Abid Hassan Minto
Encyclopedia
Abid Hassan Minto aka Abid Minto (born 3 February 1932, Rawalpindi
, Pakistan
) is a constitutional expert and senior lawyer of the Supreme Court of Pakistan. He is also a literary critic and a leftwing civic and political leader. His legal career spans over 50 years during which he was elected member of the Pakistan Bar Council
from 1966 up to 1983; President, Lahore High Court Bar Association (1982); Chairman, National Coordination Committee of Lawyers (1981 to 1985) and President, Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan
(SCBA) (1997 to 1999). Minto has also been affiliated with the International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL) in which he was elected vice president at its Barcelona
Congress (1990) and Bureau Member at its Cape Town
Congress (1995). He was professor of law at the Law College of the Punjab University
(Punjab University Law College
) 1963 to 1983.
Minto belongs to the Marxist school of thought in politics and letters.
. He received his law degree (LL.B) from the Punjab University Law College
in 1955. While at Law College he was elected President of the Students Union and won and retained the title of "Best All Pakistan Debater" for four years.
(CPP) in 1949 and remained with it until it was banned in 1954 after the Rawalpindi Conspiracy Case along with the Democratic Students Federation
(DSF) which was also co-founded by Minto in 1949 while at Gordon College. The DSF had been popular in all four provinces and was succeeded, after its ban, by the National Students Federation
(NSF) which exists to date.
Trade unions:
In his younger days Minto was an active Trade Unionist and organized the Military Engineering Service (MES) Workers Union. He worked for the Attock Oil Company Workers Union in Rawalpindi and the Railway Workers Union which was led by Mirza Muhammad Ibrahim, a veteran trade union leader of the Indo Pak sub continent. Minto was a member of the Central Executive of the Pakistan Trade Union Federation (affiliated with the World Federation of Trade Unions
) from 1967–1986.
Farmers/peasants: Minto's ties with local peasant movements are in place to date. Along with veteran peasant leader Chaudhry Fateh Muhammad, he has worked to organize Kissan (peasant) Committees (کسان کمیٹی) in rural Punjab
. These committees provide local farmers with a platform for discussion and action in respect to the problems faced by them in Pakistan's agrarian society where ownership of land vests predominantly in big landowners.
.
where his father and, before him, his grandfather had also practiced. He moved to Lahore
in 1958, was admitted, Advocate of the Lahore High Court
in 1957 and of the Supreme Court of Pakistan
in 1963. He remains a practicing lawyer and is the Senior Consultant to "Minto and Mirza , a Lahore based law firm.
Minto conducted several cases of constitutional, political and legal importance. These include:
The Ganga Hijacking Case: Minto appeared for one of the accused, Hashim Qureshi, before a special tribunal set up to try Kashmiri
freedom fighters who had hijacked an Indian aircraft into Pakistan.
The Hyderabad Conspiracy Case: Minto appeared before the Hyderabad tribunal
to defend political leaders Abdul Wali Khan, Ghaus Bakhsh Bizenjo, Ataullah Mengal
, Mir Gul Khan Nasir, Nawab Khair Bakhsh Marri and others who had been charged with treason and for working against the Ideology of Pakistan.
Farooq Ahmad Khan Leghari (Farooq Leghari
) versus The Federation: Minto appeared as President, Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan
to assist the Supreme Court of Pakistan
on the question of the validity of imposition of Emergency and suspension of constitutional Fundamental Rights by the President of Pakistan
.
Minto has appeared in a large number of cases involving issues such as:
Section 295 C of the Pakistan Penal Code
, aka "Blasphemy law in Pakistan
", which prescribes the death penalty for defiling the name of the prophet Muhammad
.
The Islamic "Law of Evidence" or the "Qanun e Shahadat" which discriminated against women in that it considers their evidence as not at par with men in certain matters. This law was brought into being during the dictatorship of General Zia-ul-Haq.
The controversy attached to The law of Evidence gave birth to a women's rights movement in Pakistan calling for equal rights and equal treatment for women in all matters.(For more on Women's Movement in Pakistan see Women's Action Forum
)
Some of the other issues in Minto's legal battles include:
Constitutional right of workers to form Trade Unions.
Electoral laws providing for a separate electoral college
for minority religions.
Discrimination against women preventing them from competing with men for admission to certain educational institutions.
Dissolution of federal and provincial legislatures by the President of Pakistan
and Governors of provinces.
