Aftab Ali

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Aftab Ali (1907–1972) was a Bengali social reformer, politician, and businessman who worked to help Indian and British Asian seamen, especially lascars, migrate, settle, and find work in Britain. He was the founder of the All-India Seamen’s Federation and served in political bodies in both India and Pakistan.

Early life
Aftab Ali was born on 20 January 1907 in Kathalkhair, Sylhet District, in the British Raj. His family was involved in river trade, and his father owned boats. At 18, Ali left school and moved to Calcutta, where he worked with volunteers and activists. In 1923, he sailed to the United States as a stoker on a ship, jumped ship to seek education and work, and returned to Bengal in 1925 with first‑hand experience of poor seamen’s conditions.

Trade unions and politics
In 1925, Ali joined the Indian Seamen’s Union in Calcutta and soon became its general secretary. In January 1937, he united several small unions into the All-India Seamen’s Federation. That same year he also joined the Bengal Legislative Assembly after the provincial elections.

International work and WWII era
Ali spent time in London in 1933 for the Round Table Conference, representing Indian seamen and other workers. He travelled to the UK again around 1939, helping to organize the federation’s presence there. He worked with Krishna Menon and attended several important labor meetings. During World War II, Ali helped negotiate with British shipowners to improve wages and working conditions for Asian lascars. He helped push for releases and re-employment of imprisoned seamen and continued to campaign for better treatment.

Later roles andPartition
In 1942 he was named honorary lieutenant commander in the Royal Indian Navy. After the Partition of India in 1947, Ali moved to East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) and became an independent Member of Parliament. He did not support partition but continued his work to aid British Asian seamen. In the 1950s, he founded the Overseas Seamen’s Welfare Association to help distressed seamen and their families gain British passports. He also opened a passport office in his house in Sylhet.

International and national service
Ali attended major international labor conferences, including Geneva in 1951 and Havana in 1953, and he visited the Soviet Union, Ceylon, Indonesia, and China for labor delegations. He became the first Minister of Labour for East Pakistan and was a member of the 3rd National Assembly of Pakistan (1962–1965). He lived in Mirboxtula, East Pakistan, during this period.

Death and legacy
Aftab Ali died on 22 December 1972 in London and was buried in Brookwood Cemetery. A housing estate in East London, Aftab Terrace, was named after him in 1995 in recognition of his work for seamen and immigrant workers. He is remembered for helping thousands of British Asian lascars migrate, settle, and find work in Britain, and for his role in labor and political life in both India and Pakistan.