Abul Kashem Khan
Abul Kashem Khan (April 5, 1905 – March 31, 1991), best known as A. K. Khan, was a Bengali lawyer, industrialist and politician. In 1945, he founded A K Khan & Company, one of Bangladesh's leading conglomerates. Khan served as a member of the Constituent Assembly of India and the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan. He was a federal minister of Pakistan from 1958 to 1960. From 1962 to 1968, he was an opposition member in the Pakistan National Assembly. His sons took part in the Bangladesh Liberation War and served as ministers in several Bangladeshi governments.
Khan was born into a leading land-owning family in Chittagong in 1905. He studied law at Presidency College, Calcutta. A merit graduate, he practiced as a junior with A. K. Fazlul Huq, the Premier of undivided Bengal. He entered the Bengal Judicial Service in 1935.
Khan entered business during the Second World War, when Chittagong was a key base for Allied Forces engaged the Burma Campaign. After the end of colonial rule, Khan established many industries in jute, banking, insurance and shipping. He was also a chairman of Pakistan International Airlines.
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