Yusuf Ali Chowdhury

Who was Yusuf Ali Chowdhury?

Yusuf Ali Chowdhury, commonly referred to as Mohan Mia, was a prominent Bengali Muslim politician in South Asia. He played an active role in the Pakistan Movement as a leading figure of the Muslim League in Bengal. He was a member of the Bengal Legislative Assembly in the 1930s and 1940s and also became a minister in the provincial government of East Bengal led by Sher-e-Bangla A.K. Fazlul Huq in 1950s. Later on he went onto to become a Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan. As candidates suggested by him had won almost all the seats in the sweeping election of 1954 which propelled Bengali nationalists into the central government, Pakistan's press proclaimed Mohan Mia "The King Maker of East Pakistan".

He became a champion of Bengali rights during the early days of Pakistan. In 1954, under the orders of Governor Iskander Mirza, the Pakistani government arrested the two most outspoken leaders of East Bengal at the time - Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Yusuf Ali Chowdhury. The arrests led to an outcry across the province and triggered mass protests. In the following days thousands were arrested including university professors, provincial assembly members, and students. The government's tough stand aggravated the already bitter resentment of Bengalis following the Language Movement of 1952.