When Quaid E Azam M. Ali Jinnah Visited My Family Pre Partition!

[Meengla]

With great pride, I am sharing this photo here. This story has been told to me by my mother (who lives in Karachi) a few times and finally today here is a picture to relate to that historic event.

Basically, my Urdu speaking (and very large) extended family migrated from different parts of India before or around the Partition of 1947. According to my mother, there were Hindu-Muslim tensions to the point of threats to life to my maternal grandfather ("Nana") and other members of the family in India. My Nana and his brothers were very successful businessmen in India and they even gave Rs. 100,000 in cash to Quaid e Azam. But their love for the future country of Pakistan put them in grave danger.

Long story short, Quaid e Azam and Moh. Fatima Jinnah, along with other prominent Muslim League were invited to a big lunch event to my Nana's home in Ahmedabad India. You could see my Nana marked in the picture--standing besides at least one of his brothers. This picture, I think, is recovered from a photo album of one of my uncles. Probably taken between 1943-1947? I think there are some other M.L members standing besides the Quaid-- Suhrawardi?

Jinnah advised them to migrate to Pakistan asap. Which they did--chartered a plane full of cash and valuables and landed in Karachi shortly before the Partition.

PS. Most of my father's family and he himself migrated to Pakistan full of cash, business experience, and valuables. Both sides thrived in the new country of Pakistan and my parents married in 1955.

 

[war&peace]

hey @Meengla are you talking about your family or it is just an article by some other author and you are sharing with us?

 

[Meengla]

hey @Meengla are you talking about your family or it is just an article by some other author and you are sharing with us?

No, it is MY family!! I distinctly remember my Nana even now. Okay, I a bit old

 

[Kambojaric]

Nice, thanks for sharing!

 

[war&peace]

No, it is MY family!! I distinctly remember my Nana even now. Okay, I a bit old

oh really nice ...both of my grandfathers (paternal and maternal) met him and worked for AIML since 1939..so it is really great to have such memories

 

[Meengla]

oh really nice ...both of my grandfathers (paternal and maternal) met him and worked for AIML since 1939..so it is really great to have such memories

Sadly, the pre-partition generation is vanishing. It's best to record their memories for history. Only then we will know what was then and what is now. People in the Subcontinent seem to do a terrible job of keeping photos and memories. Anyway, my mother and few elders were recently interviewed by some TV channel in Pakistan about their memories from the pre-partition years. That interview will be part of some documentary, I think, in 2017.

 

[WaLeEdK2]

What an Honor.

 

[war&peace]

Sadly, the pre-partition generation is vanishing. It's best to record their memories for history. Ony then we will know what then and what is now. People in the Subcontinent seem to do a terrible job of keeping photos and memories. Anyway, my mother and few elders were recently interviewed by some TV channel in Pakistan about their memories from the pre-partition years. That interview will be part of some documentary, I think, in 2017.

My nana met Allama Iqbal and Maulana Muhammad Ali Johar...i remember the story of their migratory travel from their home town in Patiala to Lahore Pakistan and beyond and the miseries they suffered during that period and heroic acts of some of our ancestors to protect and defend their families when attacked by the Hindu + Sikh rioters...

 

[Farah Sohail]

What a great honor for your family to have the great Quaid at lunch at your Nana's home... Could u tell us, something more abt tht? @Meengla

oh really nice ...both of my grandfathers (paternal and maternal) met him and worked for AIML since 1939..so it is really great to have such memories

My paternal grandfather(daada) met him, as part of some student delegation... My naana was an active student leader for AIML..but he never met him...

 

[Divergent]

That's wonderful : )

 

[war&peace]

I am delighted to know your story @Meengla I wish more people can share theirs especially the people (@Doordie @GreenFalcon @Chauvinist @Moonlight) who's ancestors migrated from India into Pakistan since leaving your home town and home is not easy and especially when the pathways were being blocked by the rioting mobs and the chilling stories of genocides were being received on daily basis...
Just before partition the British govt asked Muslims and Hindus to submit all their weapons to the govt and they contacted both AIML and AINC to maintain peace in the land. Most of the muslim people being simpeltons gave away any of the weapons they had with them but since we are Pathans my ancestors did not hand over most of the weapons. My Great Grand father his name for was Abdul Ghafoor Khan was killed by Sikh through treachery. Just a few days before the migration. Sikhs were our subjects for centuries in Patiyala and it was our family tradition to participate in wedding of ceremonies of the our subjects especially if it was a girl / daughter...In short, He went alone to attend that wedding and they killed him...so it was really sad and tragic and after burying him they started the journey by road and through field with only the most important items and a lot of cash...and of course a with a lot weapons ( and some quite modern at that time), they encountered the rioters in the night but they had approx at hundred men with guns and great fighting skills so they dispersed the rioters with unexpected barrage of bullets and killed many of the bloodsucking vermin on the spot and lead their families safely into Pakistan.

 

[Peaceful Civilian]

What a great honor to your family. Thanks for sharing picture

 

[Meengla]

What a great honor for your family to have the great Quaid at lunch at your Nana's home... Could u tell us, something more abt tht? @Meengla
.

Okay, I will ask my Mama for some more info. Today she called me excitedly asking if I had seen the photo--which was sent to me via WhatsApp only today by my brother in Karachi. I said, yes. She said she remembers it was a huge crowd when Quaid and M.L members visited the family. There were tons of 'degs' (huge, round metal containers) of food. I will ask her more. Maybe there are more pics as well.

She did say that they had to have a chartered plane and fly out secretly from some airport in Ahmedabad; if their plan to escape was known to many people then they would be in danger. She remembers the plane was full of family members and full of suitcases. Prior to escaping Ahmedabad, the huge family tried to run away from the local anti-Muslim partisans and took shelter in my Dad's area of residence: Rajasthan--hundreds of miles away from Ahmadabad.

She's well into her 70's but I think she still has a good memory.

 

[war&peace]

Okay, I will ask my Mama for some more info. Today she called me excitedly asking if I had seen the photo--which was sent to me via WhatsApp only today by my brother in Karachi. I said, yes. She said she remembers it was a huge crowd when Quaid and M.L members visited the family. There were tons of 'degs' (huge, round metal containers) of food. I will ask her more. Maybe there are more pics as well.

She did say that they had to have a chartered plane and fly out secretly from some airport in Ahmedabad; if their plan to escape was known to many people then they would be in danger. She remembers the plane was full of family members and full of suitcases. Prior to escaping Ahmedabad, the huge family tried to run away from the local anti-Muslim partisans and took shelter in my Dad's area of residence: Rajasthan--hundreds of miles away from Ahmadabad.

She's well into her 70's but I think she still has a good memory.

These events gets etched into memory permanently and do not get erased easily by the time or aggravation of the health.

 

[Khafee]

@Indus Falcon's Maternal Grandfathers family was not so lucky. The whole village got wiped out.