food and Agriculture in 1953.
Arrested by theAyub Khan regime, he was disqualified from politics and imprisoned for two years before finally being released.
Contesting the1970 General Election in Pakistan from three seats as leader of thePakistan Muslim League-Qayyum faction, he won twoNational Assembly of Pakistan seats, one provincial seat and, in 1973, entered into alliance with thePakistan Peoples Party (PPP) afterEast Pakistan broke away in theBangladesh Liberation War.
Appointed federal interior minister byZulfiqar Bhutto, he served in that post till the 1977 elections, when his party suffered a near total rout. AfterZia-ul-Haqs assumption of power, Qayyum Khan tried to unify all the disparate Muslim League factions. His efforts were inconclusive and he died on 22 October 1981.[1]
He was always opposed byKhan Habibullah Khan; they were lifelong rivals since they were young classmates atIslamia College,Peshawar.[citation needed]
Under the orders of Abdul Qayyum Khan[20] theBabrra massacre occurred on 12 August 1948 in theCharsadda District of theNorth-West Frontier Province (now Khyber Pukhtunkhwa) ofPakistan, when workers of theKhudai Khidmatgar movement protesting the jailing of their leader, anti-colonial independence activistAbdul Ghaffar Khan were fired upon by theprovincial government.[21] According to official figures, around 15 protestors were killed while around 40 were injured. However, Khudai Khidmatgar sources maintained that around 150 were killed and 400 were injured.[22]
In September 1948, then Chief Minister, Abdul Qayyum Khan gave a statement in the provincial assembly, "I had imposed section 144 at Babra. When the people did not disperse, then firing was opened on them. They were lucky that the police had finished ammunition; otherwise not a single soul would have been left alive". Khan Qayyum said hinting at the four members of the opposition in the provincial assembly. He said; "If they were killed, the government would not care about them."[23]
Abdul Quaiyum Khan from the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) declared that his province would resist Partition of the country with its blood.
Official figures mentioned fifteen dead fifty injured, but KK (Khudai Khidmatgar) sources maintained that 150 had been killed and 400 wounded
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Chief Minister of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa 1947–1953 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Interior Minister of Pakistan 1972–1977 | Succeeded by |
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Italics indicate acting chief ministers | ||
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