Forum Pakistan

Husain, Fazle, Mian Sir (1877-1936) Politician. With a Masters degree from Cambridge University, Sir Fazle Husain was called to the Bar at Gray's Inn. Returning to India, he worked as Professor and Principal, Islarnia College, Lahore (1907-8) and then as Syndic, University of the Punjab (1912-21). He was President of the All-India Mohammedan Educational Conference in 1922. Entering politics, he was elected to the Punjab Legislative Council in 1920 and became Minister for Education, *Punjab, in 1921. He served as Member (for Education) Viceroy's Executive Council, Member Indian delegation to League of Nations, delegate to *Round Table Conferences and VicePresident Governor-General's Council (1934).

Sir Fazle Husain started a party called the *Muslim League in 1905. Later, it came to be known as the 'Progressive' Muslim League. In 1923, he co-founded with Sir Chotu Ram the Punjab National Unionist Party, later to be called simply the Unionist Party. The creed of Sir Fazle Husain was loyalty to the British, to strive for the statutory majority of Muslims in the Punjab, provincial autonomy and promotion of the feudal class. All these considerations led him to organise the
Unionist Party on intercommunal lines, along with Hindus and *Sikhs. This cooperation enabled him to counteract moneylenders and re-inforce the protective Land Alienation Act 1900 as well as to keep all-India Parties like the Congress and the Muslim League out of Punjab.
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Sir Fazle Husain's simultaneous opposition to weightage and support to separate electorates led him to adopt an equivocal attitude to the *Lucknow Pact and of hostility to the *Delhi Muslim Proposals. In 1931, however, he was prepared to consider joint electorates, provided that the Muslim. majority in Punjab and *Bengal was guaranteed. He co-founded with Sir Mohammad *Shafi the All-India Muslim Conference, which favoured cooperation with the Simon Commission. The All-India Muslim Conference co-sponsored the *Fourteen Points but preferred an intercommunal Unionist party and rebuffed the efforts of M.A. *Jinnah to form a parliamentary party of the AIML in the Punjab. This led to the defeat of the AIML in the Punjab provincial elections of 1937.

WORKS: 'Our Political Programme', Lahore, 1930; (ed.) Waheed Ahmad, 'Letters of Mian Fazle-Husain', Lahore, 1967; 1d. 'Diary and Notes of Mian Fazle-Husain; Lahore, 1976; Mian Sir Fazle-Husain Papers', 1.0.L. MSSEUR-E352, London.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Sayyid Nur Ahmad, 'Mian Fazle-Husain', Lahore, 1935; Azim Husain, 'Fazle-Husain', Lahore, 1946.