I CO *& VfrtOf* CO «> c <m*mmn m JgSHlgl I rr SHI, 9 -V K SI w ro OO 81 H 3! 02" 22 o«> 31 81 W • 91 ^ 9t ' 8I5 81". Cn s 02 22 82 (7) 21 81 n W 91 RESE CO PA KISTAN 91 PUNJAB L\ CD 81? l~ Si '.-.', i as ujm* * . \ Muslim Women's Role IN THE Pakistan Movement 1/ Sarfaraz Hussain Mirza ' i RESEARCH SOCIETY OF PAKISTAN University of the Pwjab LAHORE • Publication No. 14 A11 rights reserved FIRST IMPRESSION : AUGUST 1969. SECOND IMPRESSION : JUNE 1981. Price Rs. 20/- PRINTED AT : PAKISTAN EDUCATIONAL PRESS, LAHORE - Research Society of Pakistan is grateful to the Evacuee Property Trust Board, Government of Pakistan for the generous financial grant for the implementation of our publication programme. CONTENTS PREFACE • • • CHAPTER I CHAPTER II CHAPTER III • • CHAPTER IV (PART i) (PART II) .. APPENDIX A • • • APPENDIX B ArPENDIX C APPENDIX D • C • APPENDIX E • • * BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX t feA • * f* PREFACF An attempt has been made in this book to trace the political activities and the part played by Muslim women of the subcontinent in the struggle for independence in collaboration with the All-India Muslim League, It is, however, not claimed to give a complete • picture of the role played by them in the hectic days of the politi­ cal struggle against British imperialism and the Hindu dominance. Suffice it to say that every effort has been made to consult the contemporary material available in Lahore such as newspapers, jour- nals. pamphlets and oth^r source-material on Pakistan Movement. Some of the women leaders who were active in the Pakistan Move- ment were interviewed and others were contacted through corre- spondence to get first-hand information. * At the initial stages of the task it was hoped to cover Muslim women's political role on the All-Tndia basis but later on due to the non-availability of sufficient source-material it was felt feasible to concentrate on their activities in the Muslim majority areas where their role had been constant and continuous The book has been divided into four chapters. Chapter I deals briefly with the social, educational and other activities of the Muslim women from the advent of the Mughuls to the middle of the 1930's. This only creates a background view of their social and educational condition in India. In Chapter II, HI and IV Part (I) Muslim women's political activities have been discussed during the period 1937-47 Tart II of Chapter IV gives a brief account of the political activities v/7 * * • • • Vlll of the Muslim women in the North-West Frontier Province during 1946-47. In Appendix A, brief biographical sketches of Muslim women leaders have been given. This list of women leaders is, however, not claimed to be a comprehensive one. i I am greatly indebted to my worthy teacher Ch. Umar Maimood Wathra, formerly Lecturer in the Department of History, University of the Punjab, for his valuable guidance and the pains he took in thoroughly revising the manuscript. I must record my earnest gratitude to Professor Sh. Abdur Rashid and Mr. Rafique Afzal whose afiectionate and friendly guidance throughout this work was; available to me. I also take this opportunity of acknowledging my gratitude to Dr. S. M. Ikram, Vice-President, and Dr. M. Jahangir Khan, Director, Research Society of Pakistan for their sustained interest in this work. My thanks arc due to Professor Mirza Maqbool Beg Badakhshani, Mr. Muhammad Shafique Alvi, Lecturer, Islamia College, Lahore, and Mr. Khawar Nabi who rendered help at the various stages of this project. Lahore, IS August 1969. Sarfaraz Hussain Mirza CHAPTER I • * • r The history of the Muslims in the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent is a socio-cultural phenomenon of far-reaching consequences. The evolution of the Indian civilisation owes a great deal to the Muslim rule in this part of the world. Apart from their military and political institutions, their literary and artistic traditions were transplanted on the culture of the people of the subcontinent. They produced some of the world's greatest rulers. Islamic civilisation infused a new vigour into the hitherto dead arteries of the Indian culture. The establishment of the Muslim rule in the subcontinent, and patterns of culture evolved by them are interwoven in the texture of Indian civilisation and are of great significance in the history of the world civilisation. i lor a meaningful study of this development we have selected HI activity which has hitherto remained untouched. The role of the Indian women, for example, despite all their social and traditional disabilities is a significant field of study without which the story of the Muslim rule in the subcontinent would be an incomplete and drab picture. * Even before the I imurids came into power in .India, their i women had attained proficiency in the realm of artistic and literary pursuits. Amat-ul-Habib, later known as Hamida Bano, wife of 2 4 Amir Taimur, knew Chinese1 in addition to her knowledge of Turkish, Persian and Arabic. She compiled two books, one on the conquests of Amir Taimur and the other on Turkish women.2 She was also an accomplished musician. * Bubur, the founder of the Mughul empire, was a most attrac­ tive personality. He wrote his autobiography id such a lively and simple style that it set a standard for autobiographical literature. His daughter, Oulbadan Begum, had a firm commfan/i over Turkish and Persian.3 She gives a good account of the (Jisrtial career of ber brother Humayun, and of the social, cultural and historical eventr of the reigns of Babur and Humayun in her Humayun Noma.4 0\xU rukh Begum, another daughter of Babur from Salih Sultan Begum, was also a poet£ and of her daughter, Salima Sultan Begum, Jahan- gir wrote with admiration in his Tuzuk. According to him no woman could surpass Salima Sultan in ability and literary taste.6 He praises her for her natural qualities and accomplishments. She kept a sizeable library and composed Persian verse under the nam de plume MakhfL7 On the death of her husband, Bairam Khan, she married Akbar. Janan Begum, wife of Prince Danyal, was another well-read lady. She i 1. Sayyid Zahur-ul-Hasan, BegmaUi-Khandan-i-Taimuriy* ki Saw**ih Umriyan (Urdu).J>elhi, 1927, p. 10. 2. Ibid, p. 11. 3. Sayyid Sabah-ud-Din Abdur Rahman, Bazm-i- Taimuriya (Urdu),Azamfarh, 1948, p. 436; Taimuri Shahzadiyon ka Ilmi Zauq (Urdu), in hfa'arif, Azamgarh, No. 5, Vol. 49, January to June 1942, p. 338. 4. This book was translated into English by Annete S. Beveridge and published in London in 1902 along with its Persian text. The tianslator has given a detailed account of Oulbadan Begum and other Tinuirid priaces and . *i • 5. Bc\m-i-Tatmurtya,'x 439; Ttimuri Shahzadiy m ka Ilmi Zauq, p. 341. 6. M rza Muhammad Hadi, Tuzuk-l»Jahangiri, Aligarh, 1864, p. 114. * Tf1 original version Is as follows : 0 ***** £*>**W*t* J r^ jl-'i- (JL\ OUj j> - ju^jib JJ-.I/ *~* olv ** 7. Mt itvf Abdur Rahin, Ma'aslr-ul-lfmara, vol. I, Calcutta, 1887, p m U jid AM Hnu Khan, SnUtl-Gnlihan. Bhcpal, 1878, p.394. 3 has the credit of writing commentary on the Holy Quran* Nur Jahan, the charming consort of Jahangir, was the most accomplished, cultured and refined lady of her time. Jahangir was captivated not only by her beauty but also by her highly sophisticated literary taste, refinement and sagacity in matters of the State. She was a good poet of Persian and patronised the Court poets.9 A pioneer in tas'e and elegance, she became the embodiment of the Indo-Persian culture of the period and all that was the best in it. Arjumand Bano Begum, popularly known as Mumtaz Mahal, wife of Shah Jahan, to whose loving memory the emperor dedicated one of the noblest monuments, the Taj Mahal, was a symbol of Persian literary traditions. Her eldest daughter, Jahan Ara Begum was a highly educated woman. She venerated the Ulama and the Sufis and composed her own epitaph.10 She was a poet as well as an author for she wrote a book entitled the Munis-uI-Arwah11 and the Risalah Sahibiyya. The austere Aurangzeb, who had but little taste for poetry and art, could not prevent his own daughters from such pursuits. His elder daughter Zeb-un-Nisa Begum was a scholar of Persian and Arabic. She memorised the Quran at a very young age and it was under her guidance and initiative that the Tafseer-ul-Kabir was translate.1 into Persian by Mulla Safi-ud-Din Ardbili.12 She main* tained a magnificent library and her household was a centre of 8. Bazm-i-Taimuriya, p. 442. 9. Ibid, p. 445 ; Taimuri Shahzadiyon ka Ilmi Zauq, p. 347. It is said that she also wrote under the pseudonym Makhfi. (Ma'asir-ul- Umara, vol. I, p. 134). Nawab Qasim Khan Danish, husband of her real sister Maneeja Begum, flourished at the Court. 10. \^ j\y ^ j^ uO * j^. *y <jt*~i o^jt- J^ji x* ^ 11. It contains the life sketches of Muslim saints such as Hazrat Khwaja Moin-ud-DinChishti, Shaikh Hamid-ud-Din Nagori, Hazrat Qutb-ud-Din Bakhtiar Kaki, Hazrat Farid-ud-Din Ganj Shakar, Hazrat Nizam-ud-Din Aulia and Hazrat Nasir-ud-Din Chiragh Delhvi. 12. Muhammad Saqi Mustaid Khan, Ma'asir-i-Alamgiri, Bib.flndica, Calcutta, 1870-3 p. 539. 4 learning. According to the an Mi of of the Ma'asir-i-Alamgiri, her library was the like of which no* man has seen.13 Her'sisters, Zeenat-un-Nisa Begum, Badr-un-Nisa Begum and Zuhdat-un-Nisa Begum were also well-read women.