History of Pakistan

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Friday, January 21, 2011

Post Independence Pakistan

Pakistan was born on the map on 14 August 1947. At its birth Pakistan had two parts commonly referred to as East and West Pakistan.

During the year 1970 when Pakistan had a war with India, East Pakistan was completely cut off from the West Pakistan and following the elections in 1971, the East Pakistan was separated from the West and since then it is known as Bangladesh.

The story of separation of East and West Pakistan is a tragic. It becomes worse when stories related to this separation are narrated on both sides. Efforts must be made to avoid blaming each other and concentration must me focused on how to live and help each other to live peacefully and in harmony.

Pakistan now has 4 provinces namely, Balocistan, Punjab, NWFP and Sindh. The country is governed by the Federal Government based in Islamabad.

Lal-Kurti: walk down colonial path

By: Adeel Raza
DAWN, 5-11-2002

Situated in the heart of Cantt, about 7kms off Saddar, is a locality, known by the name of Lal-Kurti, where the remnants of colonial rule can still be seen.

Another aspect which makes this locality quite different from other areas of Rawalpindi is the fact that the multi-ethnic texture of the society-reminiscent of the pre-partition days-can still be felt here. The locality has a history that stretches to mare than 150 years. But has anyone ever wondered how did this area get the name Lal-Kurti?

According to Brig Siddiqui (retired), an expert on Cantt area in general and Lal-Kurti in particular, the area had been inhabited by the British troops in the middle of the 19th century.

The soldiers used to wear a red tunic as part of their uniform. Since these troops were stationed in this area, the locals started calling it Lal-Kurti, meaning "red tunic" in the local language. He said the area consisted of Lal-Kurti proper and Dheri Hassanabad up till Tahli Mori.

- He said the RA Bazaar meant Royal Artillery bazaar, whereas B.I. Bazaar stood for British infantry. There is also the famous Regimental Masjid.

Brig Siddiqui, whose family has been living in Lal-Kurti for the last 150 years, said such Lal-Kurtis were located in most of the cantonments throughout the country.

Giving a brief history about the area, Mr. Siddiqui aid Rawalpindi, like most parts of Punjab, was under the rule of Sikhs. 1n March 1849, there was a battle between the Sikhs and the British which ended with the defeat of the former at a place now known as B.I. Bazaar, popularly Mamoojee Road.

After their victory, the British decided to set up their headquarters in the area. As a result, a plan was prepared and plotting carried out.

According to the Imperial Gazetteer the British in order to inhabit the area invited the locals and offered them land. These lands were offered under three different categories, free hold; lease and bazaar area.

Under the free hold, the lands were offered on the condition that the Britlshers could take it back whenever they wanted without any compensation.

Whereas, under lease, land was given to the locals on lease for a period of 99 years. These people were asked to build bungalows on 20 kanals and rent them out to British families.

These locals were paid a monthly rent of Rs120, which continued till the partition of the sub continent.

The oldest building. according to Brig Siddiqui is the Christ Church, situated behind Pearl Continental, which was built in 1852.

Talking about the condition of lease, Mr. Siddiqui said a family had a bungalow, where today the Punjab House is situated, The then owner of the house, unaware of the leasing contract, received a notice, under which he was supposed to vacate the residence as the leasing period had ended. The bungalow was then demolished and Punjab House built in its place.

Mr. Siddiqui said the building where NUST is situated today was once a gymnasium built for the British soldiers. After partition, the GHQ took over the gymnasium. In the 1960s, President Ayub Khan turned it into the National Assembly.

Afterwards when the National Assembly was shifted to Islamabad, the building housed National Defense College and later National University for Science and Technology.

The building where Fatima Jinnah Women University is located was originally owned by two Sikh brothers-Soan Singh and Moan Singh-and was called 'Bachan Niwas'.

Mr. Siddiqui said according to late Gen Shafiqur Rahman ‘Bachan Niwas' was built in 1911 for the then prince of Wales who was on a visit to India.

Later it was converted into the presidency during Gen Zia-ul Haq's rule and then to Sindh House.

Brig Siddiqui said the 'Chowk' where today a cannon was placed, once had the statue of Queen Victoria, popularly known as Malka ka Buth'.

This statue had a globe in one hand and a baton in the other, which symbolized that 'Britain ruled the whole world with a baton'.

The statue was disfigured after partition and in order to avoid further damage to it- it was shifted to MES Store.

Today, it is located at the premises of the British High Commission in Islamabad. What made the statue quite different was that in those days, most of the statues of Queen Victoria showed her in her old age. This was. the only one which showed her in her younger years.

Brig Siddiqui said the land where Cantt Library and Odeon Cinema were situated was donated by Soan Singh- and Moan Singh in 1891.

