Pakistan movement: Freedom struggle: Bacha Muslim League and the freedom struggle
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Bacha Muslim League and the freedom struggle
By Dr. Inamul Haq Kausar
In the struggle for Pakistan, children were equally active along side their elders and youth. Bacha Muslim League was established under the same spirit, and this article relates some facts about this wing of Muslim League.
Mrs. A. H. Daud, ex-principle Government elementary college for Girls, Pishin (Baluchistan) writes in her memoirs, Yaadashtain, that when the Hindu imperialism and British rule had made life of Muslims miserable, the Aligarh Muslim University took up the mission to relieve Indian Muslims of the yoke of oppression, and soon they adopted demand for a separate homeland.
Quaid had appreciated their efforts by calling Aligarh ‘the ordnance depot’ of the Muslim India. By that time the only representative party of Muslims was the Muslim League, but students could not become its members until the age of eighteen, so they formed a separate organization as all India Muslim Students Federation. They avoided taking active part in politics, but when the historical election campaign started, they devoted their energies for the League. In this charged atmosphere the children could not remain aloof.
Those youngsters who could not become part of the Muslim Students Federation, set up their own wing called Bacha Muslim League under the presidentship of Syed Mahmood Hashmi. Mr Hashmi later represented India in the Islamic Summit Conference, and has died recently.
A letter to Quaid-i-Azam, dated 5 December 1942, written by the Vice President of Aligarh Bacha Muslim League, Faseehuddin Ahmed, is included in Letters to Quaid-i-Azam edited by Sadia Rashid, Rizwan Ahmed and Dr. Ansar Zahid, on pages 120-21. It seems that the children had requested Quaid-i-Azam to accept the president-ship of Bacha Muslim League, which he refused. Later they requested him for becoming patron of the same and he was pleased to accept it. His message at the occasion was in the form of advice to work with discipline, unity, and sincerity for betterment of their nation without any personal interest.
They were asked to train the children to enable them to become good Muslim Leaguers when they come of age. Faseehuddin Ahmed in his article has written that Quaid used to visit Aligarh every year, after his gathering the Muslims under the banner of Muslim League in the post-Resolution days of the 1940s. The ground was prepared for this achievement. Quaid had selected Aligarh as the bandwagon of his movement. He declared Aligarh as the leader of Muslim India, and felt that what it thought one day the Muslim India would be thinking the next day. Quaid’s visit was usually three to four days long, and students used to visit him at Habib Manzil, residence of Nawab Habib-ur-Rehman.
Faseehuddin was then student of Aligarh University High School and was too young to join Muslim League or Muslim Students Federation, yet he was infused with the love for Quaid-i-Azam, Muslim League and Pakistan movement, cultivated by his teachers. The children needed guidance as they could not do anything practically for the movement. Realizing this, they decided to see the top leader Quaid-i-Azam. A meeting was organized in their school for the purpose and there was formed Bacha Muslim League (BML), Quaid-i-Azam’s name was pronounced as its president and Faseehuddin as the vice president, who was then required to contact the elected president for guidance.
The Quaid responded promptly and clarified that he could not accept headship of any other organization for being president of All India Muslim League. His message was, however, very encouraging, calling upon the young members to adopt unity, faith, and discipline, and to work without any hope for reward or recognition, since their guidelines should be selfless devotion for the nation. Quaid asked them to join the sole representative party of the Indian Muslims.
He advised them to understand the message of Muslim League and transmit it to others and ensure that they could get it right. Faseehuddin read out Quaid’s letter in the meeting of BML and then they elected Quaid as their patron.
The offer was accepted by Quaid with thanks through a letter from Agra on 9 December 1942. Again he advised the children to devote their maximum time to studies as the BML was supposed to be a social welfare organization, and it was not to go beyond. He also forbade them to make it an all India organization, lest it become a parallel organization. The children followed him by limiting their activities to corner meetings and processions only, where they used to clarify the concept of Pakistan to others.
They wore uniform of National Guards, and once Quaid was photographed with the members of its council. Activities of Aligarh Bacha Muslim League were reported regularly by Dawn, Delhi. Children of other schools were also mobilized. Hakim Muhammad Saeed had also set up Bacha Muslim League in Delhi, which was pretty active.
Faseehuddin, later issued a fortnightly magazine Pakistan Times from Aligarh in 1946 as official representative of the party. This was the origin of Pakistsn Times, which was alter purchased by Mian Iftikharuddin of the Punjab Muslim League, and was made a daily from Lahore, as Quaid had desired. In 1949, Faseehuddin was re-elected as vice president, this time of the Aligarh University Federation. He was an engineer by profession, stayed in Karachi and died in 2005. His family has migrated to the USA.
Shaheed-i-Pakistan, Hakim Muhammad Saeed, relates in, Bachon kay Hakim Muhammad Saeed, Hakim Muhammad Saeed ki Kahani Khood Oon Ki Zubani, an interesting episode. When Pakistan movement was in full swing, there was a Bacha Muslim League as well. Both Justice Muhammad Naeem, judge of Pakistan Supreme Court and Justice Zahoor-ul-Haq, judge Sindh High Court, were in that Bacha Muslim League. Another enthusiastic chap was Irfan-ul-Haq Shibli.
