NoraizNafi at 14:41, 12 April 2026

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{{Short description|Pakistani politician and intellectual (1930–2019)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix =
| name = B. M. Kutty 
| honorific_suffix =
| image = 
| image_upright =
| landscape = 
| alt = 
| caption =
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| pronunciation =
| birth_name = Biyyathil Mohyuddin Kutty 
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=y|1930|07|15}}
| birth_place = [[Tirur]], [[Malabar District]], [[Madras Presidency]], British India
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=y|2019|08|25|1930|07|15}}
| death_place = [[Karachi]], [[Sindh]], Pakistan
| burial_place = [[Paposh Nagar Graveyard]], Karachi
| burial_coordinates = 
| citizenship = Pakistani
| education =
| alma_mater = Mohammedan College Madras
| occupation = {{flatlist|
* Politician
* Public servant
* Journalist
* Trade unionist
* Peace activist
}}
| years_active =
| notable_works = ''Sixty Years in Self-exile: no regrets; a political autobiography''
| party = {{flatlist|
* [[Communist Party of Pakistan]]
* [[Azad Pakistan Party]]
* [[National Awami League]]
* National Democratic Party
* [[National Workers Party (Pakistan)|National Workers Party]]
}}
}}
[[File:B.M._Kutty.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Colour photo headshot of Biyyathil Mohyuddin Kutty|Biyyathil Mohyuddin Kutty]]
'''Biyyathil Mohyuddin Kutty''' ({{langx|ur|بیاتھل محی الدین کٹی{{lrm}}}}; 15 July 1930 – 25 August 2019; commonly known as '''B. M. Kutty''') was a Pakistani journalist, public servant, politician, peace activist, trade unionist, and liberal intellectual who worked for the betterment of [[India–Pakistan relations]]. Born to a family of peasants and landowners in Chilavil–Ponmundam village of [[Tirur]], [[Malabar District]], [[Madras Presidency]], Kutty was influenced by communism at an early age and joined the student faction of the [[Communist Party of India]] in the 1940s. He attended Mohammedan College in [[Madras]] from 1945 to 1949 to please his father and there he joined the [[All India Muslim Students Federation|Muslim Students Federation]]. He left the college right after the final examinations and did not wait to receive his certificates. At the age of 19 he left his family and India for Pakistan, citing his "love for geography" as the motivation behind his move.

Kutty was associated with many [[Left-wing politics|left]] and [[Centre-left politics|centre-left parties]] in Pakistan and served as the political secretary for [[Ghaus Bakhsh Bizenjo]], a prominent [[Balochistan|Baloch]] leader and [[Governor of Balochistan]]. In 2011, former Indian bureaucrat and [[Minister of External Affairs (India)|Minister of External Affairs]] [[Natwar Singh]] launched Kutty's autobiography ''Sixty Years in Self-exile: No regrets; a political autobiography''.

== Early life ==
Kutty was born on 15 July 1930 at Chilavil–[[Ponmundam]] village in [[Tirur]], [[Malabar District]], [[Madras Presidency]], [[British India]], to a middle-class [[Islam in Kerala|Malayali Muslim]] family of peasants and landowners.<ref name="News18">{{Cite news |url=https://www.news18.com/news/world/bm-kutty-pakistani-politician-of-kerala-origin-passes-away-at-89-2283429.html |title=BM Kutty, Pakistani Politician of Kerala Origin, Passes Away at 89 |date=25 August 2019 |work=[[News 18]] |access-date=29 August 2019}}</ref> He was the eldest of five siblings.<ref name="News18" /> His father was a supporter of the [[All-India Muslim League]] and got Kutty admitted into Mohammedan College, [[Madras]], in 1945.<ref name="IndianExpress">{{Cite news |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/news-archive/web/no-regrets-for-60-yrs-out-of-kerala/ |title=No regrets for 60 yrs out of Kerala |last=Edmond |first=Deepu Sebastian |date=12 August 2011 |work=[[The Indian Express]] |access-date=29 August 2019 |location=New Delhi}}</ref> However, Kutty described his time at college as not "comfortable" and stayed there for four years only to "satisfy [his] father".<ref name="IndianExpress" />

