Malik Meraj Khalid

Malik Meraj Khalid (Urdu: ملک معراج خالد‎; 01 02-1916 – 13 June 2003), was a Pakistani left wing statesman and Marxist philosopher who served as Prime Minister of Pakistan in an acting capacity from November 1996 until February 1997.[1] He was noted as being one of the original philosopher and founding personality of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).[2]

Malik Meraj Khalid
Prime Minister of Pakistan Caretaker
In office 5 November 1996 – 17 February 1997
President	Farooq Leghari
Preceded by	Benazir Bhutto
Succeeded by	Muhammad Nawaz Sharif
10th & 13th Speaker of the National Assembly
In office 3 December 1988 – 4 November 1990
Deputy	Ashraf Khatoon Abbasi
Preceded by	Hamid Nasir Chattha
Succeeded by	Gohar Ayub Khan
In office 27 March 1977 – 5 July 1977
Deputy	Abul Fateh
Preceded by	Sahibzada Farooq Ali
Succeeded by	Fakhar Imam
Law Minister of Pakistan
In office 13 November 1973 – 20 March 1977
Preceded by	Meraj Muhammad Khan
Succeeded by	Abdul Hafiz Pirzada
Chief Minister of Punjab
In office 2 May 1972 – 12 November 1973
Governor	Ghulam Mustafa Khar Hanif Ramay
Preceded by	Abdul Hamid Khan Dasti
Succeeded by	Ghulam Mustafa Khar
Personal details
Born	(1916-02-01)1 February 1916 Dera Chahal, Punjab
Died	13 June 2003(2003-06-13) (aged 87) Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
Political party	Pakistan Peoples Party
Alma mater	Islamia College, Lahore

Born in 1916 to a poor farming family in Punjab, British India, he graduated from the and graduated in Law from Punjab university law College Lahore in 1942 to start his legal practices by establishing his own law firm in 1948. Inspired by the communist literature published in the Soviet Union, his initial public community work was aimed towards promoting the literacy in his native village. In 1967, he was one of the founders the PPP and ascended towards holding the highly important public offices. Responsible for administrating and maintaining the control of Punjab Province after the war with India in 1971, Meraj Khalid was appointed as law minister in 1974 and the Speaker of the National Assembly in two non-consecutive terms.[1][2]

However, his tough and rigorous Hard Left ideas led to developing political differences with Benazir Bhutto in the 1990s and was sacked by Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in 1996 after levelling the accusations against Asif Zardari for the murder of Murtaza Bhutto.[1] Disheartened by Benazir's decision, Meraj Khalid then worked to rally the anti-Benazir Bhutto forces and his efforts contributed to Nawaz Sharif and conservatives' landslide 1997 victory in the parliamentary elections, but as prime minister Meraj Khalid continued to live his simple life and his Lahore home too remained as accessible as ever.[1]

Early life and career beginnings

Malik Meraj Khalid was born in Dera Chahal, a small village near Burki District. Lahore, to a poor and farming family. During his early life, he saw his family struggle with hardship to survive in the feudalism spectrum where his family grew crops for a local feudal lord who paid less than the minimum wage set by the British Indian Empire government. However, Meraj Khalid did not abandon his school, and despite the hardship, Khalid completed his high-school and later went on to work for a feudal lord who agreed to finance his education.

He was educated at Islamia College, Lahore and gained LLB degree in 1944, from Punjab University Law College, Lahore followed by Associate degree in public works.[3] In 1948, he began to practice law. For the first time, he was elected to the Provincial Assembly of West Pakistan in 1965. [3] In 1968, he joined the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and was appointed President of its Lahore chapter. It was on the PPP ticket that he was successfully re-elected to the National Assembly of Pakistan in 1970.[1][3][2]

Statesmanship

Malik Meraj Khalid, famous for his gentleness and honesty was a favourite of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, the flamboyant Prime Minister of Pakistan during the 1970s. It was he who played a major role in the political career of Meraj Khalid by first appointing him as his Minister for Food and Agriculture and Under-Developed Areas in December 1971.[3] Afterwards he was appointed Chief of the Party's Parliamentary Affairs in November 1972, and Minister of Social Welfare, Local Government and Rural Development in 1975.[3][2]

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][3]

Death and legacy

Malik Meraj KhalidI 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

1. Arif Azad (31 July 2003). "Obituary Malik Meraj Khalid". The Guardian (newspaper). London. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
2. Meraj Khalid passes away Dawn (newspaper), Published 14 June 2003, Retrieved 23 May 2020
3. Profile of Malik Meraj Khalid on The Story of Pakistan website Published 1 June 2003, Retrieved 23 May 2020

External links

1. Chronicles Of Pakistan
2. A profile of Malik Meraj Khalid
3. Meraj Khalid passes away

Political offices
Preceded by Abdul Hamid Khan Dasti	Chief Minister of Punjab 1972–1973	Succeeded by Ghulam Mustafa Khar
Preceded by Sahibzada Farooq Ali	Speaker of National Assembly 1977	Succeeded by Fakhar Imam
Preceded by Hamid Nasir Chattha	Speaker of National Assembly 1988–1990	Succeeded by Gohar Ayub Khan
Preceded by Benazir Bhutto	Prime Minister of Pakistan Caretaker 1996–1997	Succeeded by Nawaz Sharif