Syed Mohammad Aminul Hassnat, broadly known as Pir of Manki Sharif, is among those luminaries who made great contribution towards successful journey of Pakistan Movement. He rose on the political arena of NWFP when Red Shirts were overbearing the Pushtoon majority province as the British and Congress both considered Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan the guru of the provincial politics. Apart from all the adverse conditions in his native province Pir of Manki Sharif got a political constituency, which he so effectively used to counter the anti-Pakistan elements in his province through his saintly character and inspirational guidance.
Born in a distinguished family of religious scholars and saints, on February 01, 1922 at Manki Sharif district Nowshehra. Pir of Manki Sharif received his early education comprising mainly of religion based subjects. Pir Sahib occupied his family ancestral ‘Gaddi’ only when he was twelve due to his father Pir Abdul Rauf demise in 1934. He was not interested in politics in the beginning due to his engagement in spiritual guide of his disciples but at the same time he closely observed the changing political conditions of the sub-continent.
Deeply influenced by the Pakistan Resolution by the Muslim League in 1940, Pir Sahib started a campaign to popularize the League ideology in the Congress dominated province of NWFP. One of the major contributions of Pir Sahib was the establishment of an organization ‘Jamiat-ul-Sufia’ to unite the ulama, pirs and mashaikh for advancement of Pakistan Movement. He was, indeed, a stalwart of Jinnah and the League, and devoted all his influence and energies towards the emergence of a new Islamic state for the Muslim of the subcontinent. Jinnah’s visit of Manki Sharif on November 24, 1945 boosted the morale of Pir Sahib and his devoted followers, who played very active role in the referendum for vote of Pakistan in NWFP. In the post partition period, however, Pir Sahib severed his relations with the Muslim League due to his ideological differences with Khan Abdul Qayum Khan the first league premier in NWFP and launched his own Awami Muslim League that started to play the role of opposition in the Provincial Assembly. He was of the view that Opposition is the spirit of democratic set up and that it was essential to attain the aims and objectives, which were being overlooked by the Muslim League. He is duly considered as the pioneer of the Opposition in Pakistan.
He enthusiastically campaigned for jihad in Kashmir and motivated his followers when hundreds of Pushtoon tribal warriors started fighting in Kashmir in 1948. He got retired from politics in 1955 but played active role to build a bridge between the Opposition and the Government after his retirement.
He died on January 28, 1960 shortly after a car accident near Fateh Jang on January 05, 1960. He was buried at Manki Sharif.
This article was last updated on Monday, Jan 01, 2007
