Mahmud Ali | |
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মাহমুদ আলী محمود علی |
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General Secretary of All India Muslim League (Assam) | |
In office 1946 – 14 August 1947 |
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Member of East Bengal Legislative Assembly | |
In office 12 March 1954 – 27 May 1955 |
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Member of Second Constituent Assembly | |
In office 28 May 1955 – 22 March 1956 |
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Member of National Assembly | |
In office 23 March 1956 – 7 October 1958 |
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Minister of State (Rank & Status) | |
In office 29 December 1971 – 17 November 2006 |
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Personal details | |
Born |
Sunamganj (Sylhet), Assam, British India (now in Bangladesh) |
1 September 1919
Died | 17 November 2006 Lahore, Pakistan |
(aged 87)
Nationality | Pakistani |
Political party |
All India Muslim League Ganatantri Dal United Front National Awami Party National Democratic Front Pakistan Democratic Movement |
Spouse(s) | Begum Hajera Mahmud |
Residence | Islamabad, Pakistan |
Occupation | Politician, statesman, journalist |
Religion | Islam |
Mahmud Ali (Bengali: মাহমুদ আলী; Urdu: محمود علی; 1 September 1919 – 17 November 2006) was a progressive leftist Pakistani politician known for his agrarian politics. He was part of the Freedom Movement and played an important role during the Sylhet Referendum which led to its merger with East Bengal. As member of Pakistan's Second Constituent Assembly he demanded the recognition of Bangla as one of the national languages of Pakistan and advocated the cause through his newspaper, the Nao Belal. He strongly opposed the 'One Unit' scheme and voted against the merger in 1956. After the dissolution of the assembly and abrogation of the 1956 Constitution he worked towards the restoration of provinces and a parliamentary form of government based on adult franchise.
Mahmud Ali was born on 1 September 1919, in Alimabagh, Sunamganj, Sylhet in a prominent family of lawyers, writers and politicians. His father, Moulvi Mujahid Ali was a writer, poet and law graduate from the Aligarh Muslim University. His uncle Moulvi Munawwar Ali served as a minister in the Government of Assam under the then Chief Minister Sir Syed Muhammad Saadullah until 1946, and later as a member of the East Bengal Legislative Assembly. Mahmud Ali's grandfather and head of the Ali family, Moulvi Musharraf Ali, originally hailed from Shahbazpur, Comilla, where some of his ancestors had served as Mir ul Bahr (Commander in Chief) of the Imperial Navy in the Padma region of Bengal under the Emperor of Delhi.
Mahmud Ali matriculated from the Sunamganj Government Jubilee High School in 1937 and studied at the MC College, Sylhet. He continued his studies in St. Edmunds College and St. Anthony's College and graduated with honours in English in 1942. After graduation he studied law at Calcutta University but did not continue his studies due to his involvement in the Freedom Movement.