Prof. Dr. Ishtiaq Hussain Qureshi   was a noted historian, educationist and scholar of Pakistan as well as a prolific writer. He is regarded as the founding member of Muqtadra Qaumi Zaban and served as the first education minister of Pakistan. He is also credited for editing a four-volume series on history of Pakistan

 

Ishtiaq was born on November 20, 1903 in a noble family of Patiali, District Etah, a town in Uttar Pradesh, British India. He did matriculation in 1916, and joined MAO College Aligarh. At this time, he took active part in Khilafat movement. He did graduation and M.A. in History from St. Stephen's College, Delhi with distinction. In 1927, he got M.A. in Persian. He served as Lecturer in History at St. Stephen's College from 1928 to 1944. Between 1937-40, he studied at Cambridge University for a PhD degree. The topic of his thesis was Administration of Sultanate of Delhi. During this period, he also briefly joined the Pakistan National Movement founded by Choudhary Rahmat Ali.

 

After returning from England, he joined Delhi University where he was appointed Professor of History, and subsequently, the Dean of the Faculty of Arts. He also served as Acting Vice Chancellor of the Delhi University. In 1947, during the Partition riots, when the Muslim students of the St Stephen's College had to be evacuated to the Purana Qila, Dr Qureshi's library was completely burnt down by the mobs.

 

After suffering from riots, he migrated to Pakistan in 1948. There, he continued his academic and political career, and served as a member of the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan. In 1949, he was appointed Professor of History at the University of the Punjab,Lahore. He also joined the Government of Pakistan as Minister of Refugee Rehabilitation, and later as Minister of Education. Later on, he joined the Columbia University, New York where he wrote his famous book, the Muslim Community of the Subcontinent, as a story of the trials and tribulations of the Muslims in the subcontinent. On his return, he played a pivotal role in the establishment of the University of Karachi. He died on January 22, 1981 in Karachi.

 

He was:

§  Member of the Indian as well as Pakistan Historical Records Commissions,

§  Member of the Councils of the Indian and the Pakistan Institute of International Affairs,

§  Member of the Executive Committees of the Indian History Conference and Pakistan History Society.

§  Vice-President of the Pakistan History Society

§  President of Pakistan Political Science Association.

§  General President of Pakistan History conference as well as Pakistan Political Science conference.

§  Director of the Central Institute of Islamic Research,

§  Founding member of Urdu Language Authority Muqtadra Quami Zaban, and

§  Vice-Chancellor of the University of Karachi (1961).

 

 Political activities

§  Elected to the Constituent Assembly of India, and then to the

§  Constituent Assembly of Pakistan

§  Between 1949-1954, he remained deputy minister, then minister of state and finally as minister with cabinet rank in Government of Pakistan.

 

 Honours

§  In recognition of his services he was decorated with the order of Sitara-e-Pakistan (Star of Pakistan).

§  On November 20, 2001, Pakistan Post issued a commemorative postage in his name

§  The annual Ishtiaq Hussain Qureshi Memorial Lecture continues to be organised by the History Society of St. Stephen's College

 

 Work

His books on the history of Muslim community in the subcontinent as well as other publications on the Pakistan Movement, Administration of the Mughul Empire, role of religious scholars in politics, brought him into the category of the distinguished historians of subcontinent. After retirement he associated with writing and research.

 

 English titles

§  Administration of the Sultanate of Dehli (1942)

§  Ulema in Politics

§  Akbar, the Architect of Mughal Empire

§  Education in Pakistan

§  The Administration of Mughal Empire

§  Struggle for Pakistan

§  The Muslim community of the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent, 610-1947: a brief historical analysis. Gravenhage, Mouton. 1962

§  A Short History of Pakistan (General Editor)

§  The Religion of Peace (1930)

 

 Urdu titles

§  But Tarash

§  Band Lifafa

§  Katt Putlian

§  Gunha ki Diwar

§  Mitthai ki Tokri

§  Moalim Aswad

§  Mullah Aala

§  Nafrat ka Beej

§  Hamzaad

§  Neem Shab

§  Naqsh-e-Akhir