Allama Mashriqi: The Unsung hero

Allama Mashriqi was born in Amritsar Punajb on 25^th of August 1888. He was an intelligent student which was reflected by his aceademic records. He was the first student who took first class in Msc Mathematics in Punjab university.  Mashriqi joined the Christ’s College at the university of Cambridge in 1907 and finished his education in 1912. His aceademic achievements were highly appreciated in Cambridge university. During his stay in England he was offered the Premiership of the princely state of Alwar. He declined the offer as he was more interested in serving the education department of India.

When he returned to India he was asked by the chief commissioner of NWFP(now Khyber Pukhtoonkhwa) to take up the position of Vice Principal in Islamia College Peshawar. In 1917 he was appointed as the principal of that college.  Later on he was made the under secretary in Education department by Lord Chelmsford. However the fact that impressed me the most was when Mashriqi decided to move away from serving the government of British and to fight against their tyrant rule in India.

Mashriqi was a passionate student of the revolutionary concept. He  studied Karl Marx and the german philosopher Fred Nietzche. He formally  formed the Khaksar movement in 1931 which was against the British rule India. Strongly disappointed of the way Mahatma Gandhi had been carrying movement of non violence. He decided to form a  party which had their own uniform and would carry a spade. Mashriqi’s bank accounts were frozen, British made sure that he suffers. Mashriqi's family suffered and there was a time when they were starving. His elder son Ehsanullah Khan Aslam was tortured by the police on  19^th of May and he died in May 1940  because there was no money for proper treatment. The British rulers were brutal enough to make sure that Mashriqi does not attends his son's funeral.

Mashriqi was not an ally of any single political party. However he was on good relations with Jinnah in 1945. Later when Pakistan was created in 1947 unlike other Islamic parties of India,  the members of the Khaksar tehreek helped Muslims migrate from Indian Punjab to the recently formed country. Mashriqi was in prison later in Pakistan because he was accused of murdering Dr Khan Sahib. He was set free from the court but his political party the Islam League was banned. During Ayub Khan's regime he was not disturbed only on the condition that he stayed away from politics. He died on 25^th of August 1963. Ayub Khan paid a rich tribute to him on the day of his funeral.

I personally visited the office of the Khaksar Tehreek in Lahore. The man staying there was kind enough to allow me take a photograph with a car that is often said has been gifted by Hitler to him. However he is not mentioned in our history books as a genius or a politician. Students must be aware of how this man made a difference. He refused to take any of the benefits from the British. Gave up his job and fought against the Raj. Allama Mashriqi followed his political enthusiasm.