Jafar Sharif Imami

Eftekhar Belarashk

 

Son of Haj Mohammad Hossein NezamolIslam, was born in 1910. His elementary education was in Sharif School. Then he went to the German School and his secondary education was in technical grounds and was sent to Germany by the ministry of roads to study railroad construction. On his return to Iran he was employed in Railroad Company. After a while, again he was sent to Sweden to continue his education. He returned Iran in 1939 and continued his career in the railroad company and got his promotions there.

 

He was detained on the charges of cooperating with the Germans in Sept. 1941. After release he became the managing director of independent company of Irrigation. At lieutenant general Razmara’s premiership, he became the acting minister of roads. After the murder of Razmara and Hossein Ala’s appointment to premiership, Sharif Imami became a member of the high council of planning organization. He held the office at Mossaddeq’s time. Eventually after the 1953 coup and lieutenant general Zahedi’s coming to power, he became the managing director of the planning organization.  He was a senate member from Tehran for two years and became minister of industries and the mines in Iqbal’s administration.  He succeeded Iqbal in premiership for eight months. However following the protest of the teachers to their low income and the death of one of the protesters named KhanAli, he was subject to questioning in Majlis and had to resign subsequently.

 

He became deputy custodian of the Pahlavi foundation, 1962. He was the president of the senate and at the same time the speaker of Majlis. He was the head of the managing board of the bank for the improvement of mines and industries, the head of the chamber for industries and mines and commerce, the head of the engineers’ center, and a member of the university board of trustees. At the outset of the Islamic revolution, he was appointed prime minister to form a government of national reconciliation.

 

Among his policies we may refer to his freedom of press, radio and television, giving advantages to the employees, the change of royal calendar to solar calendar, closure of corruption centers and the removal of incompetent authorities and liquidation of the Rastakhiz party. He announced martial law in Sept. 8^th and created a bad reputation of himself in Iranian history.

 

However he was unsuccessful and had to resign in November 1978 and left for the United States.

 

From his early years he was a member of freemasonry lodges and became the head of Iranian freemasonry. Eventually he died in the United States, 1999.