Mian Iftikharuddin (Punjabi, Urdu: میاں افتخارالدیں; 8 April 1907 – 6 June 1962) was a Pakistani politician, activist of the Indian National Congress, who later joined the All-India Muslim League and worked for the cause of Pakistan under the leadership of Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

[6] Iftikharuddin opposed the Muslim League's Lahore Resolution and declared that "any attempt at disrupting the unity of [India's] spirit is a betrayal of the history of a thousand years.” However, by 1942, he was supporting C. Rajagopalachari's formula for granting the Pakistan demand, which was rejected by Congress Working Committee.

[10] He was elected to the Punjab Provincial Assembly in 1946 as a Muslim League member, and led the civil disobedience movement against the Unionist government of Khizar Hayat Tiwana.

[1] After the 3 June plan for partition of India was announced, Jinnah looked increasingly towards young men like Iftikharuddin to help Pakistan stand on its own feet.

The Muslim Conference leader Sardar Ibrahim narrated that he went to Lahore on 28 August 1947 seeking Pakistan's help for the rebellion in Poonch.

[12] According to General Akbar Khan's narrative, Iftikharuddin was asked to go to Srinagar to assess Pakistan's prospects in acquiring Kashmir's accession.

On his way, he met General Akbar Khan vacationing in Murree and asked him to prepare a plan to help Kashmiri Muslims take action against possible accession of Kashmir to India.

[13][14] He then spent a week in Srinagar, and came back convinced that the Maharaja was intending to accede to India and Pakistan needed to help the Muslims of Kashmir to fight for freedom.

[18] Later he jumped off the Muslim League ship, and formed his own ‘Azad Pakistan Party’ committed to liberal secularism in the country.

Though big names like Dr. Khan Sahib and the Khudai Khidmatgars were attracted to it, Azad Pakistan Party soon faded away in history.

[1] Pakistan's famous poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Iftikharuddin's friend and ally, paid a tribute to him through his poetry:[18] "Jo rukey tu koh-e-garan thay hum, jo chalay tu jaan say guzar gaye, Raah-e-yaar hum ne qadam qadam, tujhay yaadgaar banaa diya."