Daily Times

Mir sahib represented Balochistan at the League’s 1940 session where the Lahore Resolution was passed

Born in 1911 at Rojhan Jamali, Mir Jaffar Khan Jamali was the son of Mir Taj Mohammad Jamali and grandson of Sakhi Dur Mohammad Jamali. Thelatter was known as a great philanthropist and a social reformer of his time. Legend has it that on Jaffar’s birth, while his mother was holding him in her lap, a stranger appeared from nowhere and snatched the baby from the mother’s arms. The stranger, a woman, quickly returned the baby to the mother and said, ‘He is protected and blessed by Allah.’ Jaffar was destined to be a great man and leader of his people. He grew up to be one of themajor leaders of the Pakistan Movement from Balochistan.

Mir sahib’s long association with Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah began when he engaged Jinnah’s services in 1933 as a lawyer in a case involving the title of lands owned by the Jamalis.

The British had challenged the title of the Jamali estate and reclaimed the lands as property of the Crown. Mir sahib, with support of Jamali elders, contested this in courts from Bombay to the Privy Council in London. The case,’ Jamalis vs the Crown’, went on for several years. Eventually, Jinnah won the case and invited Mir Sahib to join the Muslim League. The proposal was readily accepted.

As a generous Baloch tribal chief, Mir sahib distributed the recovered lands amongst his family and Jamali tribesmen. Being a man of great principles, his generosity, hospitality and warmth were experienced by the sardars and commoners alike, especially during the Sibi Festival.

In 1938, he received Jinnah with his delegation in Jacobabad at Sardar Adam Khan Panhwar’s guest house. The meeting resulted in the Muslim League’s domination over Congress controlled constituencies of Balochistan and Jacobabad.

He also led delegations of prominent political figures to the Muslim League’s annual sessions in Madras, Lahore, Karachi, Allahabad and Delhi.

Along with Qazi Mohammad Isa and other leaders, Mir sahibr epresented Balochistan at the League’s 1940 session where the Lahore Resolution was passed. The Shahi Jirga of Balochistan was headed by Nawab Mohammad Khan Jogozai, and included distinguished members of the wider community. The jirga opted for Pakistan.

On the invitation of Mir sahib, Jinnah visited Quetta in 1943 anda large reception was arranged for him. He proclaimed Mir sahib and the Jamali tribe as the ‘Gateway to Balochistan’, thereafter, also calling Balochistan as ‘his province’.

Mirsahib also established a newspaper called Tanzeem to highlight the policies of the Muslim League.

After Jinnah’s passing, he remained a faithful party member and was at the forefront of the democratic alliance against General Ayub Khan. When Khan initiated his policy of land reforms, Mir sahib openly opposed. As a result, the Jamali tribe’s landholdings were devastatingly affected.

Despite his opposition to the military regime, Mir sahib arranged a lashkar of 5,000 young men from the tribe and placed them on standby to assist thearmed force during the 1965 war.

He and his two younger brothers, Mir Qaiser Jamali and Mir Shahnawaz Jamali, remained extremely close to one another. They managed the Jamali estate and even financed political and tribal affairs.

Mir sahib also realised the importance of education and sponsored schools across Sindh and Balochistan tosecure the future of the youth.

The younger generation was sent to exclusive prestigious boarding schools and universities in Lahore, Murree, Dehradun and even abroad.

His family has produced outstanding personalities such as Mir Muhammad Murad Khan Jamali (a close ally of Jinnah), Mir Sikander Hayat Jamali (former federal secretary), Mir Taj Muhammad Khan Jamali (former federal minister) and Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali (the first Baloch prime minister of the country).

Mir sahib passed away on April 7, 1967, in Karachi and was laid to rest in his ancestral graveyard in Rojhan Jamali. During his life as well as after his death, his contributions to the country and humanity earned him great honours with commemorative stamps, districts and roads named after him across Pakistan. Moreover, he was also given the title of Fida-e-Millat by the Pakistani government.

The great legacy of Mir Jaffar Khan Jamali continues to live on!

The writer is founding Vice Chancellor of Sardar Bahadur Khan Women’s University, Quetta. She is also the daughter-in-law of Mir Jaffar Khan Jamali