Pakistani independence activist and politician (1899?1958)
Sardar
Abdur Rab Nishtar
(13 June 1899 – 14 February 1958) was a Pakistani
independence activist
and politician from the
North-West Frontier Province
(present-day
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
).
[1]
He served as the first
Minister of Communications of Pakistan
from August 1947 to August 1949 and then as the second
Governor of West Punjab
from August 1949 to November 1951.
Early life and education
[
edit
]
Abdul Rab Nishtar was born on 13 June 1899 into a religious household in
Peshawar
,
British India
. His father, Maulvi Abdul Hannan was a prominent figure from the
Pashtun
Kakar
tribe that had fiercely opposed the
British rule
in South Asia.
[1]
[2]
Nishtar's ancestors hailed from Zhob, district in
north Balochistan
but had later settled in Peshawar. He completed his early education in a
Christian
mission school and later Sanathan Dharam High School in
Bombay
, (now 'Mumbai' in
India
). He eventually graduated from the
Edwardes College
in Peshawar and then later on completed his Bachelor of Arts degree from the
Punjab University
,
Lahore
in 1923. He later went to
Aligarh
and received an LL.B degree with honours from
Aligarh Muslim University
in 1925.
[1]
[2]
Political career
[
edit
]
A man of deep religious convictions, he also had a deep interest in Islamic mysticism, a fact which probably reflects the influence of his parents and also his associate Maulana
Muhammad Ali Jauhar
. From 1919 to 1920, both of them actively participated in the
Khilafat Movement
. Later, Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar remained member of
Indian National Congress
from 1927 to 1931, was elected Municipal Commissioner, Peshawar Municipal committee, successively from 1929 to 1938, joined
All-India Muslim League
, became a confidante of Pakistan's founder
Muhammad Ali Jinnah
. From 1932 to 1936, Nishtar was a member of
All India Muslim League
(AIML) Council, member NWFP (Northwest Frontier Province) legislative Assembly 1937 to 1945,
Finance Minister
NWFP 1943?45, member AIML Working Committee, 1944?1947, represented the
All India Muslim League
at the
Simla Conference
in 1945.
[3]
[1]
Abdur Rab Nishtar was ousted from provincial politics through the political maneuvers of a rival political leader
Abdul Qayyum Khan
in 1946.
[2]
Abdul Qayyum Khan was an outcast from the
Indian National Congress
Party, who then vigorously opposed that political party after his ouster from it,
[4]
especially he was against the union of the
Indian subcontinent
in a single country and was working for the creation of an independent Muslim state.
[5]
[1]
As Federal Minister
[
edit
]
After the
Dominion of Pakistan
was created, Nishtar was appointed Minister for communication in Pakistan and served in that position from 1947 to 1949. He introduced the use of
Urdu language
in
Pakistan Railways
and
Pakistan Post Office
. After the dismissal of the Punjab Provincial government in 1949, Sardar Nishtar was appointed
Governor of Punjab
(the first Pakistani governor in Pakistan's history, till that time the British government had still continued governing with previous English Governors). He effectively ran the Governorship for two years paving the way for restoration of an elected government in 1951.
[1]
[2]
Nomination for Prime Minister
[
edit
]
Nishtar was considered a serious contender for the post of Prime Minister after
Liaqat Ali Khan
's assassination. His appointment was blocked by senior secularists and liberal officials including the future President
Iskander Mirza
because of Nishtar's conservative and Islamic views.
Opposition Leader
[
edit
]
He subsequently fell out with the government over the dismissal of
Prime minister
Khawaja Nazimuddin
's government by Governor General
Ghulam Muhammad
.
[6]
Refusing to be involved in what he perceived as an undemocratic act, Nishtar went into opposition. In 1956, when the first Pakistani constitution was adopted, Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar was elected president of the Muslim League against the wishes of President
Iskandar Mirza
and then prime minister
Chaudhry Mohammad Ali
who were backing Dr.
Khan Sahib
from the Republican Party as West Pakistan chief minister while Nishtar wanted a
Muslim League
man for the office. But a big majority of the League leaders, including Nawab
Mushtaq Ahmad Gurmani
and
Mumtaz Daultana
, supported Iskander Mirza.
[7]
Leader of Muslim League
[
edit
]
He subsequently took over the leadership of the
Muslim League
party and the League was expected to do well in West Pakistan in the planned 1959 elections but unfortunately he died before that. He served as president, Pakistan Muslim League from 1956 to 1958.
[2]
Commemorative postage stamp
[
edit
]
Pakistan Post Office
issued a commemorative postage stamp in his honor in its 'Pioneers of Freedom' series in 1990.
[8]
[9]
Death and legacy
[
edit
]
Abdur Rab Nishtar died of a heart attack on 14 February 1958 in
Karachi
. He had been suffering from heart disease and high blood pressure since 1953.
Nishtar Medical College
,
Nishtar Hospital
in the city of
Multan
and
Nishtar Hall
Peshawar are named in his honor.
Nishtar Park
and
Nishtar Road
in
Karachi
are named after him. He was buried at
Mazar-e-Quaid
near the
Tomb of Muhammad Ali Jinnah
, the founding father of
Pakistan
to acknowledge his services in the cause of Pakistan.
Abdul Rab Nishtar had a reputation of being a sincere political leader and a man of amicable nature. With his political activities, he contributed greatly to All-India Muslim League and the Muslims living in the Indian subcontinent, creating political consciousness and Islamic spirit among them.
[1]
[2]
Abdul Rab Nishtar was a close friend of both Maulana
Muhammad Ali Jauhar
and Maulana
Shaukat Ali
. At one point during their association, Muhammad Ali Jauhar had told Nishtar that he opposed Jinnah for re-organization of the All-India Muslim League. After finding out all the details of Jinnah-Jauhar discussion, Nishtar decided to support Jinnah's proposal and even succeeded in convincing Jauhar to do the same.
[1]
Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar's younger brother Sardar Abdul Ghayur was a senior diplomat who served as Pakistan's ambassador in numerous countries.
Safwat Ghayur
(Shaheed) the widely respected and venerated AIGP (police) officer who was martyred in the line of duty was a nephew of Nishtar. General
Abdul Waheed Kakar
former
Chief of Army Staff (Pakistan)
is another nephew of Nishtar. Senior political leader, chairman of
Qaumi Watan Party
, former
chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
and former
interior minister
Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao
was son in law to Nishtar.
His eldest son Jamil Nishtar was a renowned banker, another was Prominent physician Professor Dr Tariq Nishtar, and youngest one died at the age 29 and was an engineer.
[10]
Abdur Rab Nishtar's grandson is married to Dr.
Sania Nishtar
,
[11]
who is the special assistant on poverty alleviation and social safety to Prime Minister
Imran Khan
References
[
edit
]
Bibliography
[
edit
]
Syed Mujawar Hussain Shah, Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar: A Political Biography (Lahore, Qadiria Books, 1985).
External links
[
edit
]
|
---|
Chief Commissioners
| | |
---|
Lieutenant-Governors
| |
---|
Governors
| |
---|