Ajay Kumar at 15:03, 7 September 2023

2023-09-07T15:03:41Z

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{{short description|Sindhi politician of Colonial Indian}}

{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Allah Bux Soomro
| imagesize =
| smallimage =
| caption =
| office1 = [[List of members of the 1st Provincial Assembly of Sindh]]
| order = 2nd & 4th [[Chief Minister of Sindh|Premier of Sindh]]
| term_start1 = 23 March 1938
| term_end1 = 18 April 1940
| predecessor1 = [[Sir Ghulam Hussain Hidayat Ullah]]
| successor1 = [[Mir Bandeh Ali Khan Talpur]]
| governor1 = [[Sir Lancelot Graham]],<br />Joseph Hugh Garrett (acting)
| term_start2 = 27 March 1942
| term_end2 = 14 October 1942
| predecessor2 = [[Mir Bandeh Ali Khan Talpur]]
| successor2 = [[Sir Ghulam Hussain Hidayat Ullah]]
| governor2 = [[Hugh Dow|Sir Hugh Dow]]
| birth_date = 1900
| birth_place = [[Shikarpur, Sindh|Shikarpur]], [[Sindh]], [[British India]] (now [[Pakistan]])
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1943|5|14|1900}}
| death_place = [[Shikarpur, Sindh|Shikarpur]], [[Sindh]], [[British India]] (now [[Pakistan]])
| constituency =
| party = [[Sind Ittehad Party]]
| spouse = Sahib Khatoon
| children = Rahim Bux, Hyder Bux, Abdul Samad, Razia, Safia, Afroze, Qudsia and Saeeda
| profession = [[government contractor]], [[politician]]
| signature =
| footnotes =
| honorific_suffix = [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]]
| honorific_prefix = [[Khan Bahadur]]
}}
'''Allah Bux Muhammad Umar Soomro''' ({{lang-sd|{{Naskh|اللهَ بخشُ محمد عمر سوُمَرو}}}}) (1900 – 14 May 1943), ([[Khan Bahadur]] '''Sir Allah Bux Muhammad Umar Soomro''' <small>[[Order of the British Empire|OBE]]</small> till September 1942) or '''Allah Baksh Soomro''', was a ''[[zamindar]]'', government contractor, [[Indian independence activist]] and [[politician]] from the province of [[Sindh]] in [[colonial India]]. He is considered to be amongst the best premiers of the province, known for promoting [[Hindu-Muslim unity]] and campaigning for an [[opposition to the partition of India|independent, united India]].<ref name="Grover1992"/><ref name="Ahmed2016"/> He was referred to as '''Shaheed''' or "[[martyr]]".

Allah Bux Soomro was born in 1900 in [[Shikarpur, Pakistan|Shikarpur]] in [[Sindh]] in an affluent family. He founded the [[Sind Ittehad Party]] and served as the [[Chief Minister of Sindh]] from 23 March 1938 to 18 April 1940 and 7 March 1941 to 14 October 1942. He was [[assassinated]], by assailants thought to belong to the [[All India Muslim League]], in 1943.<ref name="Raj2016"/><ref name="Kidwai"/> Soomro had three sons and five daughters.<ref name="DT-18"/>

== Early life ==
Allah Bux Soomro was born in the family fief of Shikarpur in northern Sindh in 1900. His father, Muhammad Umar Soomro, was the hereditary chief of the [[Soomro]] [[Rajputs]]. He got his early education at [[Thul|Thull tehsil]] of [[Jacobabad District|Jacobabad]] in 1910. Later, he got admission in higher secondary school in Shikarpur in 1911,<ref name="DT-18">{{cite news |title=75th death anniversary of Allah Bux Soomro observed |url=https://dailytimes.com.pk/240567/75th-death-anniversary-of-allah-bux-soomro-observed/ |publisher=Daily Times |date=16 May 2018}}</ref> and passed his [[Matriculation in Pakistan|matriculation]] examinations in 1918 and joined his father's contract business.<ref name="dnbp435">{{cite book|title=Dictionary of National Biography|pages=435|publisher=Research Wing, Indian Bibliographic Centre|year=2000|id={{ISBN|8185131155}}, {{ISBN|978-81-85131-15-3}}}}</ref> His father was famous contractor and businessman in the region.<ref name="DT-18"/>

== Career ==
Soomro joined politics at an early age and was elected to the [[Jacobabad]] [[municipality]] in 1923.<ref name="dnbp435" /> In 1928, he was elected as a member of local board at Sukkur district, and later became its president in 1930. In 1931, he was granted the title of 'little Khan Bahadur'.<ref name="DT-18"/>

== Tenure as premier ==
Soomro served as the [[List of Chief Ministers of Sindh|Chief Minister of Sindh]] for two terms, starting from March 23, 1938, to April 18, 1940, and March 7, 1941, to October 14, 1942, and held the portfolios of finance, excise, and industries.

