Mohammad Ali Bogra

Early political career (1930–1947)

Before his entrance in the politics, the Bogra family were influential Nawabs active in Bengali politics and Muslim League as a party worker in 1930. In the 1937 Indian provincial elections he was elected to the Bengal Legislative Assembly. His uncle, Hasan Ali Chowdhury was also elected to the assembly, but from an opposing party.

In 1938, he was elected chairman of the Bogra District Board, a position he retained until June 1942. He served in the opposition until 1943 when the Muslim League had gained political support and he was made parliamentary secretary to then-Chief Minister Khawaja Nazimuddin. In 1946, he was asked by Husyn Suhrawardy to join his cabinet and subsequently held ministerial portfolio of health, finance, and local government. As health minister, he founded the Dhaka Medical College and the Calcutta Lake Medical College.

Bogra supported the Muslim League's call for creation of Pakistan through the partition of British India and successfully defended his constituency in the general elections held in 1945. In 1947, he joined the first Constituent Assembly. While in Dacca in 1948, he received Governor-General Muhammad Ali Jinnah and reportedly dissented on the issue of populist language movement being excluded as an official state language of Pakistan. He strongly advised Chief Minister Sir Khawaja Nazimuddin to restrain Jinnah from announcing the measure, but was rebuked.

Diplomatic career (1947–1952)

In 1948, Bogra was asked by Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan to be appointed the Pakistan ambassador to the Kingdom of Egypt to head the Pakistani diplomatic mission in Cairo, which Bogra declined. Instead, he chose the diplomatic assignment in neighboring Burma and presented his credentials in Rangoon in 1948. Soon after becoming Pakistan Ambassador to Burma, his political philosophy reflected a conservative mindset and took an anti-communist stance when he supported the Burma's military operations against the communists. In 1948, he showed concerns of communist expansion in Pakistan when he reportedly told Pakistani journalists that: "even [sic] if the Burmese Government succeed in suppressing the communists, it is possible they may shift the centre of communist efforts to Pakistan."

In 1949, he left Burma to become high commissioner to Canada, a position he held until 1952. In February 1952, he was made ambassador to the United States.

Watching the campaign for the 1952 United States presidency, Bogra conjectured, according to Husain Haqqani, that Pakistan could obtain economic and military aid from the United States by casting itself as a front line state in the battle to contain Soviet communism. He vigorously lobbied anticommunists in Washington, D.C. to that end. In Pakistan's political circle, he was seen as extremely having pro-American views and had fondness of the country, the United States. He also helped negotiate the United States' officer assistance advisory to be dispatch to Pakistan, in an agreement he signed with the United States government in 1952.

Bogra gained a reputation "for his excessive praise of everything American." Pakistani historians held him widely responsibly as one of the principal personalities putting Pakistan in the alliance of the United States against the Soviet Union. He was a little-known pro-American political outsider when Ghulam Muhammad chose him in 1953 to replace Khawaja Nazimuddin as prime minister.

Premiership (1953–1955)

The issue of the Bengali Language Movement in East in 1952, the rise of the Pakistan Socialist Party, and the riots in Lahore against the Ahmadi in 1953 were the defining factors that led to the dismissal of Prime Minister Khawaja Nazimuddin by Governor-General Ghulam Muhammad on 17 April 1953.

Bogra was recalled to Karachi from Washington, D.C. for further consultation, but Governor-General Ghulam Muhammad moved to appoint him as the new prime minister and the President of the Muslim League, which the party had accepted. Under pressure he accepted the new appointment from Ghulam Muhammad. Initially, he kept the federal ministries of foreign affairs and defence until appointing a new cabinet. Upon taking over the government, Bogra dismissed the elected East Bengali government of A.K. Fazlul Huq on 30 May 1954 for "treasonable activities." He appointed then-defence secretary Iskander Mirza as the Governor of East Bengal, but this appointment only lasted a couple of months.

Bogra's new cabinet—known as the "Ministry of Talents"—included Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army Ayub Khan as Defence Minister and Governor Iskander Ali Mirza as Interior Minister and Minister of States and Frontier Regions.

After Bogra's appointment, U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower ordered the shipment of thousands of tons of wheat to Pakistan. Bogra was eager to strengthen military ties with the United States; however, the U.S. moved cautiously to not damage their relations with India. He signed several agreement with the United States, most notably the Mutual Defense Assistance Agreement in 1954, which provided U.S. military assistance to Pakistan. During Bogra's premiership, Pakistan also joined the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization in 1955. His foreign policy was noted for strong "anti-Soviet agitation" because he viewed the Soviet Union as "imperialist", but did not label the same for China despite both being ideologically close. In 1955, Bogra helped organize and attended the Bandung Conference in Indonesia, expressing his approval for greater Afro-Asian cooperation and opposition to European colonialism.

Bogra sought to address and resolve the Kashmir conflict with India. In 1953, he met with Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on the sidelines of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in London. Bogra also received Nehru when he paid an official visit to Karachi, and Nehru reciprocated during Bogra's visit to New Delhi shortly after. They discussed the possibility of a plebiscite in Kashmir, but were unable to agree on someone to oversee it.

