Khwaja Khairuddin

Bangladeshi politician

Syed Khwaja Khairuddin

Mayor of Dacca
Personal details
Born| 4 July 1921
Dacca, Bengal, British India
Died| 3 October 1993
Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
Nationality|  Pakistani
Political party| Council Muslim League
Children| Syed Khwaja Alqama
Parents|

* Syed Khwaja Alauddin (father)
* Shahzadi Begum (mother)

Alma mater| Dhaka University

Syed Khwaja Khairuddin (Urdu: سيد خواجہ خير الدين, Bengali: সৈয়দ খাজা খায়েরউদ্দিন) was a Pakistani politician. He was the vice mayor of Dhaka and was known for having opposed the Independence of Bangladesh.[1] Following the country's liberation, he migrated to live in Pakistan.

## Early life[edit]

Khairuddin was born in Dhaka into the Muslim zamindari Nawab family on 4 July 1921.[2] His father was Syed Khwaja Alauddin and mother was Shahzadi Begum. He studied at the Government Muslim High School in Dhaka and graduated from the University of Dhaka in 1943.[2]

## Career[edit]

He became the President of East Pakistan Council Muslim League.[3][4] He served as the vice mayor of Dhaka. He was elected MPA in the year 1962–65 and was also elected MNA in the year 1965.[5] He was a polling agent of Fatima Jinnah in Dhaka for the 1965 Pakistani presidential election which she contested for against President Ayub Khan. He was accused in the National Assembly of Pakistan for political bias in appointing personnel during his tenure as mayor.[6] He was the convenor and chairman of East Pakistan Central Peace Committee.[7][8] The committee faced accusations of war crimes, and one of its founders, Ghulam Azam, was convicted of war crimes.[9][10] Khairuddin moved to Pakistan after the liberation of Bangladesh in 1971.[11] After migrating to Pakistan, he served as Secretary General of the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy (MRD) which was an alliance of eight parties against President Zia-ul-Haq. Khairuddin was also a Senior Vice President of the Pakistan Muslim League. He was deported by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto for campaigning against the Unification of Pakistan. He was awarded a Sitara-e-Khidmat by Ayub Khan in 1963 and also awarded a gold medal by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for his role during the Pakistan Movement.

## Legacy[edit]

He died 3 October 1993 in Karachi, Pakistan.[2] Dr. Syed Khawaja Alqama, Khairuddin's son and the former vice chancellor of Bahauddin Zakariya University, was nominated to be Pakistan's High Commissioner to Bangladesh. The Government of Bangladesh declined to accept his nomination.[1]

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b Ahmad, Naveed. "Is Hasina's Bangladesh at war with itself or Pakistan-lovers?". Tribune. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
2. ^ a b c Alamgir, Muhammad (2012). "Khaeruddin, Khwaja". In Sirajul Islam; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir (eds.). Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. OL 30677644M. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
3. ^ Degenhardt, Henry W. (1983). Date, Alan J. (ed.). Political dissent : an international guide to dissident, extra-Parliamentary, guerrilla and illegal political movements. Harlow: Longman. p. 133. ISBN 9780582902558.
4. ^ Khan Wazir, Amir Ullah. "Pitfalls of the non-party based local bodies elections". Pakistan Daily Times. Archived from the original on 8 March 2016. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
5. ^ "LIST OF MEMBERS OF THE 4TH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF PAKISTAN FROM 1965-1969" (PDF). na.gov.pk. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
6. ^ East Pakistan (Pakistan). Assembly (1967). Assembly Proceedings; Official Report. the University of California. pp. 276–278. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
7. ^ Biswas, Sukumar, ed. (2005). Bangladesh liberation war, Mujibnagar government documents, 1971 (1st ed.). Dhaka: Mowla Brothers. p. 386\. ISBN 978-9844104341.
8. ^ Karlekar, Hiranmay (2005). Bangladesh. New Delhi: Sage Publications. p. 149\. ISBN 9780761934011.
9. ^ "Pro-Bangla activist turns anti-Bangladesh". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
10. ^ "Ghulam Azam incited genocide in '71". The Daily Star. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
11. ^ Rahman, Syedur (2010). Historical dictionary of Bangladesh (4th ed.). Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press. p. 89\. ISBN 978-0810874534.