Kishwar Sultana1

Maulana Zafar Ali Khan, Majlis-e- Ittihad-e-Millat

and All India Muslim League

Abstract
There are very few prominent personalities like Maulana Zafar Ali Khan
who possessed a number of qualities of head and heart in one person. He was
graduated from Aligarh Muslim University, founded by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan,
worked in various capacities in a number of Muslim states like that of the
Hyderabad Deccan State, inherited the widely needed field of journalism from his
father from Wazirabad, played active role in Muslim politics since 1906 when he
participated in the founders’ meeting of the All India Muslim League, resorted to
journalism as Chief Editor of Zaminadar, most popular Urdu newspaper of his
times. After the death of his father in 1908, he became a prominent
parliamentarian, and significant writer, poet and leader of the Pakistan movement.
Amongst the Urdu newspapers and journals, his Zamindar played a prominent part
in popularizing the cause of Pakistan especially in areas of the Punjab, NWFP
(now KPK), Sindh and Baluchistan.
Maulana Zafar Ali Khan played a vital role during a crucial period of the
subcontinent’s history that was marked with turmoil. The man with extraordinary
abilities ranging from oratory to poetry and from politics to journalism is mainly
acknowledged as the father of Urdu journalism. Due to his extraordinary talent, he
got prominence among the galaxy of political leaders of the time. He was the
champion of the Muslim unity and brotherhood all over the world. He became
associated with the All India Muslim League since its inception and attended
various sessions. During the Khilafat Movement, he played a prominent role
particularly as the President of the Punjab Khilafat Committee. Like other Muslim
leaders of the subcontinent he also got frustrated with the disunity amongst the
Muslim leaders and organizations during late 1920s and early 1930s which
compelled him to found his Majlis-i-Ittehad-i-Millat in 1935 which soon spread
into various districts of the Punjab and other neighboring provinces.
In this paper, the aims and objectives for which Maulana Zafar Ali Khan
established Majlis-i-Ittehad-i-Millat will be discussed along with his association
with the Muslim League. As a matter of fact when he established the Majlis, his
focus was mainly the Punjab politics and the Unionist Party in the Punjab because
he differed with the latter’s politics, which, according to him, were damaging the
interest of the Muslims in the largest Muslim province of British India. For the
sake of Unity of the Muslims of the whole of British India, he first wanted the
Muslims of the Punjab to become united around his Majlis. That was the reason

1Dr. Kishwar Sultana, Associate Professor, Department of History, Allama Iqbal Open University,
Islamabad.

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that he founded the Majlis in 1935. When Jinnah, as President of the All India
Muslim League, announced the formation of his Central Parliamentary Board in
April 1936 he urged upon the smaller Muslim parties especially in the Punjab to
join the Muslim League. For this purpose, leader of Majlis, Jamiat-ut-Ulama-i-
Hind, Majlis-i-Ahrar, Khaksars and others were invited to come to the Muslim
League Parliamentary Board meeting held on 8-11 June 1936 at Lahore. Their
leaders participated and Jinnah requested them to merge their parties in AIML, but
all refused to do so. Maulana Zafar Ali Khan, leader of the Majlis-i-Ittehad-i-
Millat was, however, ready to cooperate with Jinnah because of his long
association with the Muslim League, but seeing the mood of the other smaller
Muslim parties and keeping in view the approaching elections, and for fear of
division amongst the voters, he hesitated in merging his party in the Muslim
League. He contested the Central Legislative Assembly elections and got elected.
But after the elections in 1937 when Jinnah again approached him, he decided to
merge his Majlis-i-Ittehad-i-Millat in the AIML in October 1937. It had creased
great impact on the Muslim politics that will also be discussed in this paper.
Besides, Zafar Ali Khan’s contribution in the Pakistan Movement will also be
thoroughly examined.
A number of books have been written on Maulana Zafar Ali Khan,
mostly in Urdu, but no focus has been made with reference to his role in
establishment of Majlis-i-Ittehad vs. the Muslim League.2 In most of the books on
the Pakistan Movement, people discussed about Maulana but no particular
attention has been paid to his contribution for popularizing Quaid’s message with
reference to the North-Western provinces which later became part of Pakistan. 3 As
local leader of the region, his contribution has not been highlighted in books on
Pakistan Movement. Even in the archival records like those of the Papers of All
India Muslim League and Quaid-i-Azam Papers there is very little to be found in
these archival repositories.4This is because of the reason that politics in the
Muslim League were dominated by the feudal lords in Sindh, Punjab, Baluchistan
and N.W.F.P (now KPK). His newspaper Zamindar played pivotal role in
popularizing the message of the Muslim League especially in the last years of the
Pakistan Movement when there was anti-Khizar demonstration in the Punjab and
anti-Congress Ministry in the NWFP.5
Maulana Zafar Ali Kahn was one of the distinctive leaders of the freedom
movement from Punjab. His father Maulvi Siraj-ud-din started Zamindar in 1903
that highlighted the interests and problem of the agricultural community at the
same time promoted social and political awareness among the Muslims. Maulana
Zafar Ali Khan got his early education from Mission High School Wazirabad and
Mahendra Singh College Patiala. He completed his graduation from M.A.O.
College, Aligarh. Then became secretary to Nawab Mohsin-ul-Mulk in 1895.

