Skip to main content

Hussain Shaheed Suhrawardy | Prime Minister of Pakistan

 


Hussain Shaheed Suhrawardy (1956-1957)

In 1956, the Awami League formed a coalition with Pakistan's Republican Party to unseat the previous government. Suhrawardy became the fifth Prime Minister of Pakistan and the second premier under the 1956 Constitution of Pakistan. Suhrawardy was known as a pro-American politician. He also cultivated pragmatic ties with Communist China. Suhrawardy supported the American-led Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) and the Central Treaty Organization (CENTO). He was not keen on nonalignment which was strongly pursued by neighboring India. In domestic policy, Suhrawardy addressed issues of nuclear energy, foreign aid utilization, food policy, the One Unit framework, and building up the military. His staunchly pro-Western foreign policy was opposed by Bengali radicals led by Maulana Bhashani who caused a split in the Awami League. However, Suhrawardy was elected as President of the Awami League. His cabinet included Feroz Khan Noon and Abul Mansur Ahmed among others.

One Unit

Initially promising to review the One Unit framework in the 1956 constitution, Prime Minister Suhrawardy later backtracked. At the National Assembly, Prime Minister Suhrawardy faced pressure from provincialists over the One Unit. West Pakistani provincialists wanted to restore the previous four provinces of Sind, Balochistan, Punjab and the North West Frontier Province. Large rallies were held in West Pakistan against the One Unit. Prime Minister Suhrawardy, however, did not pay attention to the issue. While East Pakistanis also objected to the One Unit for renaming East Bengal as East Pakistan, opposition among ethnic groups to the One Unit was stronger in West Pakistan.

Joint electorate

Suhrawardy's one-year tenure was unable to introduce the joint electorate. Since 1932, elections in Pakistan's provinces were held under the "separate electorate" system of dividing seats in parliament among religious groups in accordance with the colonial-era Communal Award. Abolishing the joint electorate was a key demand of the Awami League. At the National Assembly, the Awami League initiated constitutional reforms to restore the joint electorate system but faced opposition from the Muslim League.

Nuclear energy

Suhrawardy established the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC). He appointed Dr. Nazir Ahmad as its chairman. Suhrawardy supported the Atoms for Peace initiative. Suhrawardy also released funds to import a nuclear swimming pool reactor from America in 1956.

Economic policy and foreign aid

In 1956, Prime Minister Suhrawardy halted the National Finance Commission (NFC) programme to allocate taxed revenue equally between East and West Pakistan. Suhrawardy relied heavily upon U.S. aid to the country to meet food shortages, and asked the U.S. president to ship wheat flour and rice on a regular basis to Pakistan.   In East Pakistan, there were reports of another widespread famine, in which, wheat, potatoes, and rice were being sent from the U.S. and West Pakistan's Fauji Foundation to East Pakistan on a regular basis.

The central government led by Suhrawardy focused on the implementation of the planned economy. His relations with the stock exchange and the business community deteriorated when he announced distribution of the US$10 million ICA aid between West and East, and establishing the shipping corporation at the expense of West Pakistan's revenues.   Massive labour strikes broke out in West Pakistan against his economic policy in major cities of Pakistan. Eventually leaders of the stock exchange met with President Mirza to address their concerns and issues.

Foreign policy

Suhrawardy coined the phrase friendship to all, malice to none which was later adopted as Bangladesh's foreign policy. Suhrawardy is also considered to be one of the pioneers of Pakistan's foreign policy aimed, directed, and set towards excessively supporting the United States and their cause, a policy that was pursued by the successive administrations. On 10 July 1957, Prime Minister Suhrawardy paid an official visit to the United States where he met with President Dwight Eisenhower and accepted his request to lease out an air force base to the United States Air Force that would be in use for the signals intelligence purposes against the Soviet Union. The 1960 U-2 incident severely compromised the national security of Pakistan when Soviet Union eventually discovered the base through interrogating its pilot. In return, the United States distributed ~US$ 2.142 billion in shape of giving the supersonic F-104 Starfighter and M48 Patton tanks and dispatching the assistance group to the Pakistan's military. Suhrawardy's party, the Awami League, split over his signing of the US-Pakistan military pact, with Maulana Bhasani leaving to form the National Awami Party (NAP).