According to Hakim Saeed, ‘We all decided to take Quaid-i-Azam to Lal Kuan. The route proposed was Hauz-i-Qazi, Lal Kuan, Fatehpuri, Chandni Chowk, Lal Qila and Jamia Masjid. Quaid-i-Azam accepted the proposal. Shibli, somehow got an elephant. We requested Quaid-i-Azam to ride it. Quaid-i-Azam plainly refused. He did not exclaim like Amir Habibullah of Afghanistan that he could not ride the animal whose reign was not in his hand, but Quaid made us see the implications. Then he rode the car. When he arrived Lal Kuan in front of Hamdard, workers of Hamdard showered loads of roses on him.
Hakeem Saeed also adds: ‘Quaid-i-Azam used to address the gathering in the ground of Jamia Masjid, and I never missed that. Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah was also in contact with me till she breathed her last. She was bit strict by temperament, and never tolerated any irregularity. Only me and my daughter was allowed to get in without prior information. We called her ‘auntie’. I used to take Quaid’s favorite ispaghol to 10-Aurangzeb Road, where many people working devotedly for Pakistan, used to visit him.’
Ex-city nazim of Karachi, Nimatullah Khan, had been a member of BML, Delhi. He revealed to the author in August 2006, that he was part of Muslim League National Guards in 1946 at the age of fifteen. The mission of this group was ‘Pakistan or Martyrdom’.
The story of Bacha Muslim League Allahbad is related by Syed Salahuddin Aslam in Bun Kay Rahey Ga Pakistan (Karachi, 1993). He writes: “One day I went to see Senator Faseeh Iqbal for some personal reasons. By the way Pakistan came into discussion. His father Syed Rashid Ahmed was an active worker of Muslim League. Faseeh Iqbal used to accompany his father in meetings and rallies.
He was so young that he was usually introduced as president of Bacha Muslim League Allahbad. Faseehuddin has an excellent memory, and he recalls meetings, rallies, baton charging, tear gas events of the movement days vividly, as if it did not happen forty-five years ago but just forty-five days back. It was not a remote past when the subcontinent echoed with speeches of great Quaid, and forty-five years do not matter much in lives of the nations.”
Activities of BML in Lahore, as reported by Dr Waheed Qureshi, were fairly noteworthy. It used to send fund to the Quaid-i-Azam. Dr Qureshi was a student of Islamia School. His father was transferred to Simla in 1938, where Waheed presented salute to Quaid as deputy patrol leader of the scouts. Once he attended the Eid prayer in the row right behind the Quaid in Simla.
On 26 June 1943, at 8.30 am, Quaid-i-Azam came to Quetta along with Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah and Lady Haroon. At the Spezend Junction were already waiting Qazi Muhammad Esa Khan, president Baluchistan Muslim League, Sardar Ghulam Muhammad Khan, general secretary Baluchistan Muslim League, Haji Malik Jan Muhammad Khan, Salar-i-Azam Muslim National Guards, Baluchistan.
The Quaid-i- Azam was taken to Quetta on a motorcar. The train was late, and Quetta station was swarming with people. On his way large gatherings had welcomed him and he responded warmly.
He stayed for a while at the residence of Qazi Muhammad Esa Khan, and then appeared in the teeming crowd for address at exact 9.15. When he got off the car, hundreds of young kids of Bacha Muslim League saluted him. These were from Islamia High School Quetta, trained by their very able and loving teacher and administrator, Chaudhry Mahmood-ul-Hasan.
Regarding activities of Bacha Muslim League in the Punjab, details of various meetings and elections held in different cities are available in the Ishariya-e Nawa-i-Waqt: Siyasiyat-e-Hind aur Musalmanon Ki Jiddojehad-i-Azadi 1944-47, pages 26-37. Its compiler, Sarfraz Hussain Mirza, has found that despite the good available details, it is not sufficient technically, as some of the Nawa-i-Waqat issues are not available. Dr Faheem-ul-Haq, deputed by the author (Inamulhaq Kausar) has tried his best but could not provide the missing pieces.
Whatever is available, provides some information mostly in the form of news reports about establishment and/or elections of BML in the cities of Peshawar, Kalanoor Akbari, Gurdaspur, Domili, Kasur, Lahore, Sargodha, Kapurthala, Sialkot, and Mozang (Lahore). There are news about BML meetings held in Ambala, Alipur, Gurdaspur, Peshawar, and Noshehra. The name ‘Naunihalan-e-Muslim League’ was also used as alternate to Bacha Muslim Leagues, but the latter was the most popular name.
Why Bacha Muslim League was so popular and effective? It seems to be due to following reasons: personal interest and vision of Quaid-i-Azam, patronage of the League leaders and workers, widespread existence of Muslim Students Federation, children’s literature on religious, educational, literary, and moral issues mostly produced by children themselves, students of Aligarh spreading message of Pakistan throughout the subcontinent, students of Islamia Colleges of Lahore and Peshawar, Anglo-Arabic College Delhi and their affiliated institutions, Sindh Madrasah-tul-Islam Karachi and hundreds of other educational institutions devoted to the cause of the movement, role of women in spreading the message, retired teachers especially those of Aligarh, and talk of the household being Pakistan influencing the young minds.
Such was the time and the enthusiasm which infused the spirit of devotion to struggle for their sole purpose, ‘Pakistan’ in every nook and corner of British India.
The author, a former Director of Education, Balochistan, is a scholar and a prolific writer on Pakistan Movement. He has also written on literature, with special reference to Balochistan.
