13 Facts About Akhter Husain

Akhter Husain, HPk, OBE, was a senior statesman and civil servant of Pakistan.

Akhter Husain was appointed Governor of West Pakistan in September 1957 succeeding Mushtaq Ahmed Gurmani and then continued in this office during the regime of General Muhammad Ayub Khan until April 1960.

Akhter Husain was born on 1 August 1902 at Burhanpur and received his early education from Hakimia High School, Burhanpur before proceeding to MAO College at Aligarh, graduating later from Allahabad University.

Akhter Husain was selected for the Indian Civil Service in 1924 and completed his education and training at St John's College, Cambridge, England.

Akhter Husain served in various administrative positions in different districts of the province, before being appointed as Under Secretary in the Government of India in 1930.

Akhter Husain received a British government award of Order of the British Empire on 1 January 1944 for his groundbreaking work of settlement in the district of Gurgaon in Punjab in 1943.

Akhter Husain was appointed Chief Secretary in the undivided Punjab in 1946, a position he occupied during the partition of British India.

Akhter Husain continued to serve as the Chief Secretary of West Punjab in the newly formed Dominion of Pakistan in 1947.

Akhter Husain was appointed Governor on 28 August 1957 and remained in this position following the imposition of Martial law in October 1958.

Akhter Husain was responsible for raising money for the construction of the Pakistan Day Memorial Monument and laid its foundation stone in the then Minto Park Lahore on 23 March 1960.

Akhter Husain was the recipient of the honorary degree of Doctor of Law from the University of the Punjab.

Akhter Husain was appointed Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan and served in that position between 1962 and 1964.

Akhter Husain held the office of President of Anjuman-i Taraqqi-i Urdu from 1962 to 1983 and was Chairman of Pakistan Burmah Shell from 1968 until his death in 1983.