‘Living an hour of glory is much better than living an age with no name’. Whether it’s Jinnah in Pakistan, or Nehru in India, none of them deserve the adulation that have been unfortunately bestowed upon them. Thanks to these two wily politicians, scores of true heroes, who actually fought for India’s freedom and integrity, were callously forgotten. Among them, sadly, is a hero, who like Frontier Gandhi (Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan), fought for India’s unity, fought for India’s freedom, fought against the injudicious Two Nation Theory. But sadly, neither of the residents either side of the border know of him as of today. His name was Allah Bux Soomro, the ex-Prime Minister of Sindh, and this is his story.
Born in 1900, at Shikarpur, the leader of Sind Ittehad Party belonged to the scion of the illustrious Soomro Rajputs. He was introduced to politics at a very age. Good political connections, along with a strong base in the Anglo Indian education, made him an apparent moderate leader, in reality a stooge of the British imperialists. For his services, he was not only bestowed with the Khan Bahadur, but also was awarded the British knighthood, by King George the Vth.
However, the Indian in this political revolutionary, an equivalent of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was never suppressed. Once he became the Premier of Sindh, his patriotism came out, which infuriated the quisling members of the Muslim League. Owing to his popularity, Allah Bux Soomro had a sizeable support in the Muslim majority provinces of British India, as well as that of Hindus. Unlike the pseudo seculars of today, his vision was that of a United India, where heritage and culture belonged to Hindus and Muslims alike. Probably, Allah Bux Soomro knew what Akhand Bharat actually meant. In fact, his respect for the freedom fighters can be derived from the fact, that he overturned the decision of revolutionary Obeidullah Sindhi’s exile, during his premiership and allowed him to come back to India.
However, his nationalist stance was an obstacle in Jinnah’s road to Pakistan. In fact, his support for secularism in the Manzilgah controversy, where Muslim League anarchists forcefully wished to occupy the Manzilgah premises, and destroy the Saadha Belo temple, drew the ire of both the Muslim League, and the Indian National Congress. In fact, Jawahar Lal Nehru allegedly hated Allah Bux’s influence among the Sindh community. Conspiring against this revolutionary, both Muslim League and Congress passed the No Confidence Motion against him, and forced him to resign. Soomro was appointed the member of National Defence Council, following his dismissal.
However, no sooner had the Quit India Movement commenced in 1942, than Allah Bux Soomro realized that it is time to mobilize the Sindh and other provinces for the One Nation Theory, opposing Jinnah’s demand for Pakistan.
He resigned from the Premiership of Sindh, and gave away his Khan Bahadur title and knighthood as well. He also resigned as the member of National Defence Council. The stage was set for a cultural movement.
Unfortunately, Allah Bux’s movement was cut short, tragically, when four men brutally murdered him on 14th May 1943, while he was traveling on a tonga in Shikarpur, his native town. The case is not yet solved till today, but many a theorist still attribute the murder to be the alleged brainchild of the Muslim League as well as the Congress.
With Allah Bux’s death, the movement of One Nation Theory lost its momentum, and the lust for power prevailed. What was one for lakhs of years was broken into two on 15th August 1947 that is our beloved India. Today, most of us even don’t know this man’s name. However, once I knew of this man, it is my duty to bring this Indian’s tale to the folklore. Allah Bux Soomro is India’s forgotten hero, just like Surjya Sen and other revolutionaries, and he deserves his due. He deserves our RESPECT!
Facts Source: –
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allah_Bx_Soomro
http://greatindianheroes.com/uncategorized/allah-soomro-a-true-patriot-and-truly-secular/
