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{{Short description|Pakistani politician (1889–1973)}}
{{Use Pakistani English|date=January 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox politician
| name = Chaudhry Khaliquzzaman
| image = Chaudhry Khaliquzzaman.JPG
| caption = Chaudhry Khaliquzzaman
| birth_date = {{birth date|1889|12|25|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Chunar]], [[North-Western Provinces]], [[British India]]<br>(present day Uttar Pradesh, India)
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1973|5|18|1889|12|25}}
| nationality = [[British India]] (1889–1947)<br>Pakistan (1947–1973)
| office1 = President of [[Muslim League (Pakistan)]]
| termstart1 = 1948
| termend1 = 1950
| office2 = [[Governor of East Bengal]]
| termstart2 = April 1953
| termend2 = May 1954
| office3 = Diplomat to Indonesia and Philippines
| termstart3 = 1954
| termend3 = ''unknown''
| party = [[Convention Muslim League]]<br />[[Muslim League (1947–1958)|Muslim League]]<br />[[All-India Muslim League]]
}}
'''Chaudhry Khaliquzzaman''' ({{langx|ur|چودھری خلیق الزمان}}) (25 December 1889 – 18 May 1973) was a Pakistani politician and Muslim figurehead during [[British India]].<ref name=findpk>{{cite web |url=http://www.cybercity-online.net/pof/chaudhry_khaliquzzaman.html |title=Profile of Chaudhry Khaliquzzaman |publisher=Cybercity-online.net website|date=2001 |access-date=30 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029202609/http://www.cybercity-online.net/pof/chaudhry_khaliquzzaman.html |archive-date=29 October 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> He was one of the top leaders of the [[All India Muslim League]].<ref name=findpk/>

==Early life and career==
He was born in [[Chunar]], an ancient town in UP's Mirzapur district in the [[United Provinces of Agra and Oudh|United Provinces]] (now [[Uttar Pradesh]]).<ref name=findpk/> At the time, his father, Chaudhry Muhammad Zaman, was a revenue officer. His younger brother, [[Salimuzzaman Siddiqui]] (1897 – 1994) was a scientist and researcher in both [[British India]] and later in Pakistan.<ref name=Dawn>{{cite web|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/884351|author=Dr Ahmed S. Khan|date=15 August 2010|title=Homage: Our own Einstein (Chaudhry Khaliquzzaman's younger brother Salimuzzaman Siddiqui)|access-date=30 August 2023}}</ref>

[[File:Chaudhry Khaliquzzaman.jpg|thumb|Chaudhry Khaliquzzaman seconding the [[Lahore resolution]] with [[Muhammad Ali Jinnah]] chairing the Lahore session in March 1940]]

Chaudhry Khaliquzzaman was not only a Muslim League leader, he was also one of the founding fathers of Pakistan.<ref name=Dawn/> At the time of [[independence of Pakistan|Pakistan’s independence]] on 14 August 1947, he was still serving as the Muslim League member of the [[Constituent Assembly of India]] and remained there to address the Assembly.<ref name=findpk/> He was one of the four individuals who addressed the [[Constituent Assembly of India]] in the central hall of Parliament during the moment of Indian independence at midnight of 14 August 1947.<ref name=NYT>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/0815.html#article|author=Robert Trumbull|work=The New York Times|title=India and Pakistan Become Nations; Clashes Continue|date=15 August 1947|access-date=14 January 2018}}</ref> The other three were [[Jawaharlal Nehru]], Dr. [[Rajendra Prasad]] and Dr. [[Radhakrishnan]].<ref name=NYT/> He migrated to newly created Pakistan in November 1947. He was appointed the chief organizer of [[Muslim League (Pakistan)]]. Later he served as the first president of the [[Muslim League (Pakistan)]].<ref name=findpk/>

===Career positions in Pakistan===
* President of Muslim League (Pakistan) (1948 – 1950)<ref name=findpk/>
* Governor of [[East Pakistan]] (April 1953 – May 1954)<ref name=findpk/>
* [[Ambassador]] of Pakistan to Indonesia and the Philippines (1954)<ref name=findpk/>

In 1961, he published his memoirs entitled ''Pathway to Pakistan''. The Urdu version of the autobiography came out in 1967. It is entitled ''Shahrahay Pakistan''. This book is considered by many as a rare 'treasure house' of information on the [[Pakistan Movement]]. In this book, he wrote: "The two-nation theory, which we had used in the fight for Pakistan had created not only bad blood against the Muslims of the minority provinces, but also an ideological wedge between them and the Hindus of India." He further wrote: "Mr Jinnah himself realized the grave dangers to Muslims who after the partition were to be left in India. I remember that on 1 August 1947, a few days before his final departure for Karachi, Mr Jinnah called the Muslim members of the Constituent Assembly of India to his house at 10 [[Aurangzeb Road]] to bid farewell to them.

"Mr. Rizwanullah put some awkward questions concerning the position of Muslims, who would be left over in India, their status and their future. I had never before found Mr. Jinnah so disconcerted as on that occasion, probably because he was realizing then quite vividly what was immediately in store for the Muslims. Finding the situation awkward, I asked my friends and colleagues to end the discussion. I believe as a result of our farewell meeting, Mr. Jinnah took the earliest opportunity to bid goodbye to his two-nation theory in his speech on 11 August 1947 as the governor general-designate and President of the constituent assembly of Pakistan."

"He ([[Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy]]) doubted the utility of the two-nation theory, which to my mind also had never paid any dividends to us. But after the partition, it proved positively injurious to the Muslims of India, and on a long-view basis for Muslims everywhere." According to him, [[Muhammad Ali Jinnah|Jinnah]] bade farewell to it in his famous speech of 11 August 1947.

He was one of the most active leaders of Pakistan movement. He seconded the [[Lahore Resolution]], which was presented by Sher-i-Bengal [[A. K. Fazlul Huq]] in March 1940 to create Pakistan.<ref name=findpk/>

==Commemorative postage stamp==
In 1990, [[Pakistan Post]] office issued a commemorative postage stamp in his honour in its 'Pioneers of Freedom' series.<ref name=findpk/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{succession box |title=Governor of [[East Bengal]]
|years= 31 March 1953 – May 29, 1954
|before=[[Feroz Khan Noon]]
|after=[[Iskandar Mirza]]}}
{{end}}

{{Pakistan Movement}}
{{Governors of East Bengal}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chaudhry Khaliquzzaman}}
[[Category:1889 births]]
[[Category:1973 deaths]]
[[Category:Leaders of the Pakistan Movement]]
[[Category:Pakistani Sunni Muslims]]
[[Category:Muhajir people]]
[[Category:All-India Muslim League politicians]]
[[Category:Governors of East Pakistan]]
[[Category:Indian people of World War II]]
[[Category:Pakistan Movement activists from the United Provinces]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of Pakistan to Indonesia]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of Pakistan to the Philippines]]
[[Category:Indian emigrants to Pakistan]]

Chaudhry Khaliquzzaman - Revision history

Franolaxy at 18:15, 17 November 2025