Abdul Matin Chaudhary

Abdul Matin Chaudhary
আব্দুল মতিন চৌধুরী
عبدالمتین چودھری
Member of the 1st National Assembly of Pakistan
In office
1947–1948
Preceded byPost established
Minister of Agriculture, Pakistan
In office
1947–1948
Preceded byPost established
Member of the Assam Legislative Assembly
In office
1937–1947
Prime MinisterMuhammed Saadulah
ConstituencySylhet Sadar (East)
Deputy President of Indian Legislative Assembly
In office
March 1933 – 1934
Preceded byR. K. Shanmukham Chetty
Succeeded byAkhil Chandra Datta
Member of Central Legislative Assembly
In office
1926–1934
Preceded byAhmad Ali Khan
Succeeded byAbdur Rasheed Choudhury
ConstituencyAssam (Muslim)
Personal details
Born13 February 1895
Bhadeshwar,Golapganj, Sylhet District
Died28 December 1948 (aged 53)
Karachi, Sind, Pakistan
Resting placeMewa Shah Graveyard, Karachi
Parents
  • Abdul Karim Chaudhary (father)
  • Habibunnesa Khatun (mother)
Alma materAligarh Muslim University
Ripon College
OccupationPolitician and journalist
NicknameKola Mia

Abdul Matin Chaudhary (Bengali: আব্দুল মতিন চৌধুরী; 1895–1948), also known by his daak naam Kola Mia (Bengali: কলা মিঞা; Urdu: کیلا میاں), and the epithet Jinnar Daan Haat (lit. Jinnah's right hand), was a Pakistani Bengali politician, journalist and a member of the 1st National Assembly of Pakistan as a representative of East Bengal. He was also Pakistan's inaugural Minister of Agriculture.

Early life and education

Chaudhary was born on 13 February 1895 to a Bengali Muslim family in the mahalla of Fatehkhani in Bhadeshwar pargana, Golapganj, Sylhet District, North-West Frontier Province. His father, Abdul Karim Chaudhary, was a sub-inspector and his mother, Habibunnesa Khatun, was a housewife. The title of Chaudhary was awarded to his ancestor Dost Mohammed by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in c. 1745.

He completed his secondary education at the Sylhet Government High School where he gained a first class in 1912. He then proceeded to study at the Murari Chand College where he completed his intermediate examinations in 1914. In 1916, Chaudhary graduated from the Aligarh Muslim University in North India. He also completed his Bachelor of Laws from Ripon College in Calcutta in 1919.

Political career

Chaudhary served as a Minister for two terms in the Bengal provincial government during British Rule. He contributed to the establishment of the Assam Provincial Muslim League in 1937, and served as Commerce Minister at the Assam Legislative Assembly under Muhammed Saadulah. Between 1945 and 1947, he was a member of the All-India Muslim League's working committee. In 1947, he became a member of the 1st National Assembly of Pakistan and the country's first Minister of Agriculture. He was also a chief advisor to Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani, a longtime member of the Aligarh University Court and a member of Pakistan's first Pay Commission.

Journalism

Chaudhary founded the Bengali weekly magazine Jugbheri in 1932. He also published an English weekly magazine titled "The Eastern Herald" in 1939. Other than that, he was an editor of The Mohammadi and a long-time assistant editor of the Daily Forward newspaper. He worked in the editing board of the Bombay Chronicle from 1926 to 1927.

Death

Chaudhary died on 28 December 1948. He was buried in the historic Mewa Shah Graveyard in Karachi.