1 The Path Not Taken G.M. Sayed Vision and Valour in Politics Khadim Hussain Soomro ------------------------------------------------ 2 Sain Publishers Sehwan Sharif All Rights Reserved First Edition : Limited Published By: Sain Publishers Subazwari Mohalla Sehwan Sharif Phone: 0092- 25-4620474 Email:[email protected] Printed at : Barkat Printing Press Mashhoor Mahal Karachi September 2004 Price: 500 US $ 40 3 Dedicated to All the men and women who strove to preserve the social, cultural and religious diversity of Sindh 4 Contents 1. Introduction 2. Family 3. Childhood and Adolescence - Understanding Nature‟s Colours 4. Politics as a Mission 5. As a Legislator -Dreams for a New Sindh 6. Interlude with Jinnah‟s Muslim League 7. Parting ways with Jinnah‟s League 8. Dealing with a New Front - Opposition with a difference 9. Disassociation from Parliamentary Politics 5 Introduction Sindh, a fountain of quite a few ancient civilizations has had an extraordinary place in the universe for centuries due to its cultural progression, wealth of resources, gracious behaviour of its inhabitants and their love for humanity. The people of Sindh are non-aggressive by nature, but in the defence of their motherland they have fought with great courage against intruders, and have remained independent, except for some brief periods when Greeks, Iranians, Arabs, central Asians, and English invaders defeated them and had ruled Sindh. But Sindhis never slept unless they again secured control over their soil. Mohenjodaro, one of the oldest civilisations of the world which is over 5,000 years old, is located in the Indus valley in Sindh. It was a fairly advanced civilisation, and excavations have revealed well-delineated markets, well-developed residential areas with a sewerage system, wells and also a swimming bath. The discovery of the icon of a dancing girl shows that the inhabitants had an interest in music and fine arts, which demonstrates their skill and creativity. When Ghulam Murtaza Sayed was born in the year 1904, this land was under the colonial rule of the British. That rule affected all of Sindhi society in an adverse manner, with the result that a wealthy land became poor and backward and the process of civilizational growth in the society was suspended. This condition compelled Ghulam Murtaza Sayed to struggle to revive the civilisation and strive for the betterment of the inhabitants of Sindh. We shall henceforth in the text refer to Ghulam Murtaza Sayed simply as G.M. Sayed to differentiate the Sayed name from other members of the Sayed family, and also because the man was known and loved in Sindh, and universally, as G.M. Sayed. Although he was born into a prosperous and respected family of Sindh, and all things were made available to him for a life of luxury, to achieve his objectives, he shunned all his personal desires and suffered over 30 years in prison and confinement, dedicating almost his entire life towards his mission for Sindh. His devotion to this cause was such that once a journalist quizzed him asking: What inspiration guided you in your mission? G.M. Sayed replied: "Love for Sindh and, above all, love for humanity." Of course he loved Sindh from the core of his heart, and he also said on some occasions that is was love that could make him perfect and it opened to him hidden aspects of the universe, and it was through love that he understood the creation of the world and its purpose and plan. And his love for Sindh and humanity, has caused him to be loved by millions of people, and though physically he does not exist anymore, having passed away on 25 April 1995, the people of Sindh still love him to the extent that they are ready to sacrifice their lives for his mission, and he is almost like a demigod to them. 6 Like Jesus Christ, he believed in nonviolence and held the same opinion about love that St. Paul wrote about in his letter in the New Testament: ‟If I speak in the tongues of man and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all the mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boost, it is not proud, it is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preserves. Love never fails. But where there are, prophecies, they will cease, where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I thought like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror, then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remains, faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.‟ (1 Corinthians 13: 1-13)1. I am confessing to you, dear reader, that I also have a love for everything about G.M. Sayed, his writings, his sayings and even the man, with whom I have been associated for 25 years. But as a biographer, I have tried to be impartial and fair, and I leave it to historians and readers to judge me on this score. My thanks are due to G.M. Sayed‟s family, Mr. Nuruddin Sarki, Mr. G.M. Qureshi, Mr. Robin Fernandez, Sayed Ghulam Shah, Engineer Abdul Jabbar Memon, Captain Abdul Rashid Abro, Mr. S.H. Zaidi, the late Rashid Hyder Rizvi and the late Javed Ahmed Soomro. For reading the manuscript and editing I am thankful to Mr. Noel Monteiro. 7 Family This man of strong convictions and principles was Ghulam Murtaza Sayed, later to be universally renowned simply as G.M. Sayed. He was born on 17 January 1904, in the village of Sann, in Dadu district of Sindh, to a landed family with spiritual leanings. Before we begin, a short explanation of the term Sayed is necessary along with an explanation of his antecedents. Sayeds in Sindh are scions descended from the line of the Prophet's daughter Sayeda Fatima. The term Sayed translates more or less as „Noble Lord‟. G.M. Sayed's main ancestor descended from this line of Sayeds was Jaffar-ul-Sani (Jaffar the Second) Alhawari, son of Imam Moosa Kazim, the seventh Imam of the Shia Isna-Asheri group. Imam Moosa Kazim was also a sixth grandson of Hadrat Ali, cousin and son-in-law of Prophet Mohammed (Peace Be Upon Him). So G.M. Sayed's family members also came to be known by the honorific Kazmi. Now during the time when Taimur the Great conquered India, an ancestor of his, Sayed Hyder Shah, arrived in Multan, along with his father Amir Ali Shah. There they parted ways and Sayed Hyder Shah came to Sindh in the year 801 Hijra and settled down in a village in Hala, where he was married to the daughter of Arbab Shah Mohammed Halo. Later, the family shifted to reside in Matiari village. Therefore Sayed's family line are also known as the Matiari Kazmi Sayeds. The great Sufi saint and mystic poet of Sindh, Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, is also said to be known as a Matiari Kazmi Sayed, indicating the familial links G.M. Sayed had with other luminaries of Sindh. During the rule of the Samma clan in Sindh, when Jam Nizamuddin Samma was in power, the Chang tribe launched an insurgency. These tribal insurgents inhabited the area between Laki and Kotri area of Dadu district. Sayed Badaruddin Shah, son of Sayed Ibrahim Shah helped Jam Nizamuddin Samma to smash the insurgency. The Samma Rajputs ruled Sindh from 1350 to 1550 A.D, when they were toppled by Arghoon invaders. The insurgency was put down with the cooperation of Sayed Badaruddin Shah. In gratitude at the assistance offered, Jam Nizamuddin Samma awarded an estate to Sayed Badaruddin Shah in the same locality, and the latter took up residence at Sann village to look after the family estate. He had seven male children. Their names were: 1. Sayed Maroof Shah 2. Sayed Mooj Ali Shah 3. Sayed Dhani Dino Shah 4. Sayed Haji Shah 5. Sayed Dad Shah 6. Sayed Jhando Shah 7. Sayed Jeeo Shah (alias Ziauddin) 8 Sayed Jeeo Shah had two sons, Sayed Jarar and Sayed Hyder Shah. G.M. Sayed, son of Sayed Mohammed Shah, is the fourteenth generation descended from Sayed Hyder Shah. 9 Childhood and Adolescence Understanding Nature’s Colours G.M. Sayed was orphaned while still an infant when on 1st November 1905; his father was assassinated due to an old enmity. In November 1906, exactly a year later, his younger brother, Ahmed Shah, died. After the demise of his father and brother, Sayed became the lone surviving male member of the family. Mirza Qaleech Beg, the Deputy Collector and the author of over 200 books on Sindh and literature, helped them during their hour of trials, and their land came under the court of wards in 1906.