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto;"
! colspan="2"| Allah Bux Soomro's Cabinet (March 23, 1938 – April 18, 1940)
|-
! Minister
! Portfolio
|-
| Allah Bux Soomro
| Home, Finance
|-
| [[Pir Ilahi Bux]]
| Revenue
|-
| [[Nichaldas C. Vazirani]]
| Public Works Department, Public Health, Medical
|-
!colspan="2"| Allah Bux Soomro's Cabinet (March 7, 1941 – October 14, 1942)
|-
| Allah Bux Soomro
| Finance
|-
| [[Ghulam Hussain Hidayat Ullah]]
| Home, Parliamentary Affairs, Law
|-
| Pir Ilahi Bux
| Education, Industries, Labour, Excise, Forest and Rural Development
|-
| [[R. S. Gokaldas Mewaldas]]
| Local Government and Agriculture
|-
| Pirzada Abdul Sattar
| Public Works Department, Medical, Public Health
|}

Soon after taking over as [[List of Chief Ministers of Sindh|Chief Minister of Sindh]], Soomro overruled the [[Exile|banishment]] of [[Ubaidullah Sindhi]], thereby allowing him to return to his homeland.<ref name="malkani_bio">{{cite book|title=The Sindh Story, Chapter 11: Thrown to the wolves|url=http://www.freesindh.org/sindhstory/Thrown_to_the_Wolves.html|publisher=Allied Publishers|author=K. R. Malkani|authorlink=K. R. Malkani|year=1988|access-date=2009-03-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120621025051/http://www.freesindh.org/sindhstory/Thrown_to_the_Wolves.html|archive-date=2012-06-21|url-status=dead}}</ref> He reduced the salary of ministers to Rs.500 per month and prohibited the practice of nominating members to local bodies.<ref name="malkani_bio" />

Soomro also introduced reforms in religion. In 1938, he prohibited Ziwal-Haj.<ref name="malkani_bio" /> He also banned the Om Mandali, a predecessor of the [[Brahma Kumari]] organisation.<ref name="malkani_bio" />

=== Ziwal-Haj controversy ===
In 1934, a [[Muslim]] [[Pir (Sufism)|Pir of Lawari]] had organised a local [[Haj]] for those who could not afford to visit [[Saudi Arabia]]. The pilgrims gathered on Ziwal-Haj, read [[Salat|namaz]] while turning to the [[dargah]], went to a local well renamed ''[[Zamzam Well|Zam Zam]]'', addressed the [[Pir (Sufism)|Pir]] as ''[[Allah|Khuda]]'' and greeted each other as ''[[Hajji]]''. It gave these poor Muslims great spiritual satisfaction. The Muslims denounced it as [[Shirk (Islam)|un-Islamic]], agitated violently, and forced Allah Bux Soomro to ban it in 1938.<ref>[http://cities.sulekha.com/nigeria/-/lagos/107096/review.htm Chikmagalur, the more things change, Allah Bux Sumro and the Manzilgah Masjid riots in 1939]</ref> This group had similar beliefs as [[Zikri]] sect of [[Balochistan (Pakistan)|Balochistan]].