Background:
In 1967 Minto joined the National Awami Party
(NAP Balochistan
). The following year, at the party's general elections in Dacca, Bangladesh
(then East Pakistan
) he was elected member of its Central Executive Committee.
In 1971, on the eve of East Pakistan's separation from (West) Pakistan, a number of leftwing political workers from NAP and other groups, held a conference and founded the Pakistan Socialist Party (PSP). C. R. Aslam, a veteran communist leader was elected President while Minto was elected first General Secretary. He stayed with PSP until 1986 and was elected General Secretary three times.
Following a split in the PSP in 1986, Minto founded the Awami Jamhoori Party (Peoples Democratic Party) in 1987, comprising dissidents from the PSP and members of a Sindh
based left group called the Communist League
. On 1 May 1999, the Awami Jamhoori Party, Pakistan Socialist Party and a faction of Pakistan National Party (led by Baloch leader Ghaus Bakhsh Bizenjo) formed the National Workers' Party. Minto was elected its first President. NWP was a part of the All Pakistan Democratic Movement (APDM) in lawyers movement. Minto was elected first President of Workers Party of Pakistan, formed after the merger of five leftwing parties and groups (Communist Mazdoor Kisan Party,National Workers Party,Peoples Rights Movement,Watan Dost Mazdoor Federation, Awami Mazdoor Anjuman) and holds the office to date by election.
Arrests: For his politics generally, and especially during the lawyers movement against General Zia ul Haq, Minto faced arrests and detentions several times.
.
a number of whom migrated to Amritsar
, now in the Indian Punjab
and then to Rawalpindi
. Minto's father Khawaja Ahmad Hassan (1896—1982), a well known civil lawyer in Rawalpindi
was a leader of the Indian National Congress
until 1943 later joining the Muslim League to play a role in its local politics during the Pakistan movement
. Khawaja Ahmad Hassan was a nephew of the Indian Nationalist Leader Saifuddin Kichlu who was also the paternal uncle of Minto's mother, Aziz Begum (1895—1981). The Urdu
short story
writer Saadat Hassan Manto (1912—1955) was Minto's great-grand uncle. In 1961 Minto married Tasnim Minto née Kausar (1935--), herself a writer who has published a collection of short stories "Zara si Baat ذرا سی بات" ("A Small Matter"). They have three children, two daughters and a son, from the marriage.
Web content
Books and journals
Interviews and world press updates
Television and videos
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi , locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
) is a constitutional expert and senior lawyer of the Supreme Court of Pakistan. He is also a literary critic and a leftwing civic and political leader. His legal career spans over 50 years during which he was elected member of the Pakistan Bar Council
Pakistan Bar Council
Pakistan Bar Council was established by the Parliament in 1973 under the Legal Practitioners and Bar Councils Act. It is the highest elected body of lawyers. it has twenty members elected throughout the country representing each province. The Members of the Pakistan Bar Council are elected on the...
from 1966 up to 1983; President, Lahore High Court Bar Association (1982); Chairman, National Coordination Committee of Lawyers (1981 to 1985) and President, Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan
Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan
The Supreme Court Bar Association is a legal body comprising the supreme court lawyers in Pakistan. It is currently headed by Asma Jahangir. Ms. Jahangir has been a leading human rights activist and lawyer in South Asia...
(SCBA) (1997 to 1999). Minto has also been affiliated with the International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL) in which he was elected vice president at its Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
Congress (1990) and Bureau Member at its Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
Congress (1995). He was professor of law at the Law College of the Punjab University
University of the Punjab
University of the Punjab , colloquially known as Punjab University, is located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. The University of the Punjab is the oldest and biggest University of Pakistan. The University of the Punjab was formally established with the convening of the first meeting of its...
(Punjab University Law College
Punjab University Law College
Punjab University Law College is a constituent college of the University of the Punjab. The college is located in Quaid-e-Azam campus of the University, Near Canal Bank, Lahore...
) 1963 to 1983.
Minto belongs to the Marxist school of thought in politics and letters.
Education
Minto attended Islamia High School, Rawalpindi and Gordon College (Rawalpindi)Gordon College (Rawalpindi)
Gordon College Rawalpindi is a college in Rawalpindi, Pakistan that was established as a school in 1893.Gordon's college year is made up of annual system: in which the examination are held once every year. Enrollment at Gordon College is in thousands of students, with around hundreds living on campus...
. He received his law degree (LL.B) from the Punjab University Law College
Punjab University Law College
Punjab University Law College is a constituent college of the University of the Punjab. The college is located in Quaid-e-Azam campus of the University, Near Canal Bank, Lahore...
in 1955. While at Law College he was elected President of the Students Union and won and retained the title of "Best All Pakistan Debater" for four years.