Prime Minister Suhrawardy was invited by the Soviet Union for an informal visit but he declined.

 In 1956, Prime Minister Suhrawardy became the Pakistan's first Prime Minister to visit China. 

Suhrawardy's India policy was at times critical. He demanded a fair share of water sharing on transboundary rivers. 

Suhrawardy visited Afghanistan and pledged to work for regional peace, decolonization and stability.

Suhrawardy also visited Japan and felt the East Asian country was model to emulate in development.

He addressed a joint sitting of the Philippines Congress during which he expressed support for SEATO and continued to call for decolonization.

Resignation

Suhrawardy's short-lived premiership came to an end when he resigned under pressure from President Iskander Mirza in 1957.





Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Mithaq-e-Medina / Medina Accord: First Written Constitution of World / A Social Contract

 Introduction The Constitution of Medina (Dustur al-Madinah), also known as the Charter of Medina (Mithaq al-Madinah "Madina Accord") is a seminal social and political document of Islam. Mithaq-e-Meina refers to two agreements concluded between the clans of Madina and the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) soon after his migration to Medina in 622.. The agreement that Mae Quraysh of Makkah with Ansar of Medina into Muslim Brotherhood is called Mawakhat. The brotherhood created strong bond among the Makkan and Medinan Muslims paving way for their commanding negotiation with different Jewish tribes living in Medina. The second agreement regulated the relations of the Muslims with the Jews of Medina. The constitution also established Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as the chieftain of mediating authority between groups and forbids the waging of war without his authorization. The constitution formed the basis of a multi-religious Islamic state in Medina. The Medina Charter, arguably the first chart...
Read more

Critical Analysis on Aristotle's Classification of Government | For CSS, PMS, UPSC and Other Competitive Exams

CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF ARISTOTLE’S CLASSIFICATION OF GOVERNMENT   (1) Aristotle’s classification is unscientific and quantitative: It is argued that his classification is not based on any scientific principle as it lays emphasis on quantitative rather than qualitative aspect. But this criticism does not hold good Aristotle, being a disciple of Plato, could not ignore its spiritual aspect. He has emphasized the aim f the state along with his classification. Burgess has rightly said that Aristotle’s classification is spiritual rather than numerical. (2) Aristotle does not distinguish between State and Government: Criticizing Aristotle’s classification, Dr. Garner has said, “Aristotle does not distinguish between state and government, with the result that his classification is the classification of states, while it ought to be of governments. This criticism of Aristotle is not justified because the distinction between the state and the government is a modem concept”. Accordi...
Read more

PROPHET MUHAMMAD (PBUH) AS MILITARY STRATEGIST/FIELD COMMANDER

Introduction: The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is considered the history's greatest military commander and war strategist. He fought wars for the propagation of divine message and for the defense of the nascent Islamic polity in a most praiseworthy manner by losing least in men and material and gaining most in the wars as far as the results are concerned. Holy Prophet (PBUH) achieved great successes by incurring minimum human losses. According to the book Muhammad at Medina by Montgomery Watt the intensity of war waged by and under the Prophet (PBUH) was the least in the history which can be estimated from the fact that only 1058 (259 Muslims were martyred while 799 non-Muslims were killed) causalities happened in 100 wars (27 Ghazwat and 73 Saryat) led by or fought under the Prophet (PBUH) from migration of Medina to his death (622-632). Principles of warfare as established by Prophet of Islam: Peace maker: Sulaimah bin Buraidah narrates that whenever Allah's Messenger (PBUH) appoi...
Read more