Waris Pathan

Waris Pathan (born 29 November 1968) is an Indian politician and lawyer.[1] He previously served as an MLA for the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen in Byculla, Mumbai.[2]

Waris Pathan
Pathan during an interview
Member of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly
In office
16 October 2014 – 24 October 2019
Preceded byMadhukar Chavan, INC
Succeeded byYamini Yashwant Jadhav, Shiv Sena
ConstituencyByculla
Personal details
Born (1968-11-29) 29 November 1968
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
NationalityIndian
Political partyAll India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen
Children2
OccupationPolitician
ProfessionLawyer

As a legal advocate, Pathan's clients have included one of the accused in the 1993 Bombay bombings, and the actor Salman Khan in a hit-and-run case.[3]

Personal life

Pathan was born in Bandra, Mumbai on 29 November 1968 to Yusuf Pathan.[4]

Pathan joined the legal profession in August 1991. He was the first lawyer to get a TADA accused bail out on interim bail on medical grounds. The Supreme Court of India has upheld the bail order in favour of the accused (Abdul Hamid Birya v/s state).[5]

Political career

In 2014 Pathan was elected Member of the Legislative Assembly on an All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) ticket from Mumbai's Byculla assembly constituency.[6][7][8]

On 16 March 2016, Pathan was unanimously suspended from the Maharashtra Assembly on charges of disrespecting the country and anti-nationalism for refusing to chant the slogan Bharat Mata Ki Jai (Victory for Mother India) when asked to do so in the assembly by Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Ram Kadam. He later said, "I love my country. I was born here and I will die here. I can never dream of insulting my country. Don’t judge anyone's love for the country by just one slogan. Jai Hind, Jai Bharat, Jai Maharashtra (Victory to India, Victory to Maharashtra)".[9][10]

He contested the 2019 Maharashtra Legislative Assembly election from Byculla, but was defeated by Yamini Yashwant Jadhav of Shiv Sena.

Controversy

On 19 February 2020, during a rally against the Citizenship Amendment Act, Pathan said, "Remember we are 15 crore but can dominate over 100 crore."[11] He was criticised for his comment. After this incident an FIR was filed against him.[12] In his defence, Pathan said the "100" in his statement was not in reference to the 100 crore Hindus in India, as the media and BJP had suggested, but to those "100 people" who are engaging in anti-Muslim politics.[13] AIMIM Maharashtra unit chief Imtiyaz Jaleel said that the party will seek an explanation from Pathan over his remark.[14]

References
  1. "Byculla MLA: Waris Pathan". I am in DNA of India. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  2. "All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen". AIMIM. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  3. "Waris Pathan: The accidental politician". Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  4. "Waris Y. Pathan Defence Counsel Advocate". Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  5. "Waris Y. Pathan Advocate - High Court". Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  6. "ADVOCATE WARIS YUSUF PATHAN (Winner)". Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  7. "Byculla MIM Candidate Waris pathan wins. MIM has officially entered Maharashtra". AIMIM. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  8. "AIMIM's Waris Yousuf Pathan wins Byculla assembly constituency in Maharashtra's Assembly Elections 2014 Results". NewsWala.com. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  9. Alok Deshpande (16 March 2016). "MIM MLA suspended from Maharashtra Assembly for refusing to say 'Bharat Mata ki Jai'". The Hindu.
  10. "Maharashtra MIM MLA refuses to say 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' in Assembly, suspended". IBNLive.
  11. "Waris Pathan: 15 crore people can dominate 100 crore, says AIMIM's Waris Pathan | India News - Times of India". The Times of India. 20 February 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  12. Dwarakanath, Nagarjun (22 February 2020). "FIR against AIMIM leader Waris Pathan over '15 crore Muslims...' remark". India Today. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  13. "As Bluster Blows Up, AIMIM's Waris Pathan Dials Back on '15 Crore vs 100' Rhetoric". The Wire. 22 February 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  14. PTI (22 February 2020). "AIMIM To Seek Explanation From Waris Pathan Over "15 Crore Muslim" Remark". NDTV.com. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
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