Career
He began as a diplomat working for the Indian Foreign Service, but later became a politician. He is known for his involvement in the Shah Bano case and his opposition to the Demolition of Babri Masjid. Shahabuddin has served as a diplomat, an ambassador and a politician.
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 is 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 is a regular contributor to television discussions relating to current affairs He has written many articles about topics ranging from Pakistan to the status of Urdu for the Saudi Arabian newspaper Arab News.
Shahabuddin has received criticism for his failure to bring major changes to his "backward" constituency of Kishanganj.
He has also received criticism for his open letter to Narendra Modi. Inamdar. lieutenant was released on 21 April 2013.
