Abdullah Malik (10 October 1920 10 April 2003) was a Pakistani journalist, writer and political historian. While being an active member of

communist party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. ...

, he contributed to

Pakistan movement The Pakistan Movement ( ur, , translit=Teḥrīk-e-Pākistān) was a political movement in the first half of the 20th century that aimed for the creation of Pakistan from the Muslim-majority areas of British India. It was connected to the per ...

as a journalist. He worked at various newspapers as a foreign correspondent such '' Daily Imroze'' and

Pakistan Times ''Pakistan Times'' (1947–1996) was a Pakistani newspaper, originally established by the leftist Progressive Papers Limited based in Lahore, Pakistan. Historical background It was owned and operated by Mian Iftikharuddin, a Punjabi politic ...

of Progressive Papers Limited. He also wrote more than twenty-four books, most of which are focused on the

history of Punjab The History of Punjab refers to the past human history of Punjab region which is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in the northwest of the Indian subcontinent, comprising eastern Pakistan and Punjab state in India. It is believe ...

and

Indo-Pakistani wars and conflicts Since the Partition of British India in 1947 and subsequent creation of the dominions of India and Pakistan, the two countries have been involved in a number of wars, conflicts, and military standoffs. A long-running dispute over Kashmir and ...

Biography

He was born on 10 October 1920 in Lahore, British India. He obtained his education from the

Government Islamia College Government Islamia College Civil Lines ( ur, اسلامیہ کالج ), formerly called Dayanand Anglo Vedic College, is a government college in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Founded by Arya Samaj as the school of Dayanand Anglo Vedic on June 1, ...

. After he established his association with Movement for Liberation, he remained associated with the Communist Party of India until he died. In the 1940s, he worked for CPI's newspapers '' Qaumi Jang'' which played a significant role to the cause of

dominion of India The Dominion of India, officially the Union of India,* Quote: “The first collective use (of the word "dominion") occurred at the Colonial Conference (April to May 1907) when the title was conferred upon Canada and Australia. New Zealand and N ...

and

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

. Later, after the

partition of the Indian subcontinent The Partition of British India in 1947 was the change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: India and Pakista ...

, he was jailed in

Lahore Fort The Lahore Fort ( ur, , lit=Royal Fort, translit=Shāhī Qilā, label= Punjabi and Urdu) is a citadel in the city of Lahore, Pakistan. The fortress is located at the northern end of walled city Lahore, and spreads over an area greater than 20 ...

prison in 1951. In the 1960s, he served as London correspondent for ''Daily Imroze'' and the ''Pakistan Times newspapers. However in 1971, he was jailed by the military dictator

Yahya Khan General Agha Muhammad Yahya Khan , (Urdu: ; 4 February 1917 – 10 August 1980); commonly known as Yahya Khan, was a Pakistani military general who served as the third President of Pakistan and Chief Martial Law Administrator following his p ...

for opposing military operation in East Pakistan. He was among the few Pakistanis who supported Bangladesh Liberation War, following which he was dismissed from the job at ''Daily Imroze'', which was controlled by the military dictators at the time. Following his dismissal, he established ''Azad'', a daily national newspaper which was later banned by the military after Bangladesh's liberation war broke out. Prior to its closure, he wrote columns and on historical topics for the newspapers besides producing scholarly works on history and politics.

Death

Malik was suffering from a chronic condition of a lung disease. He was subsequently admitted to

Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences ( ur, , abbreviated as PIMS) is a research oriented health sciences institute located in Islamabad, Pakistan. It is one of the region's leading tertiary level hospitals which includes 22 medical and ...

where he died on 10 April 2003. He has two sons.

References

External links

Abdullah Malik's books
at

Rekhta ''Rekhta'' ( ur, ; hi, रेख़्ता ) was the Hindustani language as its dialectal basis shifted to the Delhi dialect. This style evolved in both the Perso-Arabic and Devanagari scripts and is considered an early form of Urdu and H ...

Legendary Abdullah Malik remembered
Dawn (newspaper)
Fifth death anniversary of fearless journalist Abdullah Malik
Pakistan Press Foundation website * (Omar Kauser Malik

Academy of the Punjab in North America website {{DEFAULTSORT:Malik, Abdullah 1920 births 2003 deaths Journalists from Lahore 20th-century Pakistani writers Pakistani columnists Pakistani literary historians Government Islamia College alumni