Daily Times

Ongoing scenario within the state of Pakistan compelled me to recall and erase the dust on the subject of the formation of Pakistan, along with that to bring light on the sacrifices, collaboration, and commitment of minorities with Pakistan.

It is necessary not only to pay tribute to their struggles but also to remember those whose names, sacrifices, and participation are not even mentioned in our course and curriculum of our textbooks. This will sheer historical injustice by manipulating their share and credit in the existence of Pakistan. There are proper mindset and planning behind this to make a Liberal Islamic State a far-right & extremist state to get some temporary political benefits.

Pathan Joseph a prominent and sincere Christian who really worked hard for the cause of Pakistan.

Pathan Joseph a well-known journalist of that time and was a very extreme opposer of the British Empire. He had an experience of almost twenty-six newspapers before the partition of British India. He used to write in favor of freedom and against the govt of that time. Quaid e Azam was in good terms with Patha Joseph and appointed him as the first editor of Dawn Newspaper.

Diwan Bahadur SP Singha was the most prominent leader of the Christian community of the subcontinent, who was born in Pasrur of district Sialkot Pakistan. He was elected in 1937 as a member of Punjab assembly. There were only 3 three members (Diwan Singha, Fazal Elahi, and Mr. Cecel Gibbon) from the Christian community in Punjab assembly of British India. Diwan Singha was also the speaker of the acting assembly.

Diwan Singha along with their two other members decided to side with Pakistan in assembly voting. There were 88 votes which were going to merge the whole Punjab in India but four Christian votes played a vital role to turned the game of Punjab in favor of Pakistan (Three of Christian members and one additional vote of SP Singha as a Speaker of Legislative assembly of British India) and made the figure 92 and Punjab merged in Pakistan.

In assembly, once master Tara Singh Sikh militant leader of Akaal Takhat threatened with his Kirpan (Sikh religious dagger) for not to make a vote in favor of Pakistan but Diwan Singha confronted him vigorously in assembly and warned him for worst.

In boundary commission, Christian members strongly defended the cause of Pakistan and Muhammad Ali Jinnah. In 1942 All India Christians association directed all the Christian communities to make migration to Pakistan to protect themselves from expected violence in different communities.

Muslim leadership of that time was good in terms of Christians and appointed a Christian spokesperson to represent the Muslim cause and Lahore resolution as well. Moreover, Diwan Bahadur Singh became the first speaker of the legislative assembly of Punjab. Exact after the death of Quaid e Azam right-wing people passed the objective resolution and there was a condition in it for a speaker to be the Muslim which was against the ideology of Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Diwan Bahadur Singha then removed from the post of Speaker of Punjab assembly and became a victim of religious discrimination exact after the death of Quaid e Azam.

Shia Muslims are a minority sect in Pakistan comparatively Sunni Muslims, but their share in independence and formation of Pakistan is not less than any other community. Founder of Pakistan Muhammad Ali Jinnah itself belongs to a Shia family but he was liberal in his thoughts in state crafts.

Sir Agha Khan of Shia Ismaeli Community was the first president and founder of the Muslim league in the subcontinent. He represented the Muslims of the subcontinent in a round table conference in London. He allocated the moral and financial support to sir Syed Ahmad Khan to make better the educational grounds of the Muslim community of the subcontinent. In 1949 when Pakistans govt agreed with Oman’s govt for the purchase of Gawadar, Govt of Pakistan hadn’t enough balance in the treasury to pay Oman’s govt, Agha Khan paid all the expenses of Gawadar agreement from the side of Pakistan.

Justice Syed Ameer Ali shah was a prominent Shia figure from Karachi, Raja sab Mehmoodabad used to pay all the expenses of all the public gathering of Muslim league in the entire Subcontinent.Abu Al Hassan Asfahani who was an expert in managerial skills, Raja Gazanfar Ali Khan was a minister in the first cabinet, Mirza Ahmad Asfahani was an expert in Banking and Airline affairs, Seith Muhammad Ali Habib, who was the head of Habib Banking system in Pakistan. All these personalities belong to the Shia Community and worked for the cause of Pakistan more than any other community.

The struggle of independence of Pakistan is incomplete without the name of Sir Muhammad Zafar Ullah Khan from Punjab. He was the railway minister of British India and a lawyer having a large political stature. He presented and defended the narrative of Muslim league and M Ali Jinnah in boundary commission headed by Sir Cyril Radcliffe. Later on the creation of Pakistan, he became the first foreign minister in the cabinet of Muhammad Ali Jinnah. He defeated India in the United Nations Organization proceedings on Kashmir and India still couldn’t forget this diplomatic strike.