# Mufti Mehmood

Mufti Mehmood (Urdu: مفتی محمود; 1919–1980) was a Pakistani statesman and Islamic scholar who was one of the founding members of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI); widely regarded as one of the greatest politicians in the history of Pakistan - known for his political acumen. He served as the first elected Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and later on as the Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly. He led the opposition movement Pakistan National Alliance against Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, which eventually led to Bhutto's downfall. He was among the principal architects of the 1973 Constitution of Pakistan.

## Early life and career

Born in January 1919, he was an ethnic Marwat Pashtun from Abdul Khel, Dera Ismail Khan District, colonial India (now Pakistan). His father was a pir or Sufi spiritual leader. He received his religious education at Madrasa Shahi, Moradabad, UP and graduated from the Darul Uloom Deoband. In 1941, he worked as a teacher in Isakhel, Mianwali.
At the time of the Indian independence movement Mufti Mahmud opposed the partition of colonial India and opposed the creation of Pakistan. In 1971, on the separation of Bangladesh he said "Thank God, we are not involved in the sin of breaking Pakistan. ”

## In Pakistan

He served as a Muhtamim at Jamia Qasim-ul-Uloom in Multan and later in his career, he also held the positions of Chief Mudarras in charge of education, Chief Mufti, and Sheikh al-Hadith. He issued at least 25,000 Fatwas in his lifetime and his students included Maulana Abdullah Ghazi, Abdul Majeed Ludhianvi and Noor Muhammad.
Mufti Mahmud was a critic of family planning programme of Ayub Khan's government. He participated in the elections for the National Assembly for the first time under Ayub Khan's 'Basic Democracy Program' and defeated all his opponents in 1962. He also opposed the 'One Unit Scheme'.On 8 January 1968, in Dacca, then in East Pakistan, Mufti Mahmud was one of the key leaders of Jamhoori Majlis-e-Amal that opposed Ayub Khan's regime. In the 1970 general election, Mufti Mahmud had a landslide victory against Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto in the Dera Ismail Khan constituency.
After the 1970 general election in Pakistan, he became the president of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam founded by Maulana Shabir Ahmed Usmani. His party went into a coalition with the National Awami Party for the 1970 Pakistani general election. In the 1970s, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam received significant funding from Saudi Arabia.
On 1 March 1972, he was elected as the chief minister of the province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa during the Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto government in Pakistan.
During his tenure as chief minister, he instituted many reforms, such as prohibition against alcohol, making Urdu as the official language in government offices, ban on interest in financial transactions and declared Friday as the official holiday in his province.
Mufti Mahmud played a vital role in Tehreek-e-Khatme Nabuwwat, a religious movement which has highlighted the beliefs of the followers of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad in Pakistan, in 1953 and again in 1974. He led a team of Islamic scholars which worked for the declaration of Ahmadis as non-Muslims in 1974.
He and his cabinet resigned in protest at the dismissal of the NAP–JUI coalition government in Balochistan on 14 February 1973. He vowed to launch an anti-government movement, and first formed the UDF (United Democratic Front), and later on Pakistan National Alliance: the largest opposition movement in the history of Pakistan against Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. In 1977,the Pakistan National Alliance launched nationwide street agitation against the rigging of Bhutto in 1977 General Elections. The same year Bhutto was removed in a Coup d'etat by Zia ul Haq.
Towards the end of his life, he continued his endeavours for democracy, and in 1980 had started negotiations with his arch-rival PPP, for a joint struggle against dictatorship.
He supported the Afghan jihad against the USSR in 1979 (see also Soviet–Afghan War).

## Death and legacy

He died on 14 October 1980, in Karachi, Sindh at the age of 61. He was buried in his hometown Abdul Khel, Paniala, Dera Ismail Khan District. His son Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman is a politician who leads the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) party in Pakistan.