As a part of his approach towards India, Bogra pushed for a stronger military to achieve peace in the subcontinent, arguing: "[w]hen there is more equality of military strength, then I am sure that there will be a greater chance of settlement."

Bogra formula

The Bogra Formula was a political compromise presented and proposed by Bogra on 7 October 1953 before the Constituent Assembly. Upon taking the control of the Prime Minister's Secretariat, Bogra announced that drafting of the codified Constitution was his primary target, and within six months, he announced a proposal that leads to the drafting of the constitution writ.

The framework proposed the establishment of more effective bicameral parliament that would be composed of a 300-seat National Assembly with proportionate representation based on population, alongside a Senate with equal representation for the five provinces: West Punjab, the North-West Frontier Province, Sind, Baluchistan, and East Bengal.

Under this framework, the largest number of constituencies for the National Assembly were given to East Bengal—with 165 reserved seats—followed by West Punjab with 75 seats, the North-West Frontier Province with 24 seats, Sind with 19 seats, and Baluchistan with 17 seats. The Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Federal Capital Territory, Bahawalpur, Khairpur, and Baluchistan States Union, were given a combined representation of 24 reserved seats. East Bengal was given more seats due to its social homogeneity in the National Assembly, in contrast to the reserved seats for the other provinces which were all were socially heterogeneous and ethnically diverse. However, the combined the reserved seats for the West Pakistani provinces were in balance with East Bengal in the bicameral parliament. Both the houses were given equal power, and in case of a conflict between the two houses, the issue was to be presented before a joint session.

The Bogra framework also created check and balances to avoid permanent domination by any of the five provinces, in which a provision was made that if the president was elected from the four provinces of West Pakistan, then the prime minister was to be elected from East Bengal, and vice versa. The president was to be elected for a term of 5 years through an Electoral College formed by both houses.

The Supreme Court was to be given more power and institutional judicial independence that would permanently replace the Islamic clergy to decide if a law was in accordance with Sharia.

The Bogra formula was highly popular and widely welcomed by the people as opposed to the Basic Principles Committee led by former Prime Minister Nazimuddin, as it was seen with great enthusiasm amongst the masses because it could bridge the differences between the two wings of Pakistan and act as a source of unity.

Despite its public popularity, Governor-General Ghulam Muhammad, threatened by a curbing of his powers, dissolved the Constituent Assembly in 1954 with the support of the Pakistani civil and military establishment.

One Unit policy

Following the failure to implement a constitutional formula, Bogra began working towards the controversial One Unit scheme that integrated the four West Pakistani provinces into a single province. He justified this scheme when he stated:

There will be no Bengalis, no Punjabis, no Sindhis, no Pathans, no Balochis, no Bahawalpuris, no Khairpuris. The disappearance of these groups will strengthen the integrity of Pakistan...

— Prime Minister M. A. Bogra, presenting the One Unit on 22 November 1954

The scheme was ultimately implemented by his successor, Chaudhri Muhammad Ali, in October 1955.

Dismissal

On 4 August 1955, the Cabinet accepted Governor-General Malik Ghulam Muhammad's request for a leave of absence due to ill health. They chose Interior Minister Iskander Mirza to replace him, and Mirza was sworn in as acting governor-general three days later.

Soon after the appointment, Mirza confronted Bogra on regional disparity despite the fact that both men were Bengalis, and forced Bogra to resign from the prime ministership. Mirza also dismissed Malik Ghulam Muhammad and sent a letter of notification to inform him of the political developments.

Ambassador to the United States (1955–1959)

After his dismissal, Bogra was appointed the Pakistani Ambassador to the United States when he recalled Amjad Ali, who was appointed Finance Minister.

Foreign Minister (1962–63)

In 1959, he left the ambassadorial assignment after the then-Chief Martial Law Administrator Ayub Khan took control of the government from President Iskander Mirza in 1958. Ayub appointed Bogra foreign minister.

Soon after his appointment, he visited China where he continued talks with the Chinese leadership that eventually led to a settlement with China regarding the China–Pakistan border. As foreign minister, he guided a pro-Western policy but made efforts to improve relations with the Soviet Union. Bogra said in 1962 that there was no such thing as friends forever or enemies forever– only national interests count.

During this time, his health became a serious issue and illness caused him to miss out the meeting over Kashmir but his deputy Zulfikar Ali Bhutto attended in the United States on 26 December 1962. In 1963, Bogra died while staying in Dacca and was buried at the Bogra Nawab Palace in East Pakistan, now Bangladesh.

Personal life

Ali was married twice; his first wife was Begum Hamida Mohammed Ali, and his second wife was a Lebanese lady, Aliya Begum. This marriage was controversial because it constituted polygamy, which was uncommon among the elites of Pakistan.

Death

Bogra died on 23 January 1963 in Dacca. Politician Ajmal Ali Choudhury offered condolences and felt "deep sorrow" for the sudden death.