Sardar Sardar, also spelled as Sardaar/Sirdar ( fa, سردار, , 'commander', literally 'headmaster'), is a title of royalty and nobility that was originally used to denote princes, noblemen, chiefs, kings and other aristocrats. It has also been u ...

Abdur Rab Nishtar (13 June 1899 – 14 February 1958) was a Pakistani Muslim League politician from

North-West Frontier Province The North-West Frontier Province (NWFP; ps, شمال لویدیځ سرحدي ولایت, ) was a Chief Commissioner's Province of British India, established on 9 November 1901 from the north-western districts of the Punjab Province. Followin ...

.Abdur Rab Nishtar Biography on storyofpakistan.com website
Retrieved 7 October 2019

Early life and education

Abdul Rab Nishtar was born on 13 June 1899 into a religious household in

Peshawar Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

. His father, Maulvi Abdul Hannan was a prominent figure from the

Pashtun Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically r ...

Abdullahzai Kakar tribe that had fiercely opposed the

British raj The British Raj (; from Hindi language, Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Q ...

in India. Nishtar's ancestors hailed from Zhob, district in north Balochistan but had later settled in

. He completed his early education in a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

mission school and later Sanathan Dharam High School in

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the '' de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the sec ...

, (now 'Mumbai' in

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

). He eventually graduated from the Edwardes College in Peshawar and then later on completed his Bachelor of Arts degree from the

Punjab University Punjab University may refer to: India * Punjab Agricultural University, a state agricultural university in Ludhiana, Punjab * I. K. Gujral Punjab Technical University, a State university in Jalandhar, Punjab * Panjab University, a public collegia ...

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest ...

in 1923. He later went to

Aligarh Aligarh (; formerly known as Allygarh, and Kol) is a city in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. It is the administrative headquarters of Aligarh district, and lies northwest of state capital Lucknow and approximately southeast of the capit ...

and received an LL.B degree with honours from

Aligarh Muslim University Aligarh Muslim University (abbreviated as AMU) is a Public University, public Central University (India), central university in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India, which was originally established by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan as the Muhammadan Anglo-Orie ...

in 1925.

Political career

A man of deep religious convictions, he also had a deep interest in Islamic mysticism, a fact which probably reflects the influence of his parents and also his associate Maulana

Muhammad Ali Jauhar Muhammad Ali Jauhar (10 December 1878 – 4 January 1931), was an Indian Muslim activist, prominent member of the All-India Muslim League, journalist and a poet, a leading figure of the Khilafat Movement and one of the founders of Jamia Milli ...

. From 1919 to 1920, both of them actively participated in the

Khilafat Movement The Khilafat Movement (1919–24), also known as the Caliphate movement or the Indian Muslim movement, was a pan-Islamist political protest campaign launched by Muslims of British India led by Shaukat Ali, Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar, Hakim ...

. Later, Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar remained member of

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British ...

from 1927 to 1931, was elected Municipal Commissioner, Peshawar Municipal committee, successively from 1929 to 1938, joined

All-India Muslim League The All-India Muslim League (AIML) was a political party established in Dhaka in 1906 when a group of prominent Muslim politicians met the Viceroy of British India, Lord Minto, with the goal of securing Muslim interests on the Indian subcon ...

, became a confidante of Pakistan's founder

Muhammad Ali Jinnah Muhammad Ali Jinnah (, ; born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai; 25 December 1876 – 11 September 1948) was a barrister, politician, and the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until the ...

. From 1932 to 1936, Nishtar was a member of All India Muslim League (AIML) Council, member NWFP (Northwest Frontier Province) legislative Assembly 1937 to 1945,

Finance Minister A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", ...

NWFP 1943–45, member AIML Working Committee, 1944–1947, represented the All India Muslim League at the Simla Conference in 1945.Abdur Rab Nishtar profile on Pioneers of Freedom website
Retrieved 7 October 2019 Abdur Rab Nishtar was ousted from provincial politics through the political maneuvers of a rival political leader Abdul Qayyum Khan in 1946. Abdul Qayyum Khan was an outcast from the

Party, who then vigorously opposed that political party after his ouster from it, especially he was against the union of the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographical region in Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian Ocean from the Himalayas. Geopolitically, it includes the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India ...

in a single country and was working for the creation of an independent Muslim state.

As Federal Minister

After the Dominion of Pakistan was created, Nishtar was appointed Minister for communication in Pakistan and served in that position from 1947 to 1949. He introduced the use of

Urdu language Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Pakistan Railways and Pakistan Post Office. After the dismissal of the Punjab Provincial government in 1949, Sardar Nishtar was appointed Governor of Punjab (the first Pakistani governor in Pakistan's history, till that time the British government had still continued governing with previous English Governors). He effectively ran the Governorship for two years paving the way for restoration of an elected government in 1951.

Nomination for Prime Minister

Nishtar was considered a serious contender for the post of Prime Minister after Liaqat Ali Khan's assassination. His appointment was blocked by senior secularists and liberal officials including the future President

Iskander Mirza Sahibzada Iskander Ali Mirza ( bn, ইস্কান্দার আলী মির্জা; ur, ; 13 November 1899 – 13 November 1969), , was a Bengalis in Pakistan, Pakistani Bengali general officer and civil servant who was the List o ...

because of Nishtar's conservative and Islamic views.

Became Opposition Leader against corrupt politicians

He subsequently fell out with the government over the dismissal of

Prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

Khawaja Nazimuddin's government by Governor General Ghulam Muhammad. Refusing to be involved in what he perceived as an undemocratic act, Nishtar went into opposition. In 1956, when the first Pakistani constitution was adopted, Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar was elected president of the party against the wishes of President Iskandar Mirza and then prime minister Chaudhry Mohammad Ali who were backing Dr. Khan Sahib as West Pakistan chief minister while Nishtar wanted a Muslim League man for the office. But a big majority of the League leaders, including Nawab

Mushtaq Ahmad Gurmani Nawab Mian Mushtaq Ahmed Gurmani ( ur, ; (1905 – 1981) was a Pakistani politician who served as the Diwan of the Bahawalpur State. He was from Sinanwan. After the partition of India and the accession of Bahawalpur, he served as a 'Ministe ...

and Mumtaz Daultana, supported