=== The Manzilgah controversy ===
[[File:Bombay Prov north 1909.jpg|thumb|200px|Northern part of [[Bombay]] and Sind comprising the northern division of Bombay and the Commissionerate of Sind]]
Manzilgah was the name of a couple of old buildings near the [[Sadh Belo|Sadh Belo temple]] in [[Sukkur]] which were used as a government godown. It was variously claimed to be a [[mosque]] and an [[Public house#Inns|inn]].<ref name="malkani_bio" /> The Hindus opposed Muslim League claims that the building was a mosque as the presence of a mosque so close to a Hindu temple would trigger communal tensions in the area.<ref name="malkani_bio" /> The Ghulam Hussain Government responded by rebuffing the extremist elements by claiming that the buildings were government property.<ref name="malkani_bio" /> When Allah Bux became Premier, he sent a commission which reported that Manzilgah was an inn, based upon the original Persian inscriptions on the building.<ref name="malkani_bio" /> Despite this, in June 1939, the Muslim League launched an agitation.<ref name="ayeshajalalp415">{{cite book|title=Self and sovereignty: individual and community in South Asian Islam since 1850|pages=415|author=Ayesha Jalal|publisher=Routledge|year=2000|id={{ISBN|0415220777}}, {{ISBN|978-0-415-22077-4}}}}</ref> Senior League leaders [[G. M. Syed]], [[M. A. Khuhro]] and Sir Abdullah Haroon forcibly occupied Manzilgah from October 3, 1939, to November 19, 1939.<ref name="malkani_bio" /> The government, initially, tried to quell the movement through the use of force.<ref name="ayeshajalalp415" /> However, when the tactic proved unsuccessful, the government yielded and allowed Muslims to pray in Manzilgah.<ref name="ayeshajalalp415" />

At about the same time, the Sufi poet, [[Bhagat Kanwar Ram]] was assassinated.<ref name="malkani_bio" /> Communal riots broke out in Sukkur and there was a total strike which lasted 15 days.<ref name="malkani_bio" /> In November 1939, the Sind Hindu Provincial Conference, presided over by Dr. Moonje of the [[Hindu Mahasabha]] threatened Muslims with retaliation if the mosque was not recovered by the government.<ref name="ayeshajalalp415" /> While some sources claim that 17 Muslims and 40 Hindus were killed in the riots<ref name="ayeshajalalp416">{{cite book|title=Self and sovereignty: individual and community in South Asian Islam since 1850|pages=416|author=Ayesha Jalal|publisher=Routledge|year=2000|id={{ISBN|0415220777}}, {{ISBN|978-0-415-22077-4}}}}</ref> another claims that the toll of Hindus killed was over 60.<ref name="malkani_bio" />

A compromise was reached in February 1941, when Manzilgah was handed over to Muslims but not before the Muslims had agreed not to obstruct the playing of music in the nearby Saadha Belo temple. Leaders of the Muslim League later admitted "that the Manzilgah issue was a bogus (''hathradoo'') agitation, staged just to topple Allah Bux."<ref name="malkani_bio" />

== Tenure as president of the All India Azad Muslim Conference ==
{{Quote box
| title = Soomro replying to [[G. M. Syed|Syed]] on Jinnah's ideology
| quote = "Mr. Jinnah's view that the country should be divided because the Muslims are a separate nation on the basis of religion is not acceptable to me because this ideology is Un-Islamic, archaic and against all modern principles of nationalism."
| author = G. M. Syed
| source = The case of Sindh, p. 203
| align = left
| width = 300px
}}
Allah Baksh Soomro founded the [[All India Azad Muslim Conference]] in order to represent Islamic organisations and political parties that championed a united Hindustan and [[opposition to the partition of India|opposed the partition of India]].<ref name="Grover1992">{{cite book |last1=Grover |first1=Verinder |title=Political Thinkers of Modern India: Abul Kalam Azad |date=1992 |publisher=Deep & Deep Publications |isbn=9788171004324 |page=503 |language=English|quote=Within five weeks of the passage of the Pak resolution, an assembly of nationalist Muslims under the name of the Azad Muslim Conference was convened in Delhi. The Conference met under the presidentship of Khan Bahadur Allah Bakhsh, the then Chief Minister of Sind.}}</ref><ref name="Ahmed2016">{{cite web |last1=Ahmed |first1=Ishtiaq |title=The dissenters |url=https://www.thefridaytimes.com/tft/the-dissenters/ |publisher=[[The Friday Times]] |language=English |date=27 May 2016|quote=However, the book is a tribute to the role of one Muslim leader who steadfastly opposed the Partition of India: the Sindhi leader Allah Bakhsh Soomro. Allah Bakhsh belonged to a landed family. He founded the Sindh People’s Party in 1934, which later came to be known as ‘Ittehad’ or ‘Unity Party’. ... Allah Bakhsh was totally opposed to the Muslim League’s demand for the creation of Pakistan through a division of India on a religious basis. Consequently, he established the Azad Muslim Conference. In its Delhi session held during April 27–30, 1940 some 1400 delegates took part. They belonged mainly to the lower castes and working class. The famous scholar of Indian Islam, Wilfred Cantwell Smith, feels that the delegates represented a ‘majority of India’s Muslims’. Among those who attended the conference were representatives of many Islamic theologians and women also took part in the deliberations.}}</ref>

