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Mazhar Ali Azhar (13 March 1895 – 4 November 1974) was a politician in
British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...
and later
Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
, and one of the founders of Majlis-e-Ahrar-ul-Islam. He was elected three times to the Punjab Assembly, took part in the Madhe Sahaba Agitation in
Lucknow Lucknow () is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the largest city of the List of state and union territory capitals in India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is the administrative headquarters of the epon ...
, and became a prominent opponent to the partition of India.


Early life and education

He was born on 13 March 1895 in
Batala Batala is the eighth largest city in the state of Punjab, India in terms of population after Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Patiala, Bathinda, Mohali and Hoshiarpur. Batala ranks as the second-oldest city after Bathinda. It is a municipal cor ...
,
Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...
,
British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...
. He graduated with a
Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
from
Government College University, Lahore The Government College University (colloquially known as GCU; Punjabi, Urdu: ) is a public research university in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Founded as Government College, Lahore, in 1864 under British administration, it became a university i ...
in 1915 and later earned a
Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...
in 1917. He began practising as a lawyer in 1918.


Career

He was born into a
Shia Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...
family but later joined the
Deobandi The Deobandi movement or Deobandism is a revivalist movement within Sunni Islam that adheres to the Hanafi school of jurisprudence. It was formed in the late 19th century around the Darul Uloom Madrassa in Deoband, India, from which the nam ...
movement within
Sunni Islam Sunni Islam is the largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any Succession to Muhammad, successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr ...
and ran a madrassa and mosque in
Gurdaspur Gurdaspur is a city in the Majha region of the Indian state of Punjab, between the rivers Beas and Ravi. It houses the administrative headquarters of Gurdaspur District and is in the geographical centre of the district, which shares a bord ...
. Being a close companion of Syed Attaullah Shah Bukhari, he joined Majlis-e-Ahrar-ul-Islam, an offshoot of the
Khilafat Movement The Khilafat movement (1919–22) was a political campaign launched by Indian Muslims in British India over British policy against Turkey and the planned dismemberment of the Ottoman Empire after World War I by Allied forces. Leaders particip ...
.


Role in Madhe Sahaba Agitation

The Madhe Sahaba Agitation of Lucknow is predecessor of the sectarian violence in Pakistan. Mazhar Ali Azhar played a prominent role in that movement. He believed that "Madhe Sahaba can be a weapon against the League"- an obvious reference to Jinnah's own background as a Khoja Shia. Justice Munir wrote in his report:


Life after independence

Mazhar Ali Azhar referred to Jinnah as ''Kafir-e-Azam'' ("The Great Kafir"). He, as with other Ahrar leaders, opposed the partition of India. In 1947, after the creation of Pakistan, he choose to reside in Lahore. He took part in the 1953 riots against Ahmadiyya community. Under the Displaced Persons Act of 1957, he was allotted a Bungalow in Fane Road, Lahore by the government of Pakistan against his claim of the assets he had left behind while migrating from Gurdaspur. He died in 1974.


Books, essays & articles

As a prominent Ahrari leader and scholar, authored and translated several works in Urdu and was active in writing political essays and speeches.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Azhar, Mazhar Ali 1895 births 1974 deaths Critics of Ahmadiyya Secretaries-general of Majlis-e-Ahrar-ul-Islam Government College University, Lahore alumni People from Gurdaspur district Politicians from Lahore Founders of Majlis-e Ahrar-e Islam