Political beginning
Minto became a member of The Communist Party of PakistanCommunist Party of Pakistan
The Communist Party of Pakistan is a communist party affiliated with Communist Party of the Russia. Before the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the party had long association and ties with the Communist Party of the Soviet Union ....
(CPP) in 1949 and remained with it until it was banned in 1954 after the Rawalpindi Conspiracy Case along with the Democratic Students Federation
Democratic Students Federation
Democratic Students Federation is a Left-wing student organization in Pakistan. It emerged as a splinter group of the National Students Federation in the early Seventies when a pro-China faction of NSF parted from its pro-Moscow parent party, the Communist Party of Pakistan.DSF was reorganized in...
(DSF) which was also co-founded by Minto in 1949 while at Gordon College. The DSF had been popular in all four provinces and was succeeded, after its ban, by the National Students Federation
National Students Federation
National Students Federation is a Left-wing students federation in Pakistan.Its predecessor, the DSF , had links to the Communist Party of Pakistan. It had power base among progressive students from Dow Medical and DJ Science Colleges. It dominated student politics in Karachi, the then Federal...
(NSF) which exists to date.
Trade unions:
In his younger days Minto was an active Trade Unionist and organized the Military Engineering Service (MES) Workers Union. He worked for the Attock Oil Company Workers Union in Rawalpindi and the Railway Workers Union which was led by Mirza Muhammad Ibrahim, a veteran trade union leader of the Indo Pak sub continent. Minto was a member of the Central Executive of the Pakistan Trade Union Federation (affiliated with the World Federation of Trade Unions
World Federation of Trade Unions
The World Federation of Trade Unions was established in 1945 to replace the International Federation of Trade Unions. Its mission was to bring together trade unions across the world in a single international organization, much like the United Nations...
) from 1967–1986.
Farmers/peasants: Minto's ties with local peasant movements are in place to date. Along with veteran peasant leader Chaudhry Fateh Muhammad, he has worked to organize Kissan (peasant) Committees (کسان کمیٹی) in rural Punjab
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
. These committees provide local farmers with a platform for discussion and action in respect to the problems faced by them in Pakistan's agrarian society where ownership of land vests predominantly in big landowners.
Literature
Minto joined the Progressive Writers Association (PWA) in 1949. He is a literary critic. His first essay "The Issue of Language in Pakistan" was published in 1951 in the literary journal Adb e Latif . Other essays by him, later published as a collection "Nuqta e Nazarنقطہ نظر" (The Viewpoint: 1st Edition 1986 2nd Edition 2003) include: The Problem of Religious Literature (Shahrah شاہراہ 1954); Literary Criticism (Adb e Latif 1954ادب لطیف); The Issue of Ideologies in Literature (Adb e Latif 1955ادب لطیف); Progressive Ideology and Contemporary Literature (Adb e Latif 1960ادب لطیف); Problems of Modern Poetry (Nayee Shairi 1964نئ شاعری) and Eternal Values in Literature (Auraq 1967اوراق). His essay The Technique of the One Act Playایکانکی ڈرامہ (Adb e Latif 1957ادب لطیف) was part of the curriculum for graduate studies in Urdu literatureUrdu literature
Urdu literature has a long and colorful history that is inextricably tied to the development of that very language, Urdu, in which it is written...
.
Legal career (1955-)
Minto began law practice in 1955 at RawalpindiRawalpindi
Rawalpindi , locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad...
where his father and, before him, his grandfather had also practiced. He moved to Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
in 1958, was admitted, Advocate of the Lahore High Court
Lahore High Court
The Lahore High Court is based in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It was established as a high court on March 21, 1919. The Lahore High Court has jurisdiction over Punjab...
in 1957 and of the Supreme Court of Pakistan
Supreme Court of Pakistan
The Supreme Court is the apex court in Pakistan's judicial hierarchy, the final arbiter of legal and constitutional disputes. The Supreme Court has a permanent seat in Islamabad. It has number of Branch Registries where cases are heard. It has a number of de jure powers which are outlined in the...
in 1963. He remains a practicing lawyer and is the Senior Consultant to "Minto and Mirza , a Lahore based law firm.