About the Mall, he said, initially, it was a single road with a track, known as the Mule Track, running parallel to it. This track was meant only for black-skin people who were not allowed to use. The people of the city were not allowed to enter the Cantt area after a certain time.

Brig Siddiqui said there used to be mint rooms' at the railway station with sign boards saying "dogs and Indians not allowed". According to Bntishers, the Cantt area was meant only for those associated with the royal army. They considered this area as "Camp area" not a 'settled' area.

When asked how did so my Urdu-speaking people settled in this are Mr. Siddiqui said people from different parts of India working for the British army settled in this area. Besides, Urdu had been made the standard language in the area and even the Britishers were supposed to speak in Urdu.

For this purpose, special people known as Mir Munshis were recruited to teach Urdu to the Englishmen, who also had to pass exams in the language.

The Britishers had also made their own arrangement of distributing water to the Cantonment area. They had built a 5m1 reservoir near Bhara Kahu from where they brought water to Topi Park, now known as Ayub National Park. (This park had many Buddhist stupas that was why it was called Topi Park).

It was from here that the Bristishers further distributed water to different areas of the Cantonment. There was also a bungalow in Sarwar Park, known as the 'Gas House' where gas was produced in a special way and provided to lamp-posts.

There are many important buildings in Lal -Kurti like the COD, 501 and 502 workshops which remind us of toe British era.

The site where the GHQ is situated today used to be the winter headquarters of the British army's Northern Command.

Other remnants from the British times are the three Christian graveyard the British War Cemetery being the most famous. Popularly known as the Gora Kabristan and has been visited by Queen Elizabeth II and late Diana Princess of Wales. The cemetery is now looked after by the British High Commission.

British Period: 1857 - 1947

Just before the independence of Pakistan this land remained a part of the British Empire for almost a century. Hence the British culture also left an impact on the life of the people of Pakistan. Amongst the British legacy a new form of architecture which is a blend of Islamic and the Western Architecture emerged. This colonial architecture in the form of Residential Bungalows, Educational Institutions, Churches and Railway Stations is still very attrative and in a good condition. Examples of the British Architecture can be seen in all the major cities of Pakistan. The British patronage towards introducing Railways in the Sub-Continent is indeed a great gift and the operational railroad and railway stations in Pakistan today are the same laid and built by the British before 1947.

Old Presidency in Rawalpindi, Rest house in Ziarat, Empress Market Karachi, Punjab University’s old Campus, Islamia College Peshawar, and Cathedrals in Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi and Peshawar are just few examples of the British Heritage.The British Empire, however, ceased to exist in this part of the world after 14 August 1947.

The legacy of our predecessors at the time of our independence, on August 14, 1947, came to us as a treasure which may be called as Pakistan’s national heritage. So rich and diversified is this heritage that Pakistani nation can be proud of its glorious past, be Islamic, Post Islamic or pre-Islamic period as far back as pre-historic times. No other country of the world can produce the treasure of by gone days as can be found in Pakistan. It is now incumbent upon us to treasure our national heritage and save it from further deterioration and theft.

The establishment of NFCH is much appreciated and a great interest is shown by the general public hence since its establishment in 1994 hundreds of proposals were received from different agencies and individuals for the conservation, preservation and publication of the Pakistan’s national heritage. It is hoped that with the continued patronage of the government, the Philanthropists and the Business Community to the NFCH we shall be able to achieve the aforesaid goal.

Sikh Period

Sikh Period: 1762-1849 A.D.

The Sikhs established their Empire in the Punjab after the death of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir in 1707. With the death of Aurangzeb the country saw a series of rapid governmental changes that stressed it in to the depths of anarchy. Taking advantage of this certain Charat Singh, who was the head of one of the Sikh Clans, established his stronghold in Gujranwala in 1763. Charat Singh died in 1774 and was succeeded by his son, Mahan Singh, who in turn fathered the most brilliant leader in the history of the Punjab: Maharaja Ranjit Singh. It was this remarkable leader who united the whole Punjab under one flag. His rule stretched from the banks of the Jamuna to the Khyber and from Kashmir to Multan. Maharaja Ranjit Singh was the most powerful of all the Sikh Rulers and ruled over for complete 40 years. After his death in 1840 the Sikh Empire was divided into small principalities looked after by several Sikh Jagirdars. This weak situation provided a good opportunity to the British of East India Company to put an end to the Sikh strong hold in the Punjab in 1849.

