Mohammed Ikramullah

Mohammad Ikramullah KCMG (hon), CIE (1903 - 1963) was a prominent figure in the administration of Pakistan at the time of independence. As a member of the provisional government of Pakistan, before the independence, he was Secretary and Advisor at the Ministries of Commerce, Information and Broadcasting, Commonwealth Relations and Foreign Affairs. He was also a member of Muslim League partition committee and a close companian of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

After independence, he was appointed the first Foreign Secretary of Pakistan in 1947. He also remained the Ambassador of Pakistan to Canada, France, Portugal and the United Kingdom. He was married to a leading figure of Pakistan independence movement Shaista Suhrawardy Ikramullah, and father of Princess Sarvath of Jordan.[1]

Biography

Ikramullah was born into a prominent family in India.[2] His father, Khan Bahadur Hafiz Mohammed Wilayatullah belonged to the aristocracy of the Muslim royal state of Bhopal, a large princely state in India. His family is reputed to have hailed originally from the Hijaz and are regarded as both Quraishi and Chishti. Wilayatullah's family served against many significant royal posts for several generations at the Court of the state of Bhopal; where Ikrmullah was born in 1903. He joined the Indian Civil Service in 1934. Later, Ikramullah served as Advisor to the preparatory commissions of the United Nations in London and San Francisco, and at its first general assembly, between 1945 and 1946. He was appointed a CIE (Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire) in the 1946 New Year Honours.[3]

In July 1947, when the States Departments were established, Ikramullah was appointed from the ICS as Secretary, States Department, Provisional government of British India prior to independence.[4] Subsequent to the independence of Pakistan in 1947, he immigrated from Bhopal to Karachi, the then federal capital of Pakistan and started foreign office, Government of Pakistan after being appointed the foreign Secretary of Pakistan by the founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah in October 1947. During the subsequent era, He represented Pakistan in the U.N.O. many times and also served as the High Commissioner of Pakistan to Canada and the U.K, and also as Pakistan's ambassador to Portugal and France. Ikramullah played key roles in establishing the Commonwealth Economic Committee and had been nominated as Secretary-General of the Commonwealth at the time of his death in 1963.

Personal life

His younger brother, Mohammad Hidayatullah, was Chief Justice of India from 1968–70, Vice President of India from 1979–84, and served as acting President of India twice.[1]

Ikramullah married Shaista Suhrawardy in 1933 and they had a son and three daughters:

References

  1. 1 2 Princess Sarvath of Jordan's Family History
  2. ↑ Royal Ark
  3. ↑ Supplement to the London Gazette, 1 January 1946, p. 11.
  4. ↑ "Mohammad Ikramullah". University of Southampton, Special Collections.
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by
Post established		 Foreign Secretary of Pakistan
1947–1951 		Succeeded by
Mirza Osman Ali Baig
Preceded by
Sikandar Ali Baig		 Foreign Secretary of Pakistan (2nd term)
1959–1961 		Succeeded by
S.K. Dehlavi
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