Allah Baksh Soomro stated that “No power on earth can rob anyone of his faith and convictions, and no power on earth shall be permitted to rob Indian Muslims of their just rights as Indian nationals.”<ref name="Ali2017">{{cite web |last1=Ali |first1=Afsar |title=Partition of India and Patriotism of Indian Muslims |url=http://www.milligazette.com/news/15756-partition-of-india-and-patriotism-of-indian-muslims |publisher=[[The Milli Gazette]] |language=English |date=17 July 2017}}</ref> He proclaimed that the very concept of "The Muslims as a separate nation in India on the basis of their religion, is un-Islamic."<ref name="Malkani1984">{{cite book |last1=Malkani |first1=K. R. |title=The Sindh Story |date=1984 |publisher=Allied Publishers |page=121 |language=English}}</ref>

On 27 April 1940, over 1400 delegates participated in Delhi session of the All India Azad Muslim Conference, which Allah Bakhsh Soomro presided over.<ref name="Grover1992"/> The Canadian orientalist [[Wilfred Cantwell Smith]] remarked that those presented represented the ‘majority of India’s Muslims’.<ref name="Ahmed2016"/>

== Later life ==

In 1940, a no-confidence motion was passed against Allah Bux Soomro.<ref name="malkani_bio" /> The Indian National Congress joined hands with the Muslim League and voted against him.<ref name="malkani_bio" /> Following the dismissal of his government, Soomro appointed member of the National Defence Council in which he served till 1942, when the [[Quit India Movement]] was started.<ref name="hansard">{{cite web|title=India and the War|publisher=UK Parliament|date=July 22, 1941|url=http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/lords/1941/jul/22/india-and-the-war}}</ref> In September 1942, Soomro renounced his knighthood and the Khan Bahadur title which the British government had bestowed upon him.<ref name="malkani_bio" /><ref name="dnbp347">{{cite book|title=Dictionary of national biography|url=https://archive.org/details/dli.bengal.10689.11619|author=Siba Pada Sen|pages=[https://archive.org/details/dli.bengal.10689.11619/page/n425 347]|publisher=Institute of Historical Studies|year=1972}}</ref> He also resigned from the National Defence Council.<ref name="malkani_bio" />

Allah Bux Soomro was briefly elected back to power in March 1941 and served as Premier for about a year.<ref name="malkani_bio" /> However, he was dismissed by the Governor due to his support for the Quit India Movement.<ref name="malkani_bio" />

== Assassination ==
Allah Bux Soomro was assassinated on May 14, 1943, while he was travelling in a [[Tonga (carriage)|Tanga]] in his hometown of Shikarpur.<ref name="malkani_bio" /><ref name="allahbakshvssavarkar">{{cite news|title=Allah Baksh versus Savarkar|url=http://www.hinduonnet.com/2003/05/14/stories/2003051401081000.htm|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130125075345/http://www.hinduonnet.com/2003/05/14/stories/2003051401081000.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 25, 2013|work=[[The Hindu]]|author=Anil Nauriya|date=May 14, 2003}}</ref> He was 43 years old at the time of his death. Rumors pinned the murder on agents of the pro-separatist [[All India Muslim League]].<ref name="Raj2016">{{cite web |last1=Raj |first1=Nishant |title=The Forgotten Story Of Allah Bux Soomro, India’s Hero Who Strongly Opposed The ‘2 Nation’ Theory |url=https://www.scoopwhoop.com/The-Story-Of-Allah-Bux-Soomro/#.43o7v73tt |publisher=[[ScoopWhoop]] |language=English |date=6 May 2016|quote=On 14th May 1943, Allah Bux Soomro was assassinated by four men, while he was travelling in a tonga in Shaikarpur. 73 years later, his case still remains unsolved, but it's rumoured that his murder was carried out by members of the Muslim League.}}</ref><ref name="Kidwai">{{cite web |last1=Kidwai |first1=Rasheed |title=The Bullies of Partition: How the Muslim League silenced the majority of Indian Muslims strongly opposed to the creation of Pakistan |url=https://www.dailyo.in/politics/partition-indian-muslims-mohammad-ali-jinnah-shamsul-islam-indian-muslims-muslims-pakistan-iqbal/story/1/29793.html |publisher=DailyO |accessdate=9 March 2019 |language=English |date=7 March 2019|quote=However, by 1943, Bakhsh was killed — allegedly by League goons.}}</ref>

== Legacy and analysis ==
Political analysts, such as [[Urvashi Butalia]], have stated that the Sind Assembly of Colonial India would not have supported the [[Lahore resolution]] if Allah Bakhsh Soomro was alive during that time, and would have instead opted for a [[opposition to the partition of India|united India]].<ref name="Butalia2015">{{cite book |last1=Butalia |first1=Urvashi |title=Partition: The Long Shadow |date=2015 |publisher=Penguin UK |isbn=9789351189497 |language=English|quote=Had Allah Baksh Soomro not been assassinated, the Sindh Assembly would not have supported the Pakistan resolution.}}</ref>

Shaheed Allah Bux Soomro University of Art, Design and Heritage in [[Jamshoro]] is named after Allah Bux Soomro.<ref>{{cite news |title=Sindh Chief Minister Appoints Acting VC For Newly Established Arts University |url=https://www.urdupoint.com/en/amp/pakistan/sindh-chief-minister-appoints-acting-vc-for-n-1024037.html |publisher=Urdu Point |date=8 September 2020}}</ref>

His son, [[Rahim Bux Soomro]], was a politician in Pakistan. His nephew, [[Elahi Bux Soomro]], was the [[Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan|speaker]] of the [[National Assembly of Pakistan]] and a Veteran [[Politician]]. His grandson, Dr. [[Abdul Hafeez Shaikh]], served as [[Senate of Pakistan|member of senate]] and later as [[Minister of Finance (Pakistan)|minister of finance]] in Pakistan.<ref name="ET-15-May-16">{{cite news |title=Paying tribute: Sindh remembers the man who fought for its freedom |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/709053/paying-tribute-sindh-remembers-the-man-who-fought-for-its-freedom |publisher=Express Tribune |date=15 May 2014}}</ref><ref name="BR-24-Jan-05">{{cite news |title=Dr Hafeez’s mother laid to rest |url=https://fp.brecorder.com/2005/01/20050124158813/ |publisher=Business Recorder |date=24 January 2005}}</ref>

== Notes ==

{{Reflist|2}}

== Bibliography ==

* {{cite book|title=Allah Bux Soomro: Apostle of Secular Harmony|author=Khadim Husain Soomro|publisher=Sain Publishers|year=2001|ref=Khadim Husain Soomro}}
*{{cite book|title=Muslims Against Partition|author=Shamsul Islam|publisher=Pharos Media & Publishing PvtLtd|year=2015|ref=Allah Bux Soomro}}

== External links ==
*[https://www.thebetterindia.com/155030/allah-bux-soomro-sindh-freedom-struggle-independence/ Allah Bux Soomro: The Sindhi Premier Who Fought The British & The Two-Nation Theory - Rinchen Norbu Wangchuk]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqo8W0CJmy4 Allah Bux Soomro (1900 - 1943) and the Azad Muslim Conference Against the Partition of India (Urdu/Hindi)] - [[Ishtiaq Ahmed (political scientist)|Professor Ishtiaq Ahmed]]

{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{succession box
|title=[[Chief Minister of Sindh]]
|years=23 March 1938 – 18 April 1940
|before=[[Ghulam Hussain Hidayat Ullah|Sir Ghulam Hussain Hidayat Ullah]]
|after=[[Mir Bandeh Ali Khan Talpur]]
}}
{{succession box
|title=2nd term
|years=7 March 1941 – 14 October 1942
|before=[[Mir Bandeh Ali Khan Talpur]]
|after=[[Ghulam Hussain Hidayat Ullah|Sir Ghulam Hussain Hidayat Ullah]]
}}
{{s-end}}

{{Chief Minister of Sindh}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Soomro, Allah Bux}}
[[Category:Chief Ministers of Sindh]]
[[Category:Sindhi people]]
[[Category:1900 births]]
[[Category:1943 deaths]]
[[Category:Politicians from Sindh]]
[[Category:Assassinated Indian politicians]]
[[Category:Soomro family|A]]
[[Category:Sindh MPAs 1937–1945]]
[[Category:1940s assassinated politicians]]

Allah Bux Soomro - Revision history

Ajay Kumar at 15:03, 7 September 2023