Sikhs are the followers of Baba Guru Nanak Sahib. He was the son of Mehta Kalu Chand and Tripta Devi, both of them Khatris by caste. He was born at Nankana Sahib in 1464. Sikhism was born as a direct reaction against rigid, cruel and inhuman practices of Brahamanism and its rigid caste system. But another important factor which influenced the mind of the people who contributed to the growth of Sikhism, was the impact of Islam which had spread from Arabia to Iraq, Turkistan, Persia and Afghanistan and came in to contact with Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism and Zoroastrianism.

The Sikh religion is in fact a product of the Sufi and Bhakti school of thought. Guru Nanak was greatly influenced by Kabir and Shaikh Ibrahim Farid (1450 - 1535) a descendent of the famous Sufi saint Shaikh Fariduddin Shakarganj of Pak Pattan whose works were incorporated in the Garanth Sahib. Guru Nanak studied books of Hindu and Muslims religions and it was only after deep study of both the religions that he evolved his own school of thought. The basic principles of the Sikhism are much closer to Islam than to Hinduism. A study of the life, events of the Gurus and the large numbers of the monuments sacred to them will, however, reveal how deeply all the Sikh Gurus in general and Guru Nanak, Ajen Dev and Har Gobind Singh in particular are associated with Pakistan.

Important Sikh Gurus	Dates
1. Guru Nanak Sahib	(1464-1539 A.D)
2. Guru Angad	(1504-1522 A.D)
3. Guru Amar Das	(1509-1574 A.D)
4. Guru Ram Das	(1534-1581 A.D)
5. Guru Arjun Dev	(1563-1606 A.D)
6. Guru Har Gobind	(1595-1645 A.D)
7. Guru Har Rai	(1631-1661 A.D)
8. Guru Har Krishan	(1656-1664 A.D)
9. Guru Tegh Bahadur	(1622-1675 A.D)
10. Guru Gobind Singh	(1665-1708 A.D)

Sikh Shrines: The Gurdwaras are more than a place of worship. They serve as Schools, meeting place and a rest house for the travelers in addition to enshrining the Garanth Sahib. The Gurdwaras are, as such, integral part of the Sikh religious and social life. Since the Sikh Rule lasted for almost a century in the sub-continent there are hundreds of Gurdawaras all over Pakistan but mostly in the Punjab, some of which are very famous such as Nankana Sahib and Punja Sahib. These Gurdwaras are looked after by the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) which is under the control of the Ministry of Culture, Islamabad.

Islamic Period

The light of Islam penetrated in this part of the world as early as 712 A.D from the west with the Arab General Muhammad bin Qasim and during the 10th century A.D from the north with the Turk Sultan Mahmud of Ghaznah ( better known as Mahmud Ghaznavi).

Islam replaced the early way of life of worshipping idols and introduced new philosophy of faith in one God. With Islam in came a new culture in this land from Arabia and Central Asia. Hence, a new type of architecture, hitherto unknown in this area, was introduced. Tens of thousands of Mosques, Madrasahs, tombs and gardens were created by the Muslim rulers all over the Sub-Continent. The new style of Islamic architecture prevailed and matured in this land for over a thousand years. The direct influence of the Muslim Rulers was not only confined to the architecture; their food added a variety of new dishes in the Sub-Continental cuisine. The national dress of Pakistan, “ Shalwar Qamiz” is also a direct gift of the Muslim Turks.

Since the mother tongue of the Muslim Rulers was Arabic, Turkish and Farsi, it was only natural that the local languages of the Sub-Continent were greatly influenced and new language was introduced. Thus the most important contribution of the Muslim rulers to this land is a new language ‘Urdu’ which became the national language of Pakistan since its independence in 1947.

Finally, the light of Islam penetrated in this part of the world as early as 7th century AD. from the west with the Arabs and during the 10th century AD from the north with the Turks. Islam replaced the early way of life of worshipping idols and introduced new philosophy of faith in one God. With Islam in came a new culture in this land from Arabia and Central Asia. Hence, a new type of architecture, hitherto unknown in this area, was introduced. Tens of thousands of Mosques, Madrassahs, tombs and gardens were created by the Muslim rulers all over the Sub-Continent. The new style of Islamic architecture prevailed and matured in this land for over a thousand years. The most important contribution of the Muslim rulers to this land, however, is a new language ‘Urdu’ which became the national language of Pakistan since its independence in 1947.

The legacy of our predecessors at the time of our independence, on August 14, 1947, came to us as a treasure which may be called as Pakistan’s national heritage. So rich and diversified is this heritage that Pakistani nation can be proud of its glorious past, be Islamic, Post Islamic or pre-Islamic period as far back as pre-historic times. It is hard to find another country which can produce the treasure of by gone days as can be found in Pakistan. It is now incumbent upon us to treasure our national heritage and save it from further deterioration and theft.