After the conclusion of his final year examinations in June 1949, he sent a telegram to his parents saying that he would return home, but instead left for [[Mumbai|Bombay]] without even waiting to receive his college certificates. Two months later, in August 1949, Kutty and a Malayali friend bought tickets from [[Bombay Central railway station|Bombay Central]] to [[Jodhpur railway station]] and entered Pakistan through the border town of [[Khokhrapar]] after stopping for a night at [[Munabao railway station|Munabo]], the railway transit point on the [[India-Pakistan border]].<ref name="IndianExpress" /> They arrived in Karachi on 14 August. Kutty described his "love for geography" and desire to visit the cultural heritage of [[Lahore]] as the reason for his immigration to Pakistan and that it had no religious motivation as it did for millions of other Muslims who left India after the [[Partition of India|partition]].<ref name="IndianExpress" /> Passports had not been introduced by then and they walked to Khokhrapar from Munabao like many [[Muhajir (Urdu-speaking people)|Muhajirs]]. The currency they exchanged at Khokhrapar had "Government of Pakistan" superimposed on the [[Indian Rupee|old notes]] with "Government of India" printed on them.<ref name="BusinessStandard">{{Cite news |url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/opinion/q-a-m-kutty-pakistan-peace-coalition-secretary-111082100046_1.html |title=Q&A: B M Kutty, Pakistan Peace Coalition Secretary |last=Phadnis |first=Aditi |date=20 January 2013 |work=[[Business Standard]] |access-date=29 August 2019 | location=New Delhi}}</ref>

In Karachi, another Malayali man helped Kutty find a job with [[Larsen & Toubro]]; after working there for three months, Kutty left for Lahore without telling anyone about his expedition. He did not wait for the confirmation at his company or the increment that was due with it; he collected his salary and bought the railway ticket.<ref name="BusinessStandard" /> He always wanted to visit Lahore to explore its cultural heritage, including the [[Tomb of Jahangir|tombs of Jahangir]], [[Tomb of Nur Jahan|Nur Jahan]], and [[tomb of Anarkali|Anarkali]]. He met a Malayali Hindu, A. K. Pillai, in Lahore who helped him find a job as assistant manager at [[Indian Coffee House]].<ref name="IndianExpress" />

== Political life ==
Kutty was influenced by the [[Communism in Kerala|communist movement in Kerala]] and entered into political life at an early age by joining and becoming an active member of Kerala Students Federation, a local student chapter of the [[Communist Party of India]], in the 1940s. He joined the [[All India Muslim Students Federation|Muslim Students Federation]] in 1946 during his studies at Mohammedan College of Madras.<ref name="IndianExpress" />

Kutty was associated with many [[Left-wing politics|left]] and [[Centre-left politics|centre-left]] [[List of political parties in Pakistan|political parties in Pakistan]]. He was a member of the [[Communist Party of Pakistan]], which was banned by the Government of Pakistan in 1954.<ref name="TheWire2019">{{cite news | url=https://thewire.in/culture/pakistan-communist-bm-kutty | title=The Humanist Who Was Pakistan's Malayali Comrade B.M. Kutty | work=[[The Wire (India)|The Wire]] | date=28 August 2019 | access-date=29 August 2019 | last=Sarwar | first=Beena}}</ref> Being a Malayali, he was able to work with the [[beedi]] workers of [[Malabar Coast|Malabar]] origin in Karachi without difficulty. He worked on behalf of their rights and organised their trade union.<ref name="TheWire2019" />

