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THE CONSTITUTION OF INDIA
395 Articles, organised into 25 Parts and 12 Schedules, make up the Constitution of India

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THE CONSTITUTION FRAMERS
Learn about the members of the Constituent Assembly, the role they played in India’s freedom movement and their contributions to constitution-making.

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Home ≫ The Constitution Framers ≫ Chaudhari Khaliquzzaman

Chaudhry Khaliquzzaman

Constituent Assembly Members

Chaudhari Khaliquzzaman

1889 - 1973

Key Information

Party: All-India Muslim League

Constituency: United Provinces

Religion: Muslim

Caste: Non SC/ST

Gender: Male

Mother Tongue: Urdu

Education:

Committee Memberships

None

Biography

Early Life

Chaudhari Khaliquzzaman was born in Bengal in the year 1889. He studied at the Mohammedan Anglo Oriental College in Aligarh from 1907 to 1917.

Khaliquzzaman was a prominent voices in local politics, having served as the Mayor of Lucknow.

Role in India’s Independence Movement

In 1916, he joined the Home Rule movement under the leadership of Ms. Annie Besant and with the collaboration of Gokhale. He represented the Indian National Congress during the deliberations on the Lucknow pact, which represented the first step towards Hindu-Muslim unity in Indian politics.

He was an active part of the Khilafat and the Non-Cooperation movement, and was arrested in 1921 for organizing a public boycott of the Prince of Wales’ visit to Lucknow. Although he was initially associated with the Congress, he went on to join the Muslim League.

Contribution to Constitution Making

Khaliquzzaman was elected from the United Provinces constituency on a Mulism League ticket. He participated in the deliberations on separate electorates.

Later Contributions

After partition, Khaliquzzaman remained in India for sometime, but eventually left for Pakistan where he held the post of the President of the Pakistan Muslim League until 1950.

He passed away in 1973.

Key Writings

His most notable work was Pathway to Pakistan, published in 1961.

Key Speeches

Khaliquzzaman delivered an eloquent speech supporting the motion of the pledge moved by Jawaharlal Nehru in the Constituent Assembly.
He participated in the discussions on the topic of the election of ministers and the discretionary powers of governors.
In the discussions on separate electorates, he expressed the view that it was necessary to ensure that the Muslim community was truly represented.

Resources

A Witness to the Birth of a Nation, by Vikram Doctor, The Economic Times.
Pathway to Pakistan, by Chaudhari Khaliquzzaman.
Sources of Indian Traditions, ed. by Rachel McDermott et al, Penguin Books.