Minto conducted several cases of constitutional, political and legal importance. These include:
The Ganga Hijacking Case: Minto appeared for one of the accused, Hashim Qureshi, before a special tribunal set up to try Kashmiri
Kashmiri people
The Kashmiri people are a Dardic linguistic group living in Kashmir Valley in Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir and parts of the Pakistani territory of Azad Kashmir who speak the Kashmiri language...
freedom fighters who had hijacked an Indian aircraft into Pakistan.
The Hyderabad Conspiracy Case: Minto appeared before the Hyderabad tribunal
Hyderabad tribunal
The Hyderabad tribunal , also known as Hyderabad conspiracy case, is the name of a former judicial tribunal used in Pakistan to prosecute opposition politicians of the National Awami Party on the charges of treason and acting against the ideology of Pakistan.The tribunal was set up on the orders of...
to defend political leaders Abdul Wali Khan, Ghaus Bakhsh Bizenjo, Ataullah Mengal
Ataullah Mengal
Sardar Ataullah Khan Mengal , popularly known as Sardar Ataullah Mengal, is a well-known political and feudal figure of Pakistan hailing from Balochistan. He has been campaigning a nationalist and separatist movement in Pakistan for over four decades. He is the head of the Shahizai Mangal tribe...
, Mir Gul Khan Nasir, Nawab Khair Bakhsh Marri and others who had been charged with treason and for working against the Ideology of Pakistan.
Farooq Ahmad Khan Leghari (Farooq Leghari
Farooq Leghari
Sardar Farooq Ahmad Khan Leghari was the eighth President of Pakistan from November 14, 1993 until December 2, 1997...
) versus The Federation: Minto appeared as President, Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan
Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan
The Supreme Court Bar Association is a legal body comprising the supreme court lawyers in Pakistan. It is currently headed by Asma Jahangir. Ms. Jahangir has been a leading human rights activist and lawyer in South Asia...
to assist the Supreme Court of Pakistan
Supreme Court of Pakistan
The Supreme Court is the apex court in Pakistan's judicial hierarchy, the final arbiter of legal and constitutional disputes. The Supreme Court has a permanent seat in Islamabad. It has number of Branch Registries where cases are heard. It has a number of de jure powers which are outlined in the...
on the question of the validity of imposition of Emergency and suspension of constitutional Fundamental Rights by the President of Pakistan
President of Pakistan
The President of Pakistan is the head of state, as well as figurehead, of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Recently passed an XVIII Amendment , Pakistan has a parliamentary democratic system of government. According to the Constitution, the President is chosen by the Electoral College to serve a...
.
Minto has appeared in a large number of cases involving issues such as:
Section 295 C of the Pakistan Penal Code
Pakistan penal code
The Pakistan Penal Code usually called PPC is a penal code for all offences charged in Pakistan. It was originally prepared by Lord Macaulay with a great consultation in 1860 on the behalf of the Government of British India as the Indian Penal Code...
, aka "Blasphemy law in Pakistan
Blasphemy law in Pakistan
The Pakistan Penal Code prohibits blasphemy against any recognized religion, providing penalties ranging from a fine to death. However, in practice, it is only applied to Islam. An accusation of blasphemy commonly subjects the accused, police, lawyers, and judges to harassment, threats, and attacks...
", which prescribes the death penalty for defiling the name of the prophet Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
.
The Islamic "Law of Evidence" or the "Qanun e Shahadat" which discriminated against women in that it considers their evidence as not at par with men in certain matters. This law was brought into being during the dictatorship of General Zia-ul-Haq.
The controversy attached to The law of Evidence gave birth to a women's rights movement in Pakistan calling for equal rights and equal treatment for women in all matters.(For more on Women's Movement in Pakistan see Women's Action Forum
Women's Action Forum
Women's Action Forum is a women's rights organization and has a presence in several cities in Pakistan. It is a non-partisan, non-hierarchical and non-funded organization. It is supportive of all aspects of women's rights and related issues, irrespective of political affiliations, belief system,...
)
Some of the other issues in Minto's legal battles include:
Constitutional right of workers to form Trade Unions.
Electoral laws providing for a separate electoral college
Electoral college
An electoral college is a set of electors who are selected to elect a candidate to a particular office. Often these represent different organizations or entities, with each organization or entity represented by a particular number of electors or with votes weighted in a particular way...
for minority religions.
Discrimination against women preventing them from competing with men for admission to certain educational institutions.
Dissolution of federal and provincial legislatures by the President of Pakistan
President of Pakistan
The President of Pakistan is the head of state, as well as figurehead, of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Recently passed an XVIII Amendment , Pakistan has a parliamentary democratic system of government. According to the Constitution, the President is chosen by the Electoral College to serve a...
and Governors of provinces.
