Malik Meraj Khalid
Malik Meraj Khalid | |
---|---|
ملک معراج خالد | |
Abdul Hafiz Pirzada | |
Federal Minister for Food, Agriculture and under Developed areas | |
In office 24 December 1971 – 1 May 1972 | |
President | Zulfikar Ali Bhutto |
Preceded by | Mahmoud Haroon (as Minister of Agriculture and Works) |
Succeeded by | Ghous Bakhsh Raisani |
Personal details | |
Born | Islamia College, Lahore | 20 September 1916
Malik Meraj Khalid (
Born in 1916 to a poor farming family in
However, his tough and rigorous
Early life and career beginnings
Malik Meraj Khalid was born in Dera
He was educated at
Statesmanship
Malik Meraj Khalid, famous for his gentleness and honesty, was a favourite of
Member and Speaker of National Assembly
After the execution of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto in April 1979, he was nominated member of the PPP's Central Committee, but he eventually resigned from this position in January 1988. After once more successfully returning to the National Assembly in 1988, he was once again appointed as Speaker of the National Assembly in 1988. However, he lost the subsequent elections in 1993, and remained aloof from politics for some time. During this period of solitude, he served as the Rector of International Islamic University in Islamabad in 1997.[1]
Interim Prime Minister
President Farooq Leghari, using the powers granted him by the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan, dismissed the government of Benazir Bhutto in November 1996 again, for corruption and politically motivated killings. Malik Meraj Khalid was asked to officiate the interim government before new elections,[1][4] but as prime minister Meraj Khalid continued to live his simple life and his Lahore home too remained as accessible as ever.[1]
Death and legacy
Malik Meraj Khalid peacefully died on 13 June 2003 at age 87 in his residence in Lahore, and was buried with full state honour in a local cemetery. He was survived by his widow and an adopted son.[1][2]
His obituary in The Guardian noted that "Meraj was perhaps the one Pakistani politician intensely engaged with community work while in high office, and whenever out of office, or out of favor with his party, he returned to grassroots activism, gaining respect and affection across the spectrum. Amid political extremists and Bonapartist generals, he was a model of reason".[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Arif Azad (31 July 2003). "Obituary Malik Meraj Khalid". The Guardian (newspaper). London. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
- ^ a b c d e "Meraj Khalid passes away". Dawn (newspaper), 14 June 2003, retrieved 23 May 2020
- ^ Ibrahim, M. (2009) Role of Biradari System in Power Politics of Lahore: Post-Independence Period. PhD Thesis. Bahauddin Zakariya University. Available at: http://prr.hec.gov.pk/jspui/bitstream/123456789/1526/1/1234S.pdf (Accessed: 12 June 2023) In-text citation: (Ibrahim, 2009, p.175)
- ^ a b c d e f Profile of Malik Meraj Khalid on The Story of Pakistan website Published 1 June 2003, Retrieved 23 May 2020