Nizam Dean

Nizam Din

Nizam Dean was born in Punjab, India and migrated to Britain in 1933.

Dean’s business, N. Dean & Co., specialized in the manufacturing of women’s clothing. It was the first factory of its kind owned by an Indian in Northern Ireland. By 1949 he was employing between thirty and forty women as manufacturers, as well as three men. The manufacturing site was located on 36 Gresham Street, Belfast.

Dean sponsored the migration of multiple family members to Belfast during the 1940s and 1950s. In 1949 he sponsored the migration of his younger brother, Shabab Dean, who was a refugee in Karachi after fleeing East Punjab during the partition of India. On 9 December 1948 Dean wrote to the Home Office, declaring that he had visited Pakistan with the purpose of taking Shabab to Belfast with him, given that he had no belongings and no means to support himself as a refugee. The Royal Ulster Constabulary, who were tasked with investigating Nizam Dean’s ability to support his brother, concluded that he was of good character and good economic standing, with £1,500 in a bank account with the Belfast Banking Co. and £3,000 worth of goods sold on credit. This was deemed a sufficient sum of money for Nizam to support Shabab and pay for his return to Karachi. On this basis, a passport was issued to Shabab.

On 7 December 1951 the Pakistan High Commission wrote to the Under-Secretary of State for the Home Office to state that Abdul Majid, the son of Nizam Dean, had requested a passport to help his father with his business. On 25 January 1952 the Royal Ulster Constabulary wrote to the Ministry of Home Affairs stating that Nizam Dean would cover his son's expenses and was financially able to do so. It also stated that he would give his son ‘a thorough training in all the aspects of his business with a view of appointing him as manager’. On these grounds, the application was approved.