Politics
Minto is currently the elected President of Workers Party of Pakistan (WPP), founded on 20–21 March 2010 following a merger of five leftwing parties of Pakistan.Background:
In 1967 Minto joined the National Awami Party
National Awami Party
The National Awami Party was a leftist political party in Pakistan. The party was founded in Dhaka in erstwhile East Pakistan in July 1957 through the merger of several leftist and progressive groups. It advocated provincial autonomy, rights on the basis of ethnicity, recognition of ethinicities...
(NAP Balochistan
Balochistan (Pakistan)
Balochistan is one of the four provinces or federating units of Pakistan. With an area of 134,051 mi2 or , it is the largest province of Pakistan, constituting approximately 44% of the total land mass of Pakistan. According to the 1998 population census, Balochistan had a population of...
). The following year, at the party's general elections in Dacca, Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
(then East Pakistan
East Pakistan
East Pakistan was a provincial state of Pakistan established in 14 August 1947. The provincial state existed until its declaration of independence on 26 March 1971 as the independent nation of Bangladesh. Pakistan recognized the new nation on 16 December 1971. East Pakistan was created from Bengal...
) he was elected member of its Central Executive Committee.
In 1971, on the eve of East Pakistan's separation from (West) Pakistan, a number of leftwing political workers from NAP and other groups, held a conference and founded the Pakistan Socialist Party (PSP). C. R. Aslam, a veteran communist leader was elected President while Minto was elected first General Secretary. He stayed with PSP until 1986 and was elected General Secretary three times.
Following a split in the PSP in 1986, Minto founded the Awami Jamhoori Party (Peoples Democratic Party) in 1987, comprising dissidents from the PSP and members of a Sindh
Sindh
Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...
based left group called the Communist League
Communist League
The Communist League was the first Marxist international organization. It was founded originally as the League of the Just by German workers in Paris in 1834. This was initially a utopian socialist and Christian communist group devoted to the ideas of Gracchus Babeuf...
. On 1 May 1999, the Awami Jamhoori Party, Pakistan Socialist Party and a faction of Pakistan National Party (led by Baloch leader Ghaus Bakhsh Bizenjo) formed the National Workers' Party. Minto was elected its first President. NWP was a part of the All Pakistan Democratic Movement (APDM) in lawyers movement. Minto was elected first President of Workers Party of Pakistan, formed after the merger of five leftwing parties and groups (Communist Mazdoor Kisan Party,National Workers Party,Peoples Rights Movement,Watan Dost Mazdoor Federation, Awami Mazdoor Anjuman) and holds the office to date by election.
Arrests: For his politics generally, and especially during the lawyers movement against General Zia ul Haq, Minto faced arrests and detentions several times.
Books
A collection of Minto's essays mostly written during the 1950s and 1960s on ideological issues in literature was published in 1986 titled 'Nuqta-e-Nazar نقطہ نظر' (The Viewpoint) with a second edition in 2003 containing some later writings also. He belongs to the Marxist school of literary criticismLiterary criticism
Literary criticism is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often informed by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of its methods and goals...
.
Family and family name
The family name "Minto" was originally "Manto" or "Mantu" and is still used as such by most of the "Mantu" family. "Mantu" like Kichlu, Sapru, Nehru, and Kaatju, signifies a caste of Hindu Brahmin pandits from KashmirKashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
a number of whom migrated to Amritsar
Amritsar
Amritsar is a city in the northern part of India and is the administrative headquarters of Amritsar district in the state of Punjab, India. The 2001 Indian census reported the population of the city to be over 1,500,000, with that of the entire district numbering 3,695,077...
, now in the Indian Punjab
Punjab (India)
Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...
and then to Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi , locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad...
. Minto's father Khawaja Ahmad Hassan (1896—1982), a well known civil lawyer in Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi , locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad...
was a leader of the Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
until 1943 later joining the Muslim League to play a role in its local politics during the Pakistan movement
Pakistan Movement
The Pakistan Movement or Tehrik-e-Pakistan refers to the historical movement to have an independent Muslim state named Pakistan created from the separation of the north-western region of the Indian subcontinent, partitioned within or outside the British Indian Empire. It had its origins in the...
. Khawaja Ahmad Hassan was a nephew of the Indian Nationalist Leader Saifuddin Kichlu who was also the paternal uncle of Minto's mother, Aziz Begum (1895—1981). The Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
writer Saadat Hassan Manto (1912—1955) was Minto's great-grand uncle. In 1961 Minto married Tasnim Minto née Kausar (1935--), herself a writer who has published a collection of short stories "Zara si Baat ذرا سی بات" ("A Small Matter"). They have three children, two daughters and a son, from the marriage.
