Diplomat turned politician An Indian who worked as a diplomat for the Indian Foreign Service, Syed Shahabuddin later became a politician and served three terms from 1979-1996 as a member of the Parliament of India. He was known for his involvement in the Shah Bano case; a controversial maintenance lawsuit in India and his opposition to the Demolition of Babri Masjid; on 6 December 1992, a large crowd of Hindu destroyed the Babri Masjid. During his time as a politician, Shahabuddin was the Joint Secretary in charge of South East Asia, the Indian Ocean and the Pacific in the Ministry of External Affairs. He founded the Insaf Party in 1989 (dissolved in 1990 and later revived). He was known for his strong belief in the federal structure of India and his desire to see more people participating at every level of governance. He was involved with many Muslim institutions and organisations including the All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat, of which he was the President between 2004 and 2007. Shahabuddin edited the research monthly journal Muslim India between 1983 and 2002 and again from July 2006. He was a regular contributor to TV discussions relating to current affairs. He wrote many articles about topics ranging from Pakistan to the status of Urdu for the Saudi Arabian newspaper Arab News Syed Shahabuddin was born in Ranchi, Jharkhand, formerly a part of the state of Bihar, India. He passed away in Noida, an outskirt of Delhi.