He was involved with the [[Azad Pakistan Party]] in Lahore and later with the Pakistan Awami League in Karachi from 1950 to 1957.<ref name="BusinessStandard" /> He joined the [[National Awami Party]] in 1957 and remained an active member until 1975, when it was banned by [[Zulfikar Ali Bhutto]].<ref name="BusinessStandard" /> For the next four years until 1979, Kutty was involved with the politics of the National Democratic Party; he joined the Pakistan National Party in 1979 and remained associated with it until 1997.<ref name="BusinessStandard" /> He became a member of the [[National Workers Party (Pakistan)|National Workers Party]] in 1998 and served as central information secretary of the party.<ref name="BusinessStandard" /> In the decade of the 1980s he was associated with the [[Movement for the Restoration of Democracy]] (MRD), a left–wing political alliance formed to oppose and end the [[Zia regime|military government]] of President [[Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq|Zia-ul-Haq]]. He served in the capacity of the joint secretary-general of the MRD for three years.<ref name="BusinessStandard" />

Kutty worked with [[Mahatma Gandhi|Gandhian]] social and peace activist [[Nirmala Deshpande]] and when she died in 2008, he attended her funeral with his friend and colleague Karamat Ali and politician [[Sherry Rehman]], and brought back her ashes to consecrate in the [[Indus River]] in accordance with her wishes.<ref name="TheWire2019" /> He later expressed his admiration for Deshpande and her peace activism by naming her as one of the dedicatees for his autobiography.<ref name="TheWire2019" /> He worked for the betterment of the India–Pakistan relationship and was associated with multiple organisations that promoted peace between these two countries.<ref name="Manorma">{{Cite news |url=https://english.manoramaonline.com/news/kerala/2019/08/25/bm-kutty-pakistani-politician-from-kerala-dies.html |title=BM Kutty, Pakistani politician with Kerala roots, passes away |date=25 August 2019 |work=[[Malayala Manorama]] |access-date=4 September 2019}}</ref> Kutty co-established and was the general secretary of the Pakistan Peace Coalition and was associated with the Pakistan–India People's Forum For Peace and Democracy.<ref name="TheWire2019" /><ref name="Manorma" /> He was a committed member of the Society for Secular Pakistan, launched in 2014.<ref name="TheWire2019" /> He was also the secretary of the [[Pakistan Institute of Labor Education and Research]] (PILER).<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.firstpost.com/world/kerala-born-karachi-based-activist-bm-kuttys-demise-further-diminishes-movement-for-peace-between-india-pakistan-7227461.html |title=Kerala-born, Karachi-based activist BM Kutty's demise further diminishes movement for peace between India-Pakistan |last=Menon |first=Meena |date=26 August 2019 |work=[[Firstpost]] |access-date=4 September 2019}}</ref>

=== Balochistan ===
{{Quote box
|class = letterhead
|title = PM Bhutto to Kutty
|quote = Why did you come to Pakistan? Unlike the Biharis and the UP wallahs and the Delhi wallahs, you had no compulsion to leave that paradise called Kerala. It also has the politics of your liking. Then why did you give all that up and come here?
|author = [[Prime Minister of Pakistan|PM]] [[Zulfikar Ali Bhutto]]
|source = <small>1973</small><ref name="BusinessStandard" />
| align=right
| salign=right
| width=40%
| bgcolor = Cornsilk
| border=2px
|quoted = 1
}}

During his time in Lahore, Kutty became a member of the Communist Party of Pakistan and met many left-leaning political workers and leaders, including prominent [[Balochistan|Baloch]] politician [[Ghaus Bakhsh Bizenjo]].<ref name="TheWire2019" /> Kutty joined the [[National Awami Party]] (NAP) when it was founded in 1957 and became the political secretary of Bizenjo, retaining that position even when the latter served as the [[Governor of Balochistan, Pakistan|Governor of Balochistan]] from 1972 to 1973.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://thelogicalindian.com/news/bm-kutty-malyali-pakistan/ |title=The Lone Malayali Politician in Pakistan BM Kutty Passes Away |date=26 August 2019 |work=The Logical Indian |access-date=4 September 2019}}</ref>

