Hussain, Zakir

Hussain, Zakir (1898-1971) bureaucrat, governor of East Pakistan. Born on 2 November 1898 at Rangunia in Chittagong, he passed the matriculation examination in 1915 from Chittagong Collegiate School, IA in 1917 from Chittagong Government College and graduated in 1920 from the Mohammedan Anglo Oriental College (later Aligarh Muslim University), Aligarh.

Zakir Hussain joined the Indian Police Service in September 1923 and served in different districts of Bengal in different capacities. During the Second World War, he served as Ex-officio Shipping Master in Kolkata and then as Deputy Inspector General of Police of the Presidency Range. After the partition of India he was appointed as the first Inspector General of Police in East Pakistan (1947-1952). He retired from Police Service in 1952. Zakir Hussain was appointed chairman of the Federal Public Service Commission of Pakistan in 1952 which office he held till 1957.

Zakir Hussain was appointed Governor of East Pakistan on 10 October 1958 and took oath of office on 16 October. He was the governor of East Pakistan till 1960 when he became the Central Minister of Home Affairs of Pakistan to continue till 1962. He worked hard for popularizing the 'Basic Democracy' system of government initiated by President Ayub Khan and contributed much in his victory in the vote of confidence by the basic democrats held on 14 February 1960.

Zakir Hussain died in Chittagong on 24 May 1971. He got the Indian Police Medal in 1940 and later was awarded the Quaid-i-Azam Police Medal. [Abu Jafar]