Malik Meraj Khalid

Malik Meraj Khalid
4th (interim and Acting) Prime Minister of Pakistan Acting
In office 5 November 1996 – 17 February 1997
President	Farooq Leghari
Preceded by	Benazir Bhutto
Succeeded by	Nawaz Sharif
10thSpeaker of the National Assembly
In office March 27, 1977 – July 5, 1977
Preceded by	Sahibzada Farooq Ali
Succeeded by	Fakhar Imam
In office December 3, 1988 – November 4, 1990
Preceded by	Hamid Nasir Chattha
Succeeded by	Gohar Ayub Khan
Personal details
Born	20 September 1916(1916-09-20) Dera Chalal near Lahore, British Raj (now Pakistan)
Died	13 June 2003(2003-06-13) (aged 86) Lahore, Pakistan
Political party	Pakistan Peoples Party
Alma mater	Islamia College
Religion	Islam

Malik Meraj Khalid (September 20, 1916 - June 13, 2003) was a Pakistani lawyer and politician and the acting Prime Minister of Pakistan from November 5, 1996 till February 17, 1997.

Early life and career beginnings

Malik Meraj Khalid was born in Dera Chalal, a small village near Lahore. He was educated at Islamia College, Lahore^[1]. In 1948 he began to practice law. For the first time he elected to the Provincial Assembly of West Pakistan in 1965. In 1968 he joined the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and was appointed President of Lahore chapter. It was on the PPP ticket that he was successfully re-elected to the National Assembly in 1970.

Friendship with Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto

Malik Meraj Khalid, famous for his gentleness and honesty was a favourite of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, the flamboyant Prime Minister of Pakistan during 1970s. It was him who played a major role in the political career of Meraj Khalid by first appointing him as his Minister for Food and Agriculture and Under-Developed Areas in December 1971^[1]. Afterwards he was appointed Chief of the Party's Parliamentary Affairs in November 1972, and Minister of Social Welfare, Local Government and Rural Development in 1975.

Member and Speaker of National Assembly

After the execution of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto in April 1979, he was nominated member of the PPP's Central Committee but he eventually resigned from this position in January 1988. After once more successfully returning to the National Assembly in 1988, he was once again appointed as Speaker of the National Assembly in 1988. However, he lost the subsequent elections in 1993, and remained aloof from politics for sometime. During this period of solitude he kept on serving as the Rector of International Islamic University in Islamabad.

Interim Prime Minister

President Farooq Leghari, using the powers granted him by the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan, dismissed the government of Benazir Bhutto in November 1996, accusing it of corruption and politically motivated killings. Malik Meraj Khalid was asked to officiate the interim government before new elections.

As caretaker prime minister, Malik Meraj Khalid set a new precedent of austerity. On most occasions, he travelled without protocol. He would often be seen strolling on the Mall in Lahore.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Malik Meraj Khalid - The story of Pakistan

External links

1. Chronicles Of Pakistan
2. A profile of Malik Meraj Khalid
3. Meraj Khalid passes away

Political offices
Preceded by Abdul Hamid Khan Dasti	Chief Minister of Punjab 1972–1973	Succeeded by Ghulam Mustafa Khar
Preceded by Sahibzada Farooq Ali	Speaker of National Assembly 1977	Succeeded by Fakhar Imam
Preceded by Hamid Nasir Chattha	Speaker of National Assembly 1988–1990	Succeeded by Gohar Ayub Khan
Preceded by Benazir Bhutto	Prime Minister of Pakistan Acting 1996–1997	Succeeded by Nawaz Sharif

Persondata
Name	Khalid, Meraj
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	20 September 1916
Place of birth	Dera Chalal near Lahore, British Raj (now Pakistan)
Date of death	13 June 2003
Place of death	Lahore, Pakistan