Amin ul-Hasanat (1 February 1922 – 5 January 1960), better known as the Pir of Manki Sharif qv, was the son of Pir Abdul Rauf and an Islamic religious leader in the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) of British India (now Pakistan). After joining the All-India Muslim League in 1945, he was noted for his campaign in the provincial referendum held in early part of 1947, that saw the NWFP become part of Pakistan rather than India. He was popularly known as ''Fateh-e-Referendum''.[1]
Amin ul-Hasanat | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal | |
| Born | Amin ul-Hasanat 1 February 1922 Manki Sharif, Nowshera, British India (now Pakistan) |
| Died | 5 January 1960 |
| Nationality | Pakistani |
| Parent | Pir Abdul Rauf (father) |
| Known for | Campaigning for NWFP to become part of Pakistan |
| Other names | Pir of Manki Sharif, Fateh-e-Referendum |
| Occupation | Islamic religious leader, politician |
Muslim League
editAmin ul-Hasanat was highly influenced and inspired by the Pakistan Resolution of March 1940 passed by the All-India Muslim League at Lahore. Soon after joining the All-India Muslim League in 1945, Hasanat toured the NWFP to win support for the Muslim League. On October 1, 1945, Hasanat organized a historic meeting of the Ulema and Mashaikh at Peshawar, which passed resolutions expressing full loyalty with the Muslim League and also expressed complete confidence in Jinnah's leadership.[2] Then he invited the Muslim League leader Mohammad Ali Jinnah to tour the Province which Jinnah did on 24 November 1945. Jinnah's visit boosted the morale of the Pir and his devoted followers. The Pir's vigorous campaign for the Pakistan Movement in the NWFP area contributed significantly to the Muslim League's success in the NWFP referendum held in early part of 1947.[2] The success of the Muslim League in the referendum was the basis for the British government to allocate NWFP to Pakistan.[2][3]
In one of Jinnah's letters to the Pir, Jinnah promised that the sharia law would be applied to the affairs of the Muslim community after the formation of Pakistan.[4][1][5]
Opposition
editAfter the independence of Pakistan in 1947, however, the Pir of Manki Sharif was disappointed by some of the decisions[which?] made by the party. He cut-off his relations with the Muslim League due to his ideological differences with Khan Abdul Qayyum Khan, who emerged as the first Muslim League premier in NWFP. The Pir decided to launch his own Awami Muslim League party that started to play the role of opposition in the NWFP Provincial Assembly. His view was that opposition was the spirit of democratic set up and that it was critical to attain the previously stated objectives[which?] of the Muslim League. After he saw new local leadership emerge in the province, he felt that those ideals were being overlooked by the changed Muslim League leadership. Disillusioned, he retired from active politics in 1955 and went back to religious activities.[2]
Commemorative postage stamp
editPakistan Post Office issued a commemorative postage stamp to honor him in its 'Pioneers of Freedom' series in 1990.[6]
Death
editHe died on 28 January 1960, at the young age of 37, a few weeks after a car accident on 5 January 1960 near Fateh Jang, Attock District in Punjab, Pakistan. He was buried at his hometown Manki Sharif, Nowshera District, NWFP, Pakistan.[1][2]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c Chaudhary, K. M.; Irshad, N. (January–February 2005). "The Role of Ulema and Mashaikh in the Pakistan Movement" (PDF). Pakistan Journal of Life and Social Sciences. 3 (1–2): 33–36. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 October 2018. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Pir of Manki Sharif (Amin ul-Hasanat), profile on storyofpakistan.com website Archived 5 October 2019 at the Wayback Machine Updated 1 January 2007, Retrieved 5 October 2019
- ^ Nadeem F. Paracha (11 May 2014). "The election that created Pakistan (this article talks about the NWFP referendum in early 1947 towards the end)". Dawn (newspaper). Archived from the original on 21 August 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
- ^ Nasser Yousaf (26 December 2018). "Jinnah's last words". Dawn (newspaper). Retrieved 5 October 2019.
- ^ Malik, Anas (2010), Political Survival in Pakistan: Beyond Ideology, Routledge, p. 140, ISBN 978-1-136-90419-6
- ^ Commemorative postage stamp issued in 1990 by Pakistan Post Office to honor Pir of Manki Sharif (Amin ul-Hasanat) Archived 28 August 2021 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 7 October 2019
Further reading
edit- Jha, Prem Shankar (1996), Kashmir, 1947: Rival Versions of History, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-563766-3
- Samad, Yunas (1995), A nation in turmoil: nationalism and ethnicity in Pakistan, 1937-1958, Sage, ISBN 978-0-8039-9214-6