Meraj Muhammad Khan

Meraj Muhammad Khan (; 20 October 1938 – 21 July 2016) was a well-known Pakistani socialist politician. He was noted as one of the key intellectuals and founding personalities of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and as a major contributor to the initial left of center/social democratic so-called Basic Programme of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). He was also the founder of Qaumi Mahaz-i-Azadi which he founded after leaving the PPP in 1977.

In addition, he was a well-known and influential socialist figure in the country, and known for his political struggle and advocacy against anti-capitalist convergence and the support of the social democracy.

Early life and education Khan was born on 20 October 1938, in Farrukhabad, Uttar Pradesh, British Indian Empire to an educated family of Zakha Khel Afridi tribe of Pashtun origin.

After graduating from a local high school in Quetta in 1956, Khan moved to Karachi where he attended DJ Science College and later pursued his higher education at Karachi University in 1957. At this competition, some activists of the Communist Party were sitting in the audience, who asked him to join the Communist Party after he won that debating competition.

He was among those who founded the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and fully endorsed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto for the PPP's chairmanship.

In 1973, Meraj fell out with the Bhutto government when Bhutto started to compromise on his so-called Socialist agenda and the regime resorted to repressive measures. He once said: "Ali Bhutto was a great man ... but he could be cruel."

Further activism (1980s) After leaving the PPP, he became a prominent democratic activist and leftist leader of the Movement for Restoration of Democracy (MRD) opposing the military government of President General Zia-ul-Haq.

Awami Insaf and the birth of PTI Basic Programme (1990s onwards) In 1998, he joined the center-left/centrist Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) headed by Imran Khan, but resigned from the party in 2003, citing differences with Khan.