In February 1973, [[1973 raid on the Iraqi embassy in Pakistan|Pakistani forces raided the Iraqi embassy in Pakistan]] suspecting that Iraq might be colluding with the [[Soviet Union]] to arm the [[Insurgency in Balochistan|Baloch insurgents]].<ref name="YouTube">{{Cite video |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8dqjiiVlZw&t=326s |title=An Indian's guide to Baloch nationalism, Pakistan's tiny Left & death of a Malayali named BM Kutty |date=25 August 2019 |last=Gupta |first=Shekhar |type=video |language=English, Hindi |publisher=The Print on YouTube}}</ref> Kutty came under suspicion by the Government of Pakistan because of his "unusual" credentials—a communist originally from Kerala working for a Baloch party and its leader and the-then governor.<ref name="YouTube" /> Kutty was arrested at [[Islamabad International Airport]] on the charges of treason and spying for the enemy nation, India.<ref name="YouTube" /> Almost a week later, Prime Minister Bhutto dismissed Bizenjo's government and arrested him on the suspicion that his government might be involved in arming the Baloch separatists. While Kutty was in prison and being tortured for his alleged crimes, his daughter, Yasmin Mohyuddin, was expelled from [[Bolan University of Medical & Health Sciences|Bolan Medical College]].<ref name="YouTube" /> These events culminated in Kutty's writing an impassioned letter to Bhutto expressing his anger.<ref name=Hindu/> After receiving the letter, the Prime Minister called for Kutty to be brought to his house and asked Kutty, referring to his Malayali and communist origins: "Why did you come to Pakistan? Unlike the Biharis and the UP and Delhiwalas, you had no compulsion to leave that paradise called Kerala. It also has the politics of your liking. Then why did you give all that up and come here?"<ref name=Hindu>{{cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/jadhavs-case-brings-back-kuttys-story-on-balochistan/article22339452.ece|title=Jadhav's case brings back Kutty's story on Balochistan|work=[[The Hindu]]|first=Kallol|last=Bhattacherjee|date=31 December 2017|access-date=16 September 2019}}</ref><ref name="YouTube" /><ref name="BusinessStandard" />

== Autobiography ==
In 2011 Kutty published his autobiography ''Sixty Years in Self-exile: No regrets; a political autobiography'', in which he narrated his journey from Kerala to Karachi and the reasons he decided to acquire the citizenship of Pakistan.<ref name="Manorma" /> The book was launched by former Indian bureaucrat and [[Minister of External Affairs (India)|Minister of External Affairs]] [[Natwar Singh]].<ref name="Manorma" /> Kutty dedicated his book to four women whom he admired the most in his life: his mother Biriya Umma, peace activist Nirmala Deshpande, politician and former Prime Minister of Pakistan [[Benazir Bhutto]], and Kutty's wife Birjis Siddiqui.<ref name="Dawn2011">{{Cite news |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/677893 |title=COVER STORY: Pakistan times |last=Rehman |first=I. A. |date=3 December 2011 |work=[[Dawn (newspaper)|Dawn]] |access-date=29 August 2019}}</ref> The title of the book was suggested by Deshpande in 2007.<ref name="TheWire2019" />

== Personal life ==
Kutty married Birjis Siddiqui, an [[Urdu-speaking people|Urdu-speaking]] woman originating from [[Uttar Pradesh]], on 21 January 1951 in a wedding ceremony in Lahore attended by five Malayalis. He remembered how he did not know the language of his wife but "it didn't matter".<ref name="Hindu2011">{{Cite news |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/prisoners-of-circumstance-yearning-to-return-home/article2675130.ece |title=Prisoners of circumstance yearning to return home |last=Menon |first=Meena |date=1 December 2011 |work=[[The Hindu]] |access-date=29 August 2019}}</ref> The couple had four children.<ref name="GulfNews">{{cite news | url=https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/pakistan/pakistani-malayalee-politician-bm-kutty-passes-away-in-karachi-on-sunday-1.66001829 | title=Pakistani-Malayalee politician BM Kutty passes away in Karachi on Sunday | work=[[Gulf News]] | date=25 August 2019 | access-date=30 August 2019 | last=Ahmed | first=Ashfaq}}</ref> Kutty's wife died in 2010.<ref name="TheHindu2019">{{Cite news |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/malayali-voice-in-pak-politics-falls-silent/article29254563.ece |title=Malayali voice in Pakistan politics falls silent |date=26 August 2019 |work=[[The Hindu]] |access-date=29 August 2019 |agency=[[Press Trust of India]]}}</ref>

