I. I. Chundrigar

Ibrahim Ismail Chundrigar
ابراہیم اسماعیل چندریگر
Prime Minister of Pakistan
In office
17 October 1957  16 December 1957
President Iskander Mirza
Preceded by Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy
Succeeded by Feroz Khan Noon
Indian Minister of Commerce
In office
2 September 1946  14 August 1947
Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru
Succeeded by Syama Prasad Mukherjee
3rd Governor of West Punjab
In office
24 November 1951  2 May 1953
Monarch George VI
Elizabeth II
Governor-General Malik Ghulam Muhammad
Preceded by Abdur Rab Nishtar
Succeeded by Mian Aminuddin
4th Governor of North-West Frontier Province
In office
21 February 1950  23 November 1951
Monarch George VI
Governor-General Khawaja Nazimuddin
Malik Ghulam Muhammad
Preceded by Sahibzada Mohammad Khurshid
Succeeded by Khwaja Shahabuddin
Personal details
Born (1898-04-15)15 April 1898
Ahmedabad, Bombay Presidency, British India
(now in Gujarat, India)
Died 26 September 1960(1960-09-26) (aged 62)
London, England, United Kingdom
Political party Muslim League
Alma mater University of Bombay

Ibrahim Ismail Chundrigar (Urdu: ابراہیم اسماعیل چندریگر; commonly known as I. I. Chundrigar) was Prime Minister of Pakistan for approximately 2 months from October 17, 1957 to December 16, 1957.

Early life

I. I. Chundrigar belonged to the Muslim Chundrigar community, and was born in 1897 in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, and educated at Bombay University.

Political career

I. I. Chundrigar first came to prominence when the Muslim League was to give its response to the Government of India Act 1935. He shifted to Bombay at the request of Muhammad Ali Jinnah and became President of the Bombay Provincial Muslim League in 1937. He was re-elected every year up to October 1946. That was when Muhammad Ali Jinnah, leader of the All-India Muslim League, was asked to nominate members of the Muslim League for the Interim Government of India at the time of the transfer of power from British rule to independence. He was one of the five men nominated on behalf of the League, the other four being Liaquat Ali Khan, Ghazanfar Ali Khan, Abdur Rab Nishtar, and Jogendra Nath Mandal. In the Interim Government, Chundrigar took the portfolio of Commerce.[1]

Chundrigar was appointed Minister for Trade and Commerce in the first cabinet of independent Pakistan in 1947. He later served as ambassador to Afghanistan, governor of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, governor of West Punjab, and Minister for Law.

Prime minister

After merely a year, Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy resigned from his Premiership in October 1957. His resignation came as a result of the President's refusal to convene a meeting of the Parliament to seek a vote of confidence. President Iskander Mirza appointed I. I. Chundrigar as the interim Prime Minister. Being a nominated Prime Minister, Chundrigar held a weak position from the very beginning. He headed a coalition government including the Krishak Sramik Party, Nizam-i-Islam Party, the Muslim League and the Republican Party. The Muslim League had agreed to form a coalition government with the Republican Party on the condition that by amending the Electoral Act, the principle of separate electorate would be implemented in the country. After the formation of the Cabinet, Ministers from East Pakistan and the Republican Party started opposing the proposed amendments. The Republican Party opposed the amendment as it wanted to gain advantage over its political opponent, the Muslim League.

Resignation

Iskander Mirza exploited the differences between the parties and thus made Chundrigar an easy victim as he remained Prime Minister for only two months and therefore could not give any practical shape to his program.

See also

Karachi's main business street, I I Chundrigar Road, has been named after him.

References

  1. The Leader at pakistan.gov.pk
Political offices
Preceded by
Mohammad Ibrahim Khan Jhagra
Acting
Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
1950–1951
Succeeded by
Khwaja Shahabuddin
Preceded by
Abdur Rab Nishtar
Governor of Punjab
1951–1953
Succeeded by
Mian Aminuddin
Preceded by
Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy
Prime Minister of Pakistan
1957
Succeeded by
Feroz Khan Noon
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