History does not remember everyone. Shah Abdul Latif, Sachal Sarmast, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Benazir Bhutto, Hosh Muhammad Sheedi, and Rooplo Kolhi are such personalities whom we can never forget because they left such an indelible influence on history that their names continue to be repeated. Their services for Sindh are unforgettable. One principle of history is that it always remembers those characters who left their mark on the world. Countless people have come and gone in this world, and we cannot even know their names. However, the truth is that some individuals compel history itself to remember them. Dost Muhammad Khan Hakro was one such character.
Major Dost Muhammad Khan Hakro was born in 1911 in the Ali Khan Mohalla of Qambar city at the home of Ali Hassan Khan Hakro. He received his early education in 1920 from the historic institution Sindh Madrassatul Islam. After basic education, he went to Dehradun in India, where he completed Senior Cambridge. This journey of education convinced him that the only path to progress was through education. At a time when politics was filled with empty slogans and exploitation of the people, Major Dost Muhammad Khan could have chosen personal gain as well, but he chose the opposite and preferred to raise awareness among the people of his area.
Dost Muhammad Khan Hakro’s life of service reminds us how education, community, and integrity can outlast politics.
For him, education was the only means through which awareness could be created. That is why he struggled for the poor youth of Qambar Ali Khan, who wanted to study but could not progress because of a lack of financial resources. He not only bore their educational expenses but also dedicated his own bungalow for them, where he arranged residence, food and studies so that those poor youth could learn without worry. This step lifted Qambar out of ignorance and filled it with the light of education.
His services did not stop there. He gave land for the construction of Qambar High School, Qambar Girls Primary School, a sports ground and Qambar Police Station. Most importantly, he also built a temple for the Hindu community, setting an example of religious harmony in Qambar.
This spirit of public service brought him into politics, and he was elected Chairman of the Qambar Municipal Committee. At that time, the committee had almost no resources, but through day and night hard work, he strengthened it to the point where one day the Qambar Municipal Committee became so financially stable that it even lent money to Karachi Municipal Committee, the capital city of Sindh. One major incident of his life occurred in 1942 when a dangerous flood from Balochistan was moving toward Sindh. Upon hearing this news, he played the role of a saviour by constructing strong embankments all around Qambar, which saved the city from major destruction. To him, every individual of Qambar was his own, which is why he never distinguished between common and elite. Seeing his services, an English newspaper even gave him the title Robin Hood of Qambar.
After the creation of Pakistan, his popularity had grown so much that Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah offered him to join the Pakistan Army, upon which he served at the rank of Major. After retirement from the army in 1952, he was elected as a member of the Sindh Assembly and became an advisor in the provincial cabinet. A little while later, unable to compromise with corruption, he resigned. Then in 1956, he was elected as a member of the West Pakistan Assembly in Lahore, continuing his political struggle.
Under the 1962 Constitution, elections were held through the Basic Democracies system, but at that time, the EBDO Elective Bodies Disqualification Order was imposed, which barred old politicians from contesting. Because of this, Major Dost Muhammad Khan could not participate in the 1962 elections and instead nominated his elder son, Fida Hussain Khan Hakro, as a councillor. Fida Hussain served as a councillor from 1962 to 1965 and then as a member of the West Pakistan Assembly from 1965 to 1968.
In the 1971 general elections, when a wave of the Pakistan Peoples Party was sweeping across the country, Major Dost Muhammad Khan contested as an independent candidate and defeated Sultan Ahmed Chandio with a heavy majority. This victory compelled Zulfikar Ali Bhutto himself to include him in the People’s Party. The influence of Major Dost Muhammad Khan in Qambar was not limited to a few families or individuals. He was a leader whose connections spread from the major political figures of Sindh to local tribes. These included Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Mir Rasool Bux Talpur, Mir Saifullah Magsi, Ayub Khoro, Mir Ghaus Bux Bizenjo, Allah Bux Soomro, Musa Khan Bughio and Nawab Ghaibi Khan Chandio. Among the tribes he was connected with Gopang, Juneja, Shaikh, Rajput, Khaawar, Dewan, Buriro, Magsi, Mugehri, Brohi, Janwari, Rahuja, Manganhar, Kalhora, Abra, Soomro, Jhandeel, Khosa, Tunia, Syed, Buledi, Mirani, Mastoi, Rind, Chandio, Jagirani, Bhutto, Khaskheli, Memon, Siyal, Sangah and Maitlo.
The extent of his political influence can be understood from this, while in election season, other politicians would spend day and night campaigning and working to win, Major Dost Muhammad Khan would simply call the tribes together and tell them I am contesting the elections. Upon hearing this, the tribes would support him, ensuring his victory.
On 1st October 1979, the death of Major Dost Muhammad Khan Hakro was a great loss for Qambar city. The people still deeply feel his absence today. But his journey of service did not end there. His family continued to play an important role in Qambar’s politics and leadership for many decades.
His family held the position of Qambar Municipal Committee Chairman continuously for 69 years. First, Ali Hassan Khan I from 1918 to 1936, then Major Dost Muhammad Khan from 1936 to 1979, then his younger son Ali Hassan Khan II from 1979 to 1982, then his elder son Fida Hussain Khan Hakro from 1982 to 1983 and again Ali Hassan Khan II from 1983 to 1987.
In the same way, his younger son Ali Hassan Khan II contested provincial elections on a Pakistan Peoples Party ticket in 1977 and was elected member of the assembly. He was again elected a member of the provincial assembly in 1985. Fida Hussain Khan Hakro, the younger son, also carried forward the political legacy of the family and played an important role at the local level, further strengthening the family’s political influence. The lamp lit by Dost Muhammad Khan Hakro continued to shine within his family even after him. His services and struggle are still alive in the hearts of the people of Qambar, and this city will always remain proud of him.
The writer is a freelance columnist.