In 2015 Kutty suffered a [[Stroke|paralytic stroke]] that forced him to take bed rest for five months and affected his speech. He went to Kerala with the help of his family and friends for [[Ayurvedic treatment]], which lasted over two months and helped him get back his normal speech.<ref name="TheHindu20015">{{cite news | url = https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/a-mapilla-in-karachi-remembers-his-roots/article7856681.ece | title=A Mapilla in Karachi remembers his roots | last=Bhattacherjee | first=Kallol | date=8 November 2015 | access-date=29 August 2019 | work=[[The Hindu]]}}</ref>

Kutty had deep affection for the [[Malayalam]] language. Contrary to popular practice by other Muslim students, he chose to study Malayalam in school as a second language instead of [[Arabic]] and studied [[Malayalam literature]] in college. He used to obtain and read Malayalam newspapers, ''[[Malayala Manorama]]'' and ''[[Mathrubhumi]]'', as long as they were available in Pakistan.<ref name="LiveMint">{{Cite news |url=https://www.livemint.com/Politics/9x6OQSpJZeaLYOlg5tJZGO/Biyyathil-Mohyuddin-Kutty--Majority-of-Pakistanis-are-toler.html | title=Majority of Pakistanis are tolerant people |last=Roche |first=Elizabeth |date=12 August 2011 |work=[[Mint (newspaper)|Mint]] |access-date=29 August 2019 |location=New Delhi}}</ref> He worked as a journalist for ''Mathrubhumi'' and reported from Pakistan for the newspaper.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.mathrubhumi.com/news/world/bm-kutty-passes-away-1.4067746 | title=പാകിസ്താനിലെ മലയാളിയായ രാഷ്ട്രീയ നേതാവ് ബി.എം കുട്ടി അന്തരിച്ചു | date=25 August 2019 | access-date=29 August 2019 | work=[[Mathrubhumi]] | language=Malayalam}}</ref>

== Death ==
After suffering from a prolonged illness and paralysis, Kutty died on 25 August 2019 at the age of 89. He was buried in [[Paposh Nagar Graveyard]], Karachi; his funeral prayer, [[Salat al-Janazah]], was recited earlier at Abu Hanifa Mosque in Gulshan-i-Iqbal.<ref name="Dawn2019">{{cite news | url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1501734 | title=Peace activist B.M. Kutty passes away | date=26 August 2019 | access-date=29 August 2019 | work=[[Dawn (newspaper)|Dawn]] | last=Mansoor | first=Hasan | location=Karachi}}</ref>

==Bibliography==
*{{cite book|author=B. M. Kutty|title=Sixty Years in Self-exile: No regrets; a political autobiography|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n97aXwAACAAJ|publisher=Pakistan Study Centre, [[University of Karachi]]|location=[[Karachi]]|year=2011|isbn=9789698791247|oclc=733548534}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kutty, B. M.}}
[[Category:1930 births]]
[[Category:2019 deaths]]
[[Category:Pakistani communists]]
[[Category:Politicians from Karachi]]
[[Category:Pakistani journalists]]
[[Category:Pakistani government officials]]
[[Category:Pakistani people of Malayali descent]]
[[Category:People from Malappuram district]]
[[Category:Indian emigrants to Pakistan]]
[[Category:All-Pakistan Awami League politicians]]

B. M. Kutty - Revision history

NoraizNafi at 14:41, 12 April 2026