(1906-1985)
| Tajddin, Mumtaz Ali Sadik Ali: 101 Ismaili Heroes, Vol.1, Islamic Book Publisher, Karachi, January 2003, p 140 |
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(1906-1985) |
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Ghulam Ali Allana
traced his descent from a certain Haji, and whose son, Vali was a small
merchant in Lahari Bandar, Sind. When the port of Lahari Bandar dried up, Vali
came in Jerruk, where he lived with his son Saleh. The son of Saleh was Aloo,
whose business expanded as far as Bhuj, Kutchh. Natho, the son of Aloo lived
for some time in Bhuj, Kutchh and then settled down in Mulla Katiar, Sind.
Natho’s son was Khalfan, who migrated towards Karachi with his wife, called
Lakhanni. Khalfan was the care-taker (jamatbhai)
in the Kharadhar Jamatkhana. He had four sons, Allana, Pesan, Ghulam Hussain
and Mohammad; and four daughters, Fatima, Khatija, Zainab and Mianbai. Allana
joined a Jewish firm in Karachi to repair the watches. In 1882, Allana started
his own small shop of repairing and selling the watches, and ultimately he was
destined to become a leading dealer of watches. Allana was a thrice-married
man. He had two sons, Hussain and Fijey from his first wife. He had no child
from his second wife. His third wife was Sharafi, the daughter of Mukhi Hashu,
and the mother of Dr. Ghulam Ali Allana. Dr. Ghulam Ali Allana was born in Karachi on August 22, 1906. He took his education in Sind Madressah, which he left while studying Standard II English in 1920 at St. Patricks High School. After matriculation, he enrolled at the D.J. Science College, in Sind. Later on, he was studied at Ferguson College, in Poona. He came from a well-known business family of Karachi, and himself was the director of Alsons Industries Ltd., Madorina Watch Co. Ltd. and Allana Watch Co. Ltd. He had also taken an active interest in trade leadership before the partition of India.
He was closely
associated with Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah during the decisive and final
phase of the establishment of Pakistan. Even after the appearance of Pakistan
on the map of the world, he continued to work for his party and became the
Finance Secretary of All Pakistan Muslim League. He was also appointed as the
Chairman of the Press Commission of Pakistan in 1948. In 1949, he founded the
Islamic Chambers of Commerce & Industry and was its President for five
years, the longest term held by any individual. He was also the Chairman of the
Board of Directors of Pakistan Iron and Steel Syndicate Ltd., the Director of
Jubilee Insurance Co. Ltd.
He represented
Pakistan at scores of International Conferences. He was elected to the
Governing Body of the International Labour Organization for three consecutive
terms of three years each from 1948 to 1957, representing the employers of the
world. He notably represented in San Francisco in 1948, in Geneva in 1950 and
1951 and Sri Lanka in 1950. In May, 1948, he was elected unanimously the Mayor
of Karachi city. In recognition of his meritorious services to free trade in
the free world, he was unanimously elected in 1956 the President of the
International Organization of Employers, with its headquarters in Brussels. He
represented Pakistan at the United Nations and the Economic and Social
Committee of the United Nations. He was a member of the Karachi Municipal
Corporation for over twenty years, and as Mayor of Karachi, he represented
Pakistan at the World Mayors’ Conference in Geneva.
He was conferred the
customary Golden Keys to the cities of San Francisco and Philadelphia, the
Freedom of the City of Paris, and Keys to Buffalo, Patterson, Prague, Geneva and
Rome, which was the highest honour a city paid to a distinguished visitor. He
was also the leader of Pakistan’s non-official Goodwill Trade Mission to 11
countries, the member of Karachi Hajj Port Committee and the member of Karachi
Road Transport Authority (1956-1958). In addition he was a member of the
Pakistan Legislative Assembly, General Secretary of Sind Provincial Muslim
League and President of Karachi Muslim League.
Dr. Ghulam Ali Allana
made a tour of Europe in 1950 as the head of a non-official trade mission. He
had a meeting with the Imam in Paris in May, 1950. He had also a chance to see
the Imam before leaving Europe at Lausanne in the bungalow, known as Chateau
Dorigne on July 17, 1950. Wazir Karim Ibrahim (1881-1968), Wazir Ghulam Hussain
Khalfan (1887-1967), etc. were with him. He told the Imam that he intended to
leave London on July 22, 1950 and would stay in Syria for a week. The Imam told
him that he should visit Salamia, Khawabi and other places in Syria, and gave
him two written messages, one for the Syrian jamat in French and another for the jamat of Pakistan, Iraq and Persian Gulf. He came with his
colleagues in Damascus on July 23 and was well received by Amir Mirza, Amir
Abdullah Tamir, the member of Syrian parliament and Amir Mustapha. They left
Damascus on July 25 and reached Salamia by car, and conveyed the message of the
Imam. They also visited Masiyaf, Tali Dara, Khawabi, Kafat, Mzarah, Malki, Bet
Khasrun, Jooa al-Shail, Akar Zacti, Kharbatel, Faras, Beo Dibeh, etc. Finally, they
arrived in Tripoli from Khawabi and then went on to Beirut and Khaldun, and
reached Damascus and returned to Karachi.
He was also a member
of Pakistan’s Delegation to the General Assembly of the United Nations in
September, 1962, and was elected the Vice-Chairman of the 2nd
Committee of the 17th session of the U.N. He also became Chairman of
the UNCHR and led a UN working group to study the position of human rights in
Chile (1975-1979). In 1979, he was elected as a Chairman of the United Nations
Trust Fund to render financial and legal relief to political victims in Chile.
In recognition of his outstanding services, he was presented the United Nations
Peace Award in 1976. The Human
Rights Organization of Pakistan also awarded him the Human Rights Medal in 1978. He attracted international recognition
when he was elected Chairman of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.
He was elected the Vice-Chairman of Economic and Financial Committee of the
United Nations General Assembly. He was also elected as the Chairman of the
Afro-Asian and Latin American Group of the Countries, which participated in
Cairo Conference. During the session of the General Assembly, he was appointed
as an Acting Leader of Pakistan Delegation. In view of his outstanding services,
an important road in Kharadhar, Karachi has been named after him.
He married Jenubai in
the year 1928, with whom he had two daughters and a son. She was elected as a
member of the Sind Legislative Assembly in 1937 during the time of separation
of Sind from Bombay Presidency. She continued to be a M.L.A. until 1952. She
was the first Muslim lady in Indo-Pakistan to be appointed as a parliamentary
Secretary in 1931, a post that she held upto 1951 in the Sind government.
Ghulam Ali Allana was
recognized as a poet of merit in English, and his poems were published in
Pakistan, England and United States. His work “Presenting Pakistan Poetry” published by Pakistan Writers’ Guild,
containing the verses rendered into English poems from Urdu, Bengali, Sindhi,
Gujrati, Punjabi, Pushto and Baluchi. It is the only book of its kind in
literature being a pioneering venture in a new literary field. His poems have
also been published in three anthologies of English verse, namely “Commonwealth Poetry of Today”,
published by Beclose & Sons, “Commonwealth
Poems” published by John Murray and Spring Anthology of 1967. The
distinguished poems included respectively are the “Specter is on the Move”, “I
had Reached your Door Steps” and “Pilgrimage.” In view of his literary genius, the
international literary community honoured him with a number of awards and
distinctions. He was a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, London,
Vice-President of United Poets Laureate International and Poet Laureate of
Pakistan. The President of Philippines awarded him a gold medal for poetry. He
also received the Laureate Crown for poetry by Poets Laureate International,
the Certificate of merit by Centro Studie, Scambi International, Rome and a
medal for outstanding contribution to Literature and Culture by the same body.
The Secretary General
Kurt Waldheim awarded the Peace Medal
of the UN once again to Dr. Ghulam Ali Allana on November 25, 1977 for his
distinguished services on a global basis in the humanitarian field. The
International Leonardo da Vinci Academy of Rome conferred a Diploma of Honours on him on October
11, 1980.
Huzur Wazir Allana’s
contribution of community services was also innumerable. He was appointed a
member of the Ismailia Supreme Council, Karachi in 1933. In 1954, he was elevated
to the Presidentship of the Supreme Council, a post that he held until 1961. In
1961, the Imam appointed him as the Constitutional Advisor to the jamat.
In appreciation of his
incredible services, Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah crowned him with the title of Huzur Varas in 1951.
It should be added
that he played a vital role in obtaining the plot for the present Jamatkhana of
Kharadhar, Karachi. In this context, a plaque was placed in the hall of the
Jamatkhana by order of the Imam in February, 1970.
The creative poet in
Dr. Allana remained active to the last moment. From his deathbed, he wrote on
Thursday, March 7, 1985 the following verses:-
Ghulam Ali Allana made
an outstanding contribution in the literary field. Some of the titles of his
books are:- Presenting Pakistan Poetry, Some of My Yesterdays, Love Tales of the
East, Incense and Echoes, Quaid-e-Azam Jinnah: The Story of a Nation, Pakistan
Movement : Historical Documents, The Silent Voices of Intuition, Our Freedom
Fighters, His Highness Aga Khan III, Pen Portraits of Painters, Thus Spake Man,
Recollections on Respect, Reverence and Revolt, A Rosary of Islamic Reading,
The Silent Hour, The World Within, The Pakistan Movement Struggle, Alberuni,
Bazgasht, Dhanakaal, At the Gate of Love, The Hills of Heaven, Ke Parada ke
Sad, Asanji Azadi ja Agwan, Shah Abdul Latif
etc. He also compiled the translation of the Holy Ginans in 1985, published by the Tariqah Board for Pakistan.
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