Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy

Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy (September 8, 1892 - December 5, 1963) was a Pakistani statesman of Bengali origin who served as Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1956 until 1957.

Suhrawardy was born to a prominent Bengali family in the town of Mindapore, West Bengal. He completed his undergraduate studies at St. Caviares College, and completed a masters degree at Calcutta University. Afterwards, he moved to the United Kingdom to attend Oxford University from where he became a lawyer and was called to bar at Gray's Inn.

He returned to the subcontinent in 1921 where he became involved in politics in Bengal. Suhrawardy served as deputy mayor of Calcutta, Minister of Labor, and Minister of Civil Supplies under Khawaja Nazimuddin among other positions. In 1946, Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy established a Muslim League government in Bengal, being the only Muslim League government in India at the time.

Upon formation of Pakistan, Suhrawardy maintained his work in politics, continuing to focus on the Bengal, now East Pakistan. In 1949 he formed the East Pakistan Awami Muslim League, which would develop into the Awami League.

In the 1950s, Suhrawardy worked to consolodate political parties in East Pakistan to balance the politics of West Pakistan. Under Muhammad Ali Bogra, Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy would serve as Law Minister and later become the head of opposition parties.

In 1956, he was made Prime Minister by President of Pakistan Iskander Mirza after the resignation of Chaudhry Muhammad Ali. Suhrawardy inherited a political schism that was forming in Pakistan between the Muslim League and newer parties, such as the Republican party. The schism was fed by the attempt to consolodated the four provinces of West Pakistan into one province, so as to balance the fact that East Pakistan existed as only one province. Despite this attempt at equality, the plan was opposed in West Pakistan, and the cause was taken up by The Muslim League and religious parties. Suhrawardy supported the plan, but the vast opposition to it stalled it's progress.

In order to divert attention from the controversy over the "One Unit" plan as it was called, Suhrawardy tried to ease economic differences between East and West Pakistan. However, depsite his intentions, such moves only led to more political friction, and was worsened when Suhrawardy tried to give more money to East Pakistan than West Pakistan from aid received. Such moves led to a threat of dismissal looming over Shurwardy's head, and he resigned in 1957.

Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy died in 1963 due to complications from heart problems.