Citations/sources
ReferencesWeb content
- Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan. Web. 28 May 2010.
- Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan. Web. 28 May 2010.
- "Call to Observe 23rd as People's Demand Day." The News International - No. 1 English Newspaper from Pakistan - Friday, May 28, 2010. Web. 28 May 2010.
- Poole, Lisette. "The Americanization of Globalization: Reflections of a Third World Intellectual." Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. Web. 28 May 2010.
- "UniversalJournal/AYJW - Articles, Papers, Essays - Association of Young Journalists and Writers." The Association of Young Journalists, AYJW - News Media, Travel, Games, and More - College and Media Directory. Web. 28 May 2010.
Books and journals
- Mian, Ajmal. A Judge Speaks out. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2004. 131+.
- United States Joint Publication Research Service, United States, comp. Near East & South Asia. Rep. Vol. 92131.
- Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. State of Human Rights in Pakistan. Rep. 2002.
- United States Foreign Broadcast Informatin Service. Near East/South Asia Report. Rep. Vol. 84079. 123.
- Asian Recorder 16 (1998): 27143.
- Mainstream 27.27 - 39 (1989): 8+.
Interviews and world press updates
- Abid Minto Elected President http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010%5C03%5C22%5Cstory_22-3-2010_pg13_3
- WPP to Elect Minto as President http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010%5C03%5C21%5Cstory_21-3-2010_pg7_23
- Call to Observe 'People's Demands Day' http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=219770
- All Eyes on NRO http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=224909
- Pledge to Fight for Workers http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/local/lahore/new-party-pledges-fight-for-workers-230
- New Party http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/local/lahore/newlyformed-party-promises-equal-rights-130
- Left Politics in Pakistan http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/editorial/left-politics-in-Pakistan-630
- Salvation of Masses http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/national/salvation-of-masses-lies-in-changing-status-quo-720
- Call for a United Left http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/national/minto-asks-left-to-redefine-marxism-and-unite-119
- Americanization of Globalization http://www.wrmea.com/archives/Sept_Oct_2005/0509052.html
- Christianity Today: Appeal of DeathRow Christian http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2002/june10/16.24.html
- Associated Press Report in Sant'Egidio http://www.santegidio.org/pdm/news2002/28_08_02_b.htm
- Hunza Times Interview 27 August 2009 http://hunzatimes.wordpress.com/2009/08/27/gilgit-baltistan-not-part-of-pakistan-by-abid-hassan-minto/
- Workers Party Launch http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/local/karachi-leftist,-progressive-forces-form-new-party-510
- Interview with BBC Oct.8 2011http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/pakistan/2011/10/111008_abid_minto_interview_ra.shtml
- The Express Tribune with The Herald Tribune. Report on All Parties Conference IBD.PK. Oct.6 2011http://tribune.com.pk/story/267886/dissenting-opinion-the-lone-politician-who-refused-to-sign-the-apc-declaration/
Television and videos
- Aaghaz (part1) ARYOne TV http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ep5_cgVz1OA&feature=related
- Aaghaz (part2) ARYOne TV http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMLZp-2Gx3A
- میری جدّوجہد (part1) Aaj TV http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUmwAomD4Y8
- میری جدّوجہد (part2) Aaj TV http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PR7AVbBYA1o
Related links
- News Archives http://news.google.com/archivesearch?cf=all&ned=us&hl=en&q=abid+minto&cf=all
- Minto & Mirza http://www.mintoandmirza.com.pk/abid.htm
- Translation of Speech, CDDPA Nepal http://aj-1208.nwp-pk.org/gpage1.html
- Editorial Awami Jamhooriat http://aj08.nwp-pk.org/edit1008.html
- Distinguished Lecturers Series LUMSLUMSLUMS or lums may refer to:*London Universities Mooting Shield*Lancaster University Management School*Lahore University of Management Sciences*Lum's - A defunct U.S. family restaurant chain*Plural of lum...
: Amendments to the Pakistani Constitution http://www.lums.edu.pk/law_and_policy/programme_development.php - London 2009 http://www.sapfonline.org/sapf_feb08.html
- The Pakistani Crisis: http://events.berkeley.edu/index.php/calendar/sn/csas.html?event_ID=19507&date=2009-04-29&filter=Target/Open%20To%20Audiences&filtersel=