2
For the study of his life and career see, for instance, Shorish Kashmiri, Zafar Ali Khan (Urdu),
Lahore, 1957; Ashraf Atta, Maulana Zafar Ali Khan, Lahore, 1962; Inayatullah Naseem Sohdarwi,
Zafar Ali Khan Aur Aunka Ahad (Urdu), Lahore, 1982; N.H.Zaidi, Maulana Zafar Ali Khan-Ahwal-o-
Asar (Urdu), Lahore, 1986; Miskeen Ali Hijazi, Maulana Zafar Ali Khan (Urdu), Lahore, 1990; Rabia
Tariq, Maulana Zafar Ali Khan ki aap Beeti (Urdu), Lahore, 1999.
3
For instance see S.M.Ikram, Modern Muslim India and the Birth of Pakistan, Lahore, Institute of
Islamic Culture 2-Club Road,1997.
4
For instance see AIML Papers and Quaid-i-Azam Papers, National Archives of Pakistan, Islamabad.
5
See the files of Zamindar, for the year 1946-1947.

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 Maulana Zafar Ali Khan, Majlis-e- Ittihad-e-Millat and All India Muslim League

Afterwards he joined “Hyderabad Translation Bureau” and later the home

department of the same state i.e., Hyderabad Deccan. After his father’s death in
1908 Zamindar was taken over by Maulana Zafar Ali Khan who had already
established his literary reputation by a number of books he had written in addition
to his editorship of the “Deccan Review”. Due to his ample experience in
journalism, he also contributed articles to other magazines and newspapers. Under
his supervision, Zamindar became the most influential Urdu daily newspaper of
Northern India which played a vital role in the Indian politics. Bearing an anti-
imperialist point of view, its popularity can be traced back from the fact that it had
thirty thousand issues, which until 1947 no other newspaper can claim. The
newspaper was the first voice of the Muslims in the Khilafat Movement and a
powerful instrument for infusing a vigorous political life in the Punjab. He died on
27 November 1956.6 He continued to supervise the editorial work of Zaminadar
until his death.
He was one of the supporters of the resolution, which led to the
foundation of All India Muslim League at Dhaka in 1906. Like other Muslim
politicians of the time, he concerned about the Ottomans. This curiosity compelled
him to collect funds for the Turks during Tripoli and Balkans Wars and visited
Turkey as well. He played an active role during the Khilafat Movement and was
elected first as secretary and later as President of Punjab Khilafat Committee. His
poetic works include Nigaristan, Chamanistan, Baharistan and Armagahan-e-
Qadian. He translated the famous book Al-Farooq (Urdu) by Shibli into English
and rendered Jinnah’s historic English speech of 22 March 1940 into Urdu. Other
literary works include Marka-e-Mazhab-o-Science, Ghalba-e-Rum and Shehr-e-
zulmet.
He established his organization titled “The Majlis-i-Ittehad-i-Millat” as a
result of the joint meeting of the Anjuman-i-Tahaffuz-i-Masjid and the Ahrars on
27-28 July 1935 to espouse the cause of the Shahidganj Mosque restoration in
Lahore.7 The other purpose of this new organization was to unite the existing
Muslim associations and organizations in the Punjab so that unity amongst the
Muslims of the Punjab as well as the subcontinent is created. Under this
organization, a number of meetings and public addresses were arranged for
creating unity amongst the Muslims. One such function was arranged at the
occasion of Friday prayers in the Badshahi Mosque on 13 December 1935
addressed by Pir Jamat Ali Shjah appealing the Muslims and Pirs to unite for the
cause of protection of lives and property of Islam and its sacred places.8 Similarly,
other functions were arranged. Thus, the Majlis was responsible for leading the
Shahidganj civil disobedience movement at Lahore. Jinnah, as President of All
India Muslim League, was also invited to Lahore for the cause of Shahidganj
Mosque issue. Jinnah came to Lahore on 21 February 1936, but his mission to
unite was wider than that of the Punjab.9 Since Maulana Zafar Ali Khan had been
associating with the All India Muslim League since its birth in 1906 he was more

6
Ahmed Saeed, Muslim India: A Biographical Dictionary 1857-1947, Lahore, Institute of Pakistasn
Historical Research, 1997, pp. 343-345.
7
Punjab Police Abstracts of Intelligence, 1935, Vol. LVII, available at NIHCR Library, Quaid-i-Azam
University, Islamabad.
8
Ibid. p. 579.
99
Punjab Police Abstracts of Intelligence, 1936, vol. LVIII, Lahore, p. 105.

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inclined towards the Muslim League. On Jinnah’s call, the Shahidganj Mosque
civil disobedience movement was called off so that the issue could be resolved
peacefully. Jinnah remained in Lahore until the evening of 7 March 1936 when he
left for Delhi after appointing a Conciliation Committee to resolve the Shahidganj
Mosque consisting of 8 persons ( 3 Muslims+2 Hindus+3 Sikhs) headed by Dr. Sir
Muhammd Iqbal.10 Jinnah again came to Lahore on 29 April 1936. This time he
came to Lahore for the purpose of amalgamating all the Muslim groups and
associations into a single political party under the umbrella of the Muslim League.
He had meetings with all the Muslim parties and groups including the Unionists,
Majlis Ittad-i-Millat, Majlis Ahras and others.11 The members of the Majlis and
Unionists heard Jinnah’s viewpoint with ostensive cooperation, but their attitude
was “somewhat obscure”. As far as the Ahrars were concerned, they were very
much concerned seeing the Ahmadis amongst the members of the Muslim. 12 On
29 April the members of Conciliation Committee met Jinnah but expressed their
inability to solve the issue of Shahidganj because of the refusal of Master Tara
Singh to refuse to cooperate in the issue. Still, Jinnah called upon the Muslims to
remain calm and solve the issue amicably.13 This time, Jinnah was more interested
to unite the Muslims around the Punjab Muslim League. For this purpose, he
reorganized the Punjab Provincial Muslim League under Dr. Sir Muhammad Iqbal
as Patron and Mian Abdul Aziz as President on 30 May 1936. Jinnah also
announced the formation of Central Parliamentary Board of the All India Muslim
League from various provinces. He also announced the 11 members from the
Punjab for this Muslim League Board. As under this scenario, Sir Muhammd Iqbal
preferred to remain independent, he was made member in that capacity. Thus,
Punjab Election Board included four members from Majlis-i-Ittehad-i-Millat, four
from Ahrars, and three from the Muslim League. Jinnah tried his best that two
candidates of the Majlis headed by Maulana Zafar Ali Khan should contest
coming elections as nominees from the Muslim League, but he failed because
there was disunity amongst the Muslims. The two members later got elected on the
Majlis ticket and they became members of the Punjab Legislative Assembly and
Central Indian Assembly. Jinnah failed in his efforts and he went to Kashmir.
Even when Maulana Zafar Ali Khan got elected on the ticket of his Majlis, he
continued to cooperate with the Muslim League meetings.14 He attended the
Muslim League Central Parliamentary Board meeting held in Lahore on 8-11 June
1936 which was held on Jinnah’s return from Kashmir. He even attended the
Lucknow session of All India Muslim League held on 15-17 October 1937 where
he agreed with Jinnah to merge his Majlis with the Muslim League. Sir Sikander
Hayat Khan, head of the Unionist Party also attended this session. Although he
agreed to co-operate with the Muslim League on the all- India Muslim causes but
he preferred to maintain his party independently. Similarly other Chief Ministers
of the Sindh, Bengal and Assam promised to cooperate with the Muslim League
on the Muslim issues at the all India level.

10
Ibid., pp. 125-126.
11
Ibid., pp. 202-203.
12
Ibid.
13
Ibid., p.203.
14
Punjab Police Abstracts of Intelligence, 1937, vol. LIX, Lahore.

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As compared to the Ahrars and the Jamiat ul Ulama-i-Hind, the attitude

of the Majlis Ittihad-i-Millat was cooperative towards Jinnah and the Muslim
League. Because of this positive attitude, Jinnah tried his best that Maulana Zafar
Ali Khan should contest the elections on the Muslim League ticket, but he failed to
convince the Maulana who was more concerned with the situation of the Muslim
politics in the Punjab which were more divisive. A number of efforts in this regard
were made by Jinnah. In Jinnah’s visit to the Punjab during April-May 1936 a
number of meetings were held between the Maulana and Jinnah but the Maulana
preferred to maintaining his Majlis’s ticket in the ensuing elections. In a press
release by the Majlis in early May 1936 it was explained that while the Majlis
appreciated the “good intentions “of Jinnah, it preferred to maintain their
independent position.15 Zafar Ali Khan tried his best to urge the Punjab Muslim
League to adopt the creed of “complete independence”. In a meeting of the
Punjab Muslim League held on 25 April 1937, Zafar Ali Khan urged in a very
strong words for change in the objective of the Muslim League which was
accepted.16 The Muslim League agreed for this to put the matter before the coming
session of the All India Muslim League. Unlike members of Ahrars and Jamiat-ul-
Ulama-i-Hind, Zafar Ali Khan was very critical of the Congress and its policies
which he termed against the interests of the Muslims. The members of the Ahrars
and Jamiat avoided criticizing the Congress policies. At a meeting held at Badshai
Mosque Lahore, on 7 May 1937 under the auspices of Ittehad-i-Millat, Lahore, the
meeting decided to oppose the present policy of the Congress, but at the same it
expressed “complete confidence” in Jinnah as well the policy of the Muslim
League.17 A Muslim League flag-hosting ceremony was performed by Jinnah at
Shimla on 28 August 1938 attended by about 2000 persons. At this meeting, Zafar
Ali Khan strongly expressed in favor of the Muslim League policies.18
In the Punjab Muslim League there were two groups after 1937- one was
known as Radical group and the other was known as General Group. In the
Radical group were Maulana Zafar Ali Khan, Malik Barkat Ali, Mian Nurullah
and others.19 But in the General group were mostly the feudal lords. After 1940,
these groups started expressing themselves in somewhat secret styles, but overtly
they were functioning jointly. A meeting of the City Muslim League held at
Amritsar on 7 January 1942 under the presidency of Sheikh Saidq Hassan
expressed them overtly.20 At another meeting held at Amritsar on 16 May 1942
also, Zafar Ali Khan criticized the Congress policies and appealed to Ahrars to
join the Muslim League.21 In a meeting of the Muslim League held at Jullundur on
23 August 1942, Zafar Ali Khan declared the “Quit India” Movement launched by
the Congress as a movement aimed at the destruction of the Pakistan scheme. 22In a
meeting of the Muslim League held in Lahore under the auspices of the Lahore
City Muslim League on 25 December 1942 in commemoration of Jinnah’s

15
Riaz Ahmad, The Punjab Muslim League Secret Police Abstracts 1906-1947, Islamabad, Quaid-i-
Azam University (NIHCR), 2008, p. 38.
16
Ibid. 42.
17
Ibid., p. 43.
18
Ibid., pp. 55-56.
19
Ibid., p. 92.
20
Ibid.
21
Ibid., p. 102.
22
Ibid., p. 111.

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birthday, Zafar Ali Khan criticized Lord Wavell’s recent speech declaring British
India to be indivisible.23 A meeting of the Punjab Muslim League Workers Board
was held in Lahore on 1 February 1943 at the house of Maulana Zafar Ali Khan in
which it was decided to start a campaign for the enlistment of members. 24 For
strengthening the cause of Radical Muslim League in the Punjab or that left wing
of the province Rashid Ali Khan, Maulana Zafar Ali Khan and Maulvi Akhtar Ali
Khan, participated. In this meeting, it was decided that the Muslim League will
donate Rs. 125/- to the Management of Zamindar for carrying propaganda of the
Muslim League in favour of Pakistan25. Jinnah was kept well informed about what
Maulana Zafar Ali Khan and the left wingers in the Punjab were doing. Jinnah was also
informed that in January 1942 at meeting was held in Lahore at the office of Zamindar
participated by Maulana Zafar Ali Khan, Mian Nurullah, MLA , and staff of the daily
Zamindar. Other who was invited were Malik Barkat Ali, Mian Abdul Aziz, and
Muhammad Ashraf, Member Working Committee, Punjab Muslim Students Federation,
but they did not participate. At this, it was decided to revive Majlis-i-Ittehad-i-Millat
because, according to Maulana, the Punjab Muslim League was not performing as
desired by the Muslims. When later Maulana got the opinions of those participants who
did not participate in the aforesaid meeting and they opposed the ideal of revival of
Majlis-i-Ittehad-i-Millat, Maulana got disappointed. When Maulana learnt that Jinnah
had been informed about this happening he got silent silenced and vowed to come to the
main stream of Muslim League politics.26
Muslim League Conference was organized in Rawalpindi at the Islamia High
School on 17-18 June 1944 which was attended by more than 2000 persons presided
over by Nawabzada Liaquat Ali Khan, General Secretary of the All India Muslim
League and attended by, amongst other, Sardar Abdur Rab Nishter, Minister of the
NWFP, Sardar Aurangzeb Khan, Chief Minister of the NWFP, Qazi Mohammad Isa
from Baluchistan, G.M.Syed from Sindh, Raja Khair Mehdi from Jhelum, Ghulam
Mustafa Shah Gilani, M.H.Zazdar, Minister of Sindh, Raja Ghazanfar Ali Khan,
Maulana Zafar Ali Khan and Abdul Sattar Niazi of Mianwali. Other prominent persons
who were present were Dr. Ziaul Islam and the Nawab of Mamdot. Most of the speakers
expressed their fear of the Hindu domination.27 Zafar Ali Khan’s oratory was very much
praised by the Muslims. At a meeting held at Gurdaspur later in June when Zafar Ali
Khan did not arrive, there was great disappointment amongst the people.28 At a meeting
held at Jullundur on 30 June 1944, Maulana Zafar Ali Khan criticized the Western
civilization and said that Pakistan meant the establishment of a rule in Muslim majority
provinces in accordance with the doctrines of the Quran. He also told the audience to pay
no attention to the attempts of the Unionist Ministry, carried out through Deputy
Commissioners and the CID to dissuade them from joining the Muslim League.29 These

23
Ibid., p. 124.
24
Ibid.
25
Ibid., pp.130-131.
26
Muhammad Ashraf to Jinnah, 2 February 942, Quaid-i-Azam Papers F. 769, in M. Akram Shaheedi,
Jinnah Papers, Vol. XVII, Islamabad, Quaid-i-Azam Papers Wing, Ministry of Culture, Islamabad,
2009, pp. 465-468.
27
Ibid., pp. 165-166.
28
Ibid., p. 166.
29
Ibid., p. 172.

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ideas were further expressed by him at Khaniwal on 7-8 October 1944 when such a
function was arranged under the auspices of the Multan District Muslim League.30
At a meeting held on 10 October 1944 at Ludhiana by the City Muslim
League Maulana Zafar Ali Khan stated that the Muslim demand for Pakistan was a
result of the oppressions committed on Muslims in Muslim minority provinces
under Hindu domination. He added that the Muslims wanted to establish their
own Government in Pakistan and to have no connection with any Central
Government. He criticized the Gandhi-Rajagopalachari formula which he
described as ambiguous and took exception to Gandhi’s statement that Muslims
had originally been Hindus. He also condemned the suggestion that all
communities should vote in the plebiscite. He asked the audience not to contribute
any funds to the Zamindara League, and said that Muslim League leaders were
trying to improve economic conditions amongst the Muslims and demanded the
preparation of a constructive programme to provide an adequate livelihood to poor
Muslims in both rural and urban areas.31
Maulana Zafar Ali Khan also contested elections for the Central
Legislative Assembly in November 1945 in which he was elected on the Muslim
League ticket. In this connection, he addressed a number of meetings in Lahore,
Amritsar, Ferozepur, Gurdaspur, and other places32 The Muslim League contested
all the 30 seats reserved for the Muslims in the Central Assembly, including the
seats from the Punjab. All these seats from the Punjab reserved for the Muslims
were also won over by the Muslim League candidates. And so was the case of
Zafar Ali Khan who got elected as member of the Central Legislature from the
Muslim League ticket.33 Thus, he was now spokesman of Muslim League and that
of the cause of Pakistan in the Central Assembly. When Jinnah decided to boycott
the session of the Central Legislative Assembly, Zafar Ali Khan stood by his
Quaid and helped in paving the way for Pakistan. But, at the same it should be
remembered that even when he was member of the Assembly elected on the Majlis
ticket, he was strong advocate of Pakistan in the legislature.
Jamnadas Mehta introduced The Delhi University (Amendment) Bill in
the Indian Central Legislative Assembly. This bill was thoroughly debated in the
Assembly. The Muslim members including Maulana Zafar Ali Khan proposed that
some Muslims should also be included in the governing and academic bodies of
the University. On this Jamnadas Mehta objected and blamed the Muslim
members for making a “communal” demand. He also sercastily mentioned about
Pakistan, a reference which had no relevance to the debate. He could not escape
the abrupt attention and spontaneous rebuttal from Maulana Zafar Ali Khan who
thus spoke in the Central Assembly on 5th August 1943:
“Sir, as long as the Muslims remained silent without
demanding their due share in the loaves and fishes, they were
good boys, but the moment they ask for their proper share, the

30
Ibid., p. 195.
31
Ibid., p. 197.
32
Ibid., pp. 249-252.
33
Indian Election Reforms 1945-1946, No. L/P&J/8/470, British Library (OIOC),
London.

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demon of communalism lifts its head and jumps up like the

proverbial Jack in the Box and we are being twitted with being
rank communalists and all that. It did one’s heart good to see the
Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs voting together when certain
amendments were pressed to division, all going in one way. But,
Sir, that beautiful spectacle was only of short duration. My
Honourable friend Mr. Jamnadas Mehta set the poisonous ball
rolling and he shouted communalism! Communalism! With the
lungs of a Stentor. Then those who are his henchmen took up the
cry with greater vigour. My Honourable friend Pandit
Nilakantha Das from Cuttack charged us with hatching a conspi-
racy to kill the Bill. Well, Sir, so far as this Bill is concerned, our
friends like Mr. Lalchand Navalrai and Dr. Banerjea have joined
us in killing this Bill when they voted with us on the question of
salary for the Vice-Chancellor. Did they do not kill it then. Then
you remained silent. But now when we are asking for one seat in
the Committee of Selection which was our due share, then you
begin to shouts.
…
[After hearing some more speeches from other Hindu
members of the Assembly, Zafar Ali Khan again expressed on
this bill the next day, i.e. 6 August 1943:]
“Do you contend that the Muslims have no right to ask for their
share on communal basis? This principle was enunciated and accepted
when the communal award was given. Since then we have been telling
the people in this country that there are two nations in this country, the
Hindus and the Muslims. I assure you, Sir, that ten crores of Muslims
cannot be silenced by any administration and by any shouts and by any
slogans.34
“I do not know what Pakistan had to do with it, but I will remind
my Honorable friend that Pakistan is a term used thousands of years ago
by the Hindus themselves. “Pak” means sacred and “istan” means land,
and so the word means the land of the sacred just as we refer to the holy
land of the Hedjaz. The whole of Northern India including the Punjab,
Sind and North-West Frontier Province was looked upon by them as
sacred. Sree Ramchandra was born in Pakistan, and therefore this land
according to Hindus is Pakistan. Then, Sir, Kurukshetra, every particle of
which is sacred, is included in Pakistan.
…
“The word “Pakistan” has been mentioned in the course of this
discussion so often that I must point out that according to the Hindus
themselves Pakistan is sacred, and only when Muslims come in it
becomes impure and polluted. So the Muslim also is an untouchable like

34
Indian Legislative Assembly Debates, Vol. III, Delhi, 1943, pp. 453 – 550.

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 Maulana Zafar Ali Khan, Majlis-e- Ittihad-e-Millat and All India Muslim League

the depressed classes. This reminds me of a story about .myself. When I

was a prisoner in the Montgomery Jail.
“I will relate it in a very few words. In that jail I called my
sweeper one morning and told him I would give him equal status with
myself. He did not understand my meaning and when I asked him to
bring a pitcher of water and fill a tumbler. He thought that as I was in
solitary confinement my brain must have gone wrong. But I threatened
him with a cane and trembling with fear he filled the tumbler with water.
I told him to drink it, and he was now convinced that I had gone mad. But
I again threatened him with a cane and he drank half of it. Then I drank
off the rest, and showed him that he was my equal. I did this as I was a
Mussalman.35
Maulana Zafar Ali Khan was less active at the central politics of the
Muslim League. This was because of his heavy responsibilities as Chief Editor,
daily Zamindar (Urdu). The other reason was that he was member of the Central
Indian Assembly which also required a lot of time which was difficult for him in
addition to his responsibilities as the chief editor of the newspaper. Moreover, he
was more interested in the popularizing the concept of Pakistan in the Pakistani
areas of the North Western India. That is why, he mostly addressed meetings in
Punjab, NWFP (now KPK), Sindh and Baluchistan, than going to Bengal and
Assam. He was not a rich man like any feudal lord who could travel freely all
over British India. He had to bear all his own expenses. Still he managed to attend
the important meeting of the All India Muslim League and its Council. He
attended the Lahore session of the AIML held on 22-24 March 1940 and supported
the Pakistan Resolution.

35
Ibid.

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He also attended the Madras session of AIML held in April 1941. At this
session, he was one of the supporters of Resolution No.II moved by Liaquat Ali
Khan expressing the will of the Muslim nation to establish the Independent States
as Muslim Free National Homelands in which the constituent units shall be
autonomous and sovereign. This resolution also required that the Constitution
should also provide due safeguards to the minorities with reference to their
religion, culture, economic, politics, administrative and other rights and interests.36
Speaking on this resolution Maulana Zafar Ali Khan said that Pakistan means
freedom from two slaveries – one of the British and the other from Mr. Gandhi. 37
Maulana Zafar Ali Khan had a great respect for Jinnah. Even on
humanitarian matters like those of caring the orphan children in hundreds and
thousands as a result of Bengal holocaust of 1943, when Jinnah made call on
the Muslim leaders and the people to help care the orphan children, Maulana
Zafar Ali Khan donated a chieque of Rs. 1000/- for the famine stricken
children of Bengal, a fund which was later sent by Jinnah to the Calcutta
Muslim League. 38 Jinnah duly acknowledged the receipt of this cheque on 27
November 1943 which also stated that the cheque has been sent to Calcutta
Muslim Chamber of Commerce with the direction that they should directly
acknowledge the receipt of this cheque to Maulana Zafar Ali Khan. 39

36
S.S.Pirzada, Foundations of Pakistan, Vol. II, Islamabad, NIHCR, Quaid-i-Azam University, 2007,
p. 342.
37
Ibid., p. 346.
38
Zafar Ali Khan to Jinnah, McLeod Road, Lahore, 23 November 1943 [letter], in Quaid-i-Azam
Papers, F. 584, National Archives of Pakistan, Islamabad.
39
Jinnah to Maulana Zafar Ali Khan, 10 Aurgahjzeb Road, New Delhi, 27 November 1943, in
Quaid-i-Azam Papers, F. 584, National Archives of Pakistan, Islamabad.

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Maulana Zafar Ali Khan, Majlis-e- Ittihad-e-Millat and All India Muslim League

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