İbrahim Ismail Chuundrigar, known as I. I. Chundrigar, was a lawyer and politician. He remained very close to Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. For a very short time, Ibrahim remained the prime minister of Pakistan.
Biography
Ibrahim Ismail was born in Godhra, India, on September 15, 1898. His name was Muhajir, and his family was living in India. He belongs to the Kutchi Chundrigar family of a Muslim community in India.
After completing his education, he joined law. He remained associated with Muhammad Ali Jinnah. He also remained Prime Minister of Pakistan for a short duration.
Education and Practice
Ibrahim started his schooling in Ahmedabad. His parents selected Saint Anthony High School for his early education. He completed his matriculation in Ahmedabad. Later, he continued his education from Government College. At GCU, he completed his degree in arts.
Ibrahim went to Bombay for further studies and took admission in the University of Bombay. Ibrahim completed his BA degree in philosophy at the University of Bombay.
In 1992, he started LLB and completed the LLB degree in 1932. Ibrahim began to practise as a lawyer for the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation. He practiced civil law until 1937 and moved to the High Court in Bombay. In Bombay, he enhanced his law education and continued to practise in the High Court.
While practising in the High Court, he became familiar with Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Both of them have similar ideologies, working styles and political thinking.
Politics
The Muslim League selected Ibrahim to advocate against the Government of India Act 1935 when the British government in India presented the Government of India Act 1935. Chaundrigar strongly opposed the powers of the Governor General vested by the act.
Later, Ibrahim became a member of the Muslim League in 1936. He took part in the 1937 Provincial Elections from the Muslim League. Ibrahim won the seat in the Bombay Legislative Assembly. Later, he was elected the Bombay Provincial Muslim League president and remained president from 1940 to 1945.
Next, he participated in the elections held in 1946 and became a member of the assembly from a Muslim Urban Constituency in Ahmedabad. Archbald Wavell and Louis Mounbatten (Viceroys of India) made him a Commerce Minister.
Diplomacy and Governorships
After the partition, Ibrahim preferred to live in Pakistan. Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan retained him as Commerce Minister. Later 1948, the Prime Minister sent him to Afghanistan as Pakistan’s Ambassador. The Afghan government took his appointment positively. However, Ibrahim came into conflict with the Afghan government in 1949. They have clashed over the Afghan north-west border.
Ibrahim served for a very short time in Afghanistan when the government called him back. From 1950 to 1951, Ibrahim remained Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In 1951, due to rotations, Ibrahim became Governor of Punjab. In 1953, he implemented martial law in Lahore to manage intense religious strikes. The enforcement of martial law conflicts with Governor General M. G. Muhammad. M. G. Muhammad removed Ibrahim from his post.
Coalition Administration
In 1955, the Awami League, the Muslim League and the Republican Party became in coalition and formed a central government. They called Ibrahim and made him Minister of Law and Justice.
Later, Ibrahim pleaded the famous case of Maulvi Tamizuddin against the Federation of Pakistan. Ibrahim became very popular with his strong arguments in favour of parliamentarians.
Prime Minister
Being trained in constitutional law, Ibrahim worked for the Dominion of Pakistan. He is among the founders of the Dominion of Pakistan.
In 1957, the Prime Minister Suhrawardy resigned. After his resignation, the Awami League, the Krishak Sramik Party, the Republican Party and the Nizem-Islam Party nominated Ibrahim as the Prime Minister.
Ibrahim Ismail Chunrigar was the sixth prime minister of Pakistan on October 17, 1957. After a short duration, Ibrahim faces a vote of no confidence from the opposition and allies. As a result, he has resigned from the post of Prime Minister of Pakistan.
Death
The government selected Ibrahim as President of the Supreme Court Bar Association in 1958. He remained at this post till his death. Ibrahim met a haemorrhage in London, where he went in 1960 to speak at the International Law Conference. The ambulance took him to Royal Northern Hospital, but he could not survive.
The government arranged to bring his dead body back to Karachi, where he got great honour at his funeral ceremony. The McLeod Road in Karachi has become Ibrahim Ismail Chundrigar Road to give recognition to Ibrahim for his services.
Conclusion
To conclude, Ibrahim Ismail was a true statesman, a brilliant lawyer, ambassador and politician. He remained in several positions and played a significant role in every situation. Ibrahim adjusted himself to every other post and worked hard. He always remains on the shortlist for every critical post.