Fareed Mirza

FAREED MIRZA

Date of Birth: 7^th July, 1918

            Fareed Mirza, who gave much importance to the concept of freedom and independence, was born on 7^th July, 1918 in Hyderabad.  He joined as an Officer in the Nizam State after his graduation from Osmania University.  Fareed Mirza was interested in the Indian National Movement from the beginning and he supported the demand for the merger of Nizam State into Indian Union in 1947, when India attained Independence.  He resigned from his job on 14^th July, 1948 to participate in the movement for the merger of Hyderabad state into Indian Union.  He appealed to Muslims of Nizam State to speak out against the repression of those supporting the merger with nationalist outlook.  Fareed Mirza had a draft statement prepared with the help of his friend Baqar Ali Mirza and garnered support for it from prominent Muslims of the Hyderabad city.  This historical statement advised the Nawab of Nizam to merge his Hyderabad State into Indian Union as per opinion expressed by the public.  Fareed Mirza got this statement published in local Urdu news papers on 13^th August, 1948 with the title ‘An Open Letter to the VII-Nizam from seven Prominent Muslims’.  This statement stirred sensation in the Nizam state and also irked its rulers.  The Nizam Government strictly ordered Fareed Mirza to withdraw the statement immediately.  But, Mirza and his friends refused to do so.  Several other news papers, which supported the ideology of ‘Ittehad-ul-Muslimin’ criticised Fareed Mirza and his friends branding them as traitors.  But, Mirza and his friends did not step back from their stand.  They also rejected the proposal brought out by a diplomat from Nizam.  As a result, they had to face the danger of attacks.  But, Mirza was not frightened.  Later on, he served as a member of the Rehabilitation Committee formed for the welfare of the people, who had suffered losses during the so called ‘Police Action’ in Hyderabad state.  He joined as a deputy collector in Hyderabad on 1^st August, 1949, but resigned from the job in April, 1961.  Fareed Mirza started his own Printing Press and worked as an agent of the Life Insurance Corporation of India.