Mohammad Yunus
Encyclopedia
Mohammad Yunus was a close associate and advisor to Indira Gandhi
. As a member of the foreign service he served as India’s ambassador to Turkey
, Indonesia
, Iraq
and Spain
.He promoted Trade between India and the rest of the world through regular Trade Fairs and the establishment of the Pragati Maidan
in Delhi
, North-West Frontier Province
to Haji Ghulam Samdani
and late Smt. Murvari Jan. He studied at Muslim University School, Aligarh and Islamia College, Peshawar
.
from 1936 to August, 1947 as a "Khodai Khidmatgar". He was imprisoned during the Quit India Movement
by Iskandar Mirza in 1941. It was in Abbotabad Prison that he contracted TB and was subsequently released in 1944 as the Government did not think he would survive. After recuperating he was again jailed in Kashmir in 1946.
Mohammed Yunus was a fiery orator and was known to always speak his mind.
At the Behest of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan
he elected to migrate to post-partition India and to separate from his family and friends in Peshawar.
in 1947. During his time with the IFS, he represented India at the Non-Aligned Summits at Lusaka
, Algiers
, Colombo
, New Delhi
, and Harare
.
He served as adviser to the Joint Secretariat responsible for organising the Bandung Conference in April 1955.
. In this capacity he established the Pragati Maidan
in Delhi and went on regular Trade exhibitions around the globe to promote Indian products and companies.
He was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in June 1989. He died at the age of 84 on 17 June 2001 at the AIIMS New Delhi after a protracted illness, surrounded by family and loved-ones who had travelled to India to be with him.
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...
. As a member of the foreign service he served as India’s ambassador to Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.He promoted Trade between India and the rest of the world through regular Trade Fairs and the establishment of the Pragati Maidan
Pragati Maidan
Pragati Maidan is a venue for large exhibitions and conventions in New Delhi, and with 72,000 sq. metres of exhibition space, it is presently Delhi's largest exhibition centre. It is owned and managed by Indian Trade Promotion Organisation , the premier trade promotion agency of the Ministry of...
in Delhi
Early Life
Mohammed Yunus was born on 26 June 1916 in the city of AbbottabadAbbottabad
Abbottabad is a city located in the Hazara region of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, in Pakistan. The city is situated in the Orash Valley, northeast of the capital Islamabad and east of Peshawar at an altitude of and is the capital of the Abbottabad District...
, North-West Frontier Province
North-West Frontier Province
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa , formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province and various other names, is one of the four provinces of Pakistan, located in the north-west of the country...
to Haji Ghulam Samdani
Haji Ghulam Samdani
- Early life :H.G.Samdani was born in Baramulla Kashmir in the middle of the 19th century. It was around the 16th century that his forefathers migrated to Kashmir from Turbat-e-Jam in Iran. They were holy men, who came to the sub-continent to spread Islam through preaching...
and late Smt. Murvari Jan. He studied at Muslim University School, Aligarh and Islamia College, Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
.
Independence Movement
Mohammed Yunus worked closely with Khan Abdul Ghaffar KhanKhan Abdul Ghaffar Khan
Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan was an Afghan, Pashtun political and spiritual leader known for his non-violent opposition to British Rule in India...
from 1936 to August, 1947 as a "Khodai Khidmatgar". He was imprisoned during the Quit India Movement
Quit India Movement
The Quit India Movement , or the August Movement was a civil disobedience movement launched in India in August 1942 in response to Mohandas Gandhi's call for immediate independence. Gandhi hoped to bring the British government to the negotiating table...
by Iskandar Mirza in 1941. It was in Abbotabad Prison that he contracted TB and was subsequently released in 1944 as the Government did not think he would survive. After recuperating he was again jailed in Kashmir in 1946.
Mohammed Yunus was a fiery orator and was known to always speak his mind.
At the Behest of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan
Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan
Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan was an Afghan, Pashtun political and spiritual leader known for his non-violent opposition to British Rule in India...
he elected to migrate to post-partition India and to separate from his family and friends in Peshawar.
Professional Career
He joined the Indian Foreign ServiceIndian Foreign Service
The Indian Foreign Service is the foreign service of India. It is the body of career diplomats of India.The Indian Foreign Service is part of the Central Civil Services of the Government of India...
in 1947. During his time with the IFS, he represented India at the Non-Aligned Summits at Lusaka
Lusaka
Lusaka is the capital and largest city of Zambia. It is located in the southern part of the central plateau, at an elevation of about 1,300 metres . It has a population of about 1.7 million . It is a commercial centre as well as the centre of government, and the four main highways of Zambia head...
, Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
, Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
, New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
, and Harare
Harare
Harare before 1982 known as Salisbury) is the largest city and capital of Zimbabwe. It has an estimated population of 1,600,000, with 2,800,000 in its metropolitan area . Administratively, Harare is an independent city equivalent to a province. It is Zimbabwe's largest city and its...
.
He served as adviser to the Joint Secretariat responsible for organising the Bandung Conference in April 1955.
Post Retirement
Mohammed Yunus retired as Secretary to the Ministry of Commerce in 1974. In 1975 he was appointed as Special Envoy of the then Prime Minister Indira GandhiIndira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...
. In this capacity he established the Pragati Maidan
Pragati Maidan
Pragati Maidan is a venue for large exhibitions and conventions in New Delhi, and with 72,000 sq. metres of exhibition space, it is presently Delhi's largest exhibition centre. It is owned and managed by Indian Trade Promotion Organisation , the premier trade promotion agency of the Ministry of...
in Delhi and went on regular Trade exhibitions around the globe to promote Indian products and companies.
He was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in June 1989. He died at the age of 84 on 17 June 2001 at the AIIMS New Delhi after a protracted illness, surrounded by family and loved-ones who had travelled to India to be with him.
Literary Works
- The first book written by M.Yunus was titled 'Frontier Speakers' (with a Foreword by Jawaharlal NehruJawaharlal NehruJawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
and a Preface by Khan Abdul Ghaffar KhanKhan Abdul Ghaffar KhanKhan Abdul Ghaffar Khan was an Afghan, Pashtun political and spiritual leader known for his non-violent opposition to British Rule in India...
. It was banned by the British Government in 1942. - He then wrote "Kaidi ke Khat", in UrduUrduUrdu 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...
,later translated into English and Hindi, - and finally his memoirs, "Persons, Passions and Politics" published in November, 1979.