Altaf Husain

Altaf Husain
আলতাফ হোসেইন
الطاف حسين
Industry Minister of Pakistan
In office
17 August 1965 – 15 May 1968
PresidentFM Ayub Khan
Preceded byAbul Kashem Khan
Succeeded byVAdm Syed M. Ahsan
Editor–in–Chief of Dawn
In office
14 August 1947 – 16 August 1965
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byZiauddin Suleri
Personal details
Born
Altaf Husain

(1900-01-26)26 January 1900
Kulaura, Sylhet, Bengal Presidency, British India
(now Bangladesh)[1]
Died25 May 1968(1968-05-25) (aged 68)
Karachi, West Pakistan, Pakistan
Resting placePaposh nagar Nazimabad Cemetery
CitizenshipBritish India (1900–47)
Pakistan (1947–68)
NationalityPakistani
Political partyMuslim League
RelationsAnwar Husain (brother)
ChildrenAjmal Husain, Afsar Husain, Zeba Zubair, Ejaz Husain
ParentMaulvi Ahmedullah (father)
ResidenceKarachi
Alma materUniversity of Calcutta
University of Dhaka
OccupationJournalist
Known forOne of the pioneers of journalism in Pakistan
AwardsHilal-i-Pakistan (Crescent of Pakistan) Award by the Government of Pakistan in 1959

Altaf Husain (Bengali: আলতাফ হোসেইন, Urdu: الطاف حسين; 26 January 1900 – 25 May 1968) was an educationist, journalist, and Pakistan Movement activist. He is noted as one of the pioneers of print journalism in Pakistan and was the founding editor and the first editor-in-chief of English-language newspaper, Dawn, which he edited for almost twenty years.[2]

In addition, he served as Industry Minister of Pakistan in the administration of President Ayub Khan from 1965 until resigning in 1968 for health reasons. He is widely regarded as one of the key activists in the Pakistan Movement and penned several critically important articles in support of the case of Indian Muslims in British Indian Empire. He translated Shikwa and Jawab-e-Shikwa by the poet Muhammad Iqbal from Urdu into rhymed English verse, in 1943.[3][4]

  1. ^ "A Biography of Altaf Husain – Abiography". 26 June 2023.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Pakistan Institute of Public Affairs was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Muhammad Iqbal, tr. Altaf Husain, The Complaint and the answer: being Sir Muhammad Iqbal's Shikwah & Jawab-i-Shikwah, Shaikh Muhammad Ashraf (Lahore, 1943)
  4. ^ "The complaint and the answer : being Allama Sir Muhammad Iqbal's Shikwah & jawab-i-shikwah done into English verse". WorldCat.