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{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2019}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Ghulam Muhammad Khan Bhurgri
| native_name = {{Lang|sd|غلام محمد خان ڀرڳڙي}}
| native_name_lang = sd
| other_names = Sardar Bhurgri, Raees, GM Bhurgri
|image =
| alt =
| caption = 
| birth_name = Ghulam Muhammad
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1878|07|15}}
| birth_place = Dengan Bhurgri, Taluka [[Kot Ghulam Muhammad]] Bhurgri, District [[Mirpurkhas]], [[Sindh]], [[British Raj]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1924|03|12|1878|07|15}}
| death_place =
| nationality = Sindhi
| alma_mater = [[Sindh Madressatul Islam University|Sindh Madressatul Islam]] Muslim High School Aligarh [[Lincoln's Inn]]
| occupation = Politician, freedom fighter
| years_active =
| education = [[Barrister]]
}}

'''Ghulam Muhammad Khan Bhurgri''' ({{lang-sd|غلام محمد خان ڀرڳڙي}}) (Barrister),(1878-1924) was a Sindhi statesman.<ref name="auto2">{{cite web|url=http://paknetmag.blogspot.com/2009/08/pioneers-of-freedom-series_19.html|title=Welcome To Pakistan Philatelic Net Club: Pioneers of Freedom (Series)|first=Quaid-e-azam Study|last=Circle|date=20 August 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.gulhayat.com/freedomfighterwhoswho.asp |title=Archived copy |access-date=2 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130302161223/http://www.gulhayat.com/freedomfighterwhoswho.asp |archive-date=2 March 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Raees Ghulam Mohammad Bhurgri was one of the earliest leaders of Sindh during the colonial period. He was contemporary and one of the closest aide of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah.<ref name="auto4">https://www.smiu.edu.pk/pdf/Makers-of-Modern-Sindh-Feb-2020.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}</ref>

Alike Jinnah, Bhurgri was also associated with both the Indian National Congress and All IndiaMuslim League. The role of both these leaders was to bridge the differences between two major political parties of India as well as the religious communities<ref name="auto4"/>

==Early life==
Raees Ghulam Muhammad Bhurgri was born on 15 July 1878 in the village of Dengan Bhurgri, [[Kot Ghulam Muhammad]], District [[Tharparkar]] (now [[Mirpurkhas]]) in [[Sindh]]. He was the second son of Wali Muhammad Khan Bhurgri, a well-known, prosperous landlord (zamindar) of Sindh.<ref name="auto2"/><ref name="auto3">{{cite book|author=Your name here |title=Barrister Raees Ghulam Muhammad Khan Bhurgri Life and Works: Muhammad Hashim Leghari: 9781499389265: Amazon.com: Books |date=15 May 2014 |isbn=978-1499389265 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://pk.geoview.info/a_palace_of_honorable_barrister_mr_ghulam_muhammad_bhurgri_at_dengan_kot_ghulam_muhammad_mirpur_khas_sindh,73851346p|title=A PALACE OF HONORABLE BARRISTER MR GHULAM MUHAMMAD BHURGRI AT DENGAN KOT GHULAM MUHAMMAD MIRPUR KHAS SINDH|website=pk.geoview.info}}</ref>
Bhurgri family belonging to Baloch tribe, Bhurgri family who had migrated from “Bhurgarh” place in Dera Ghazi Khan to present MirpurKhas district of Sindh.
<ref name="auto4"/>

==Education==
According to family traditions the services of a religious teacher were hired for teaching Persian and reading of Quran to Ghulam Mohammad during his early age. However, education in those days at the hands of religious teachers always used to be associated with severe beatings. Ghulam Mohammad went through such ordeal whenhe was tied with trunk of a tree by his teacher and flogged mercilessly, which resulted in a life-long scar on his forehead<ref name="auto4"/>

He received his elementary education at home. Later, he joined Mission School, Hyderabad (Sindh) N.H. Academy, Hyderabad, and Sindh Madrassah-tul-Is!am, Karachi.<ref name="auto4"/>

In 1890 he went to Aligarh and passed his matriculation examination from Muslim High School Aligarh.<ref name="auto4"/>

Initially started looking after his agricultural property when another incident forced him to go to England to study law, for three years from 1905 to 1908 and was called the bar from [[Lincoln's Inn]].<ref name="auto2"/><ref name="auto4"/>

==Family==
His son Raees Ghulam Mustafa Khan Bhurgri, who was a member of the Sindh Assembly, was the greatest opponent of [[One Unit]] and voted against the bill during the Sindh assembly session in 1957 at Hyderabad, on 17 September 1957, a resolution was moved against unification of West Pakistan was by Ghulam Mustafa Bhurgri.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://prr.hec.gov.pk/Chapters/308S-2.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=22 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150616043314/http://prr.hec.gov.pk/chapters/308s-2.pdf |archive-date=16 June 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://tns.thenews.com.pk/formation-of-one-unit/|title=Formation of One Unit|first=T. N. S.|last=Editor|date=26 July 2015|website=TNS - The News on Sunday}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/666670|title=Flashback: One Unit: a dark chapter in our history|first=From|last=InpaperMagazine|date=16 October 2011|website=DAWN.COM}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://jeaysindhqaumimahaz.blogspot.com/2010/11/case-of-sindh-gm-syeds-deposition-in_9789.html|title=The Case of Sindh - G.M. Syed's deposition in court (Part 6)}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.drpathan.com/index.php/2014-11-06-10-13-25/december|title=DECEMBER|first=Dr|last=Pathan|website=www.drpathan.com}}</ref>

==Professional career==
After his return, he started a practice in Hyderabad (Sindh).<ref name="auto2"/>

==Political career==
He was the first Sindhi Muslim barrister, who rose to the highest status of politician in the subcontinent as a Sindhi.<ref name="auto3"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bhutto.org/sir-shahnawaz-bhutto.php|title=Bhutto|website=www.bhutto.org|access-date=2 March 2015|archive-date=4 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150204081428/http://www.bhutto.org/sir-shahnawaz-bhutto.php|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Ghulam Mohammad Bhurgri was among the foremost Muslim leaders of Sindh whose activities had a significant impact on mainstream Indian politics. He was active at one time or another in several major political organisations.<ref name="auto1">{{cite web|url=http://www.nazariapak.info/Famous-Pakistani/politicians.php|title=Nazaria-i-Pakistan Trust|website=www.nazariapak.info}}</ref>

He was the first to clamor for compulsory free education and in this connection moved the 'Muslim Education Cess Bill' (to recover just one 'pie' per rupee for this purpose) in the then Bombay Legislative Assembly. This move was strenuously opposed and defeated by the Zamindars and other vested interests who feared the possible dangers of spreading education, especially amongst the Haris and landless -labourers.<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=https://volunteersinsindh.wordpress.com/luminaries/bhurgurirais-e-azam-ghulam-mohammad-khan/|title=BHURGURI,Rais-e-Azam, Ghulam Mohammad Khan|date=25 August 2011}}</ref>

His relentless efforts brought in more grants to the local boards, besides more facilities to the cultivators and drastic improvements in the conditions of irrigation canals and roads. He also clamored for many other welfare causes and liberally helped the needy, especially poor litigants and students.<ref name="auto"/>

He was elected as a member of the [[Bombay Legislative Council]] in 1909; he was re-elected in 1913 and again in 1916.<ref name="auto2"/>
He was a member of the Indian National Congress in 1917.<ref name="auto1"/>

In February 1920 he became President of the All India Khilafat Conference (1919–29).<ref name="auto1"/>

On 10 July 1919, G M Bhurgri accompanied the [[Jinnah]] leader of deputation for Khilafat to London.<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=czKYZPyoyx0C&q=bhurgri+in+india&pg=PA114 | title=Pan-Islam in British Indian Politics: A Study of the Khilafat Movement, 1918-1924| isbn=9004113711| last1=Naeem Qureshi| first1=M.| year=1999}}</ref>

In an interview eminent politician and Jurist [[Rasul Bux Palejo]] Said: “If Bhurgri had been alive at the time of independence, Quaid-E- Azam Would have made him the first Prime Minister instead of Liaquat Ali Khan”. He was among the most trusted and close political allies of Mr. Jinnah he further said. Raees Ghulam Mohammad was among those very few leaders who openly opposed the British rule right from the word go, He was progressive Landlord;<ref name="auto5">{{Cite web|url=https://www.dailyparliamenttimes.com/2020/12/11/a-forgotten-character-of-sindhs-history-raees-ghulam-mohammad-khan-bhurgri/|title=A Forgotten Character of Sindh,s History- Raees Ghulam Mohammad Khan Bhurgri|first=Parliament|last=Times|date=11 December 2020}}</ref>

===Muslim League===

He remained a dedicated member of the All India Muslim League all through his life and attended all its annual sessions. He was a member of the Reforms Committee (8th session, Bombay, December 1915-January 1916), a member of the Committee to Discuss Congress-League Scheme (10th session - Calcutta, December 1917- January 1918) and a member of the Committee of Moplah Trouble (14th session, Ahmedabad, December 1921).<ref name="auto3"/>

He was elected President of the All India Muslim League (15th session) at Lucknow 31 March - 1 April 1923. In his presidential address, Bhurgri touched upon, among other things, the Turkish and Khilafat question and the possibility of a league of Oriental Nations. Bhurgri was a Muslim League delegate, under the leadership of Quaid-e-Azam, to give evidence before the Selbourne Committee of British Parliament on India Bill.<ref name="auto3"/><ref>[[List of presidents of the All-India Muslim League]]</ref>{{Circular reference|date=March 2021}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_uG0AAAAIAAJ&q=establishment+of+full+independence+in+the+form+of+a+federation+of+free+democratic+states+in+which+interests+of+the+1937+Musalmans+and+other+minorities+are+adequately+effectively+safeguarded+in+the+Constitution|title=Chronology of Pakistan Movement: December 29, 1930-August 14, 1947|date=26 January 1985|publisher=National Archives of Pakistan|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Kc4KAQAAIAAJ&q=foundation+of+pakistan|title = Foundations of Pakistan: All-India Muslim League Documents, 1906-1947|last1 = Pirzada|first1 = Syed Sharifuddin|year = 1970}}</ref>

==Role for Sindh==
He championed the cause of separation of Sindh from Bombay Presidency with a view to safeguarding the interests of Sindhi Muslims. He with his friends came to the conclusion that the issue must be brought to all India political forums. [[All India National Congress]] had been made aware of the issue since 1913, and now All India Muslim League must also be asked to play its part. In December 1925, in its seventeenth session, the Muslim League passed the resolution that Sindh should be separated from Bombay and constituted into a separate province.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sdpi.org/publications/files/A-97.pdf |title=Data |website=www.sdpi.org |access-date=2019-10-19}}</ref>

Bhurgri continuously lobbied for a separate province, proposing resolutions at all-India moots, from 1925 onwards. He repeatedly urged the [[Aga Khan]] who led the Muslim delegation to the [[Round Table Conferences (India)|Round Table Conferences]] (1930–32) and Jinnah to get the Sindh separation issue settled favourably during the London confabulations.<ref name="auto1"/>

Sindh Provincial Political Conference (1920-30s)<ref name="auto1"/>

In the Reforms of 1909, Sindh had been given four seats in Bombay Legislative Council. Ghulam Mohammad was one of the four elected members from Sindh. He attended the first session of the Council on 4 January 1910 at Bombay and continued representing his province for ten years till 1920. His utmost concern was the state of education, health, infrastructure, roads, irrigation and most importantly the highhandedness of colonial masters and bureaucracy.
<ref name="auto6">{{cite web|url=https://www.smiu.edu.pk/pdf/Makers-of-Modern-Sindh-Feb-2020.pdf}}</ref>

He also presented Muslim Education Cess Bill in the assembly. According to this Bill, landlords were to contribute one percent of their income for education. But the Bill was rejected<ref name="auto6"/>

Azad Sindh Conference (1930)<ref name="auto1"/>

He started the Sindhi weekly ''Al-Amin'' from Hyderabad which was edited by [[Shaikh Abdul Majeed Sindhi]].

Bhurgri was an accomplished lawyer and defended Sheikh Abdul Majeed Sindhi against Government prosecution under press laws.

As President of [[Muhammedan Educational Conference, Poona]], he tried to expand educational facilities in rural areas<ref name="auto3"/>

Our Perspective Changes about Feudal lords, when We talk of Raees Bhurgri, His Contributions for Sindh were exceptional, wrote by [[G. M. Syed]] in his book.<ref name="auto5"/>

==Death==
He died on 10 March 1924 and was buried in his ancestral graveyard.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.alltravels.com/pakistan/sindh/jamesabad/photos/current-photo-73851346|title=▷ Photo - A PALACE OF HONORABLE BARRISTER MR GHULAM MUHAMMAD BHURGRI AT DENGAN KOT GHULAM MUHAMMAD MIRPUR KHAS SINDH - Pictures Of Jamesabad, Sindh, Pakistan - Travel Photos :: AllTravels :: Anywhere You Want To Go ::.|website=AllTravels}}</ref>

In recognition of his services, the Sindh Government changed the name of the town and Taluka of [[Jamesabad]] to [[Kot Ghulam Muhammad|Kot Ghulam Muhammad Bhurgri]].<ref name="auto2"/>

His photo was featured on commemorative postage stamps of Pakistan on 14 August 1993.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stampworld.com/en/stamps/Pakistan/Postage%20stamps/?year=1993|title=Pakistan - Postage stamps (1947 - 2019)}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://colnect.com/en/stamps/stamp/480289-Ghulam_Mohammad_Bhurgri-Pioneers_Of_Freedom-Pakistan|title=Stamp: Ghulam Mohammad Bhurgri (Pakistan) (Pioneers Of Freedom) Mi:PK 875,Sn:PK 792a,Sg:PK 904|website=Colnect}}</ref><ref>[[List of people on stamps of Pakistan]]</ref>

==Books on Bhurgri==
* ''Barrister Raees Ghulam Muhammad Khan Bhurgri Life and Works'' by former bureaucrat Mohammad Hashim Leghari<ref name="auto3"/>

==See also==
* [[Bhurgari|Bhurgri]]
* [[List of Sindhi people]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.bhurgri.com/ Bhurgri website]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bhurgri, Ghulam Muhammad Khan}}
[[Category:1878 births]]
[[Category:1924 deaths]]
[[Category:All India Muslim League members]]
[[Category:Indian National Congress politicians]]
[[Category:Pakistan Movement activists]]
[[Category:Pakistani barristers]]
[[Category:People from Mirpur Khas District]]
[[Category:Politicians from Sindh]]
[[Category:Sindh Madressatul Islam University alumni]]
[[Category:Sindhi people]]
[[Category:Place of death missing]]

Ghulam Muhammad Khan Bhurgri - Revision history

UpdateBot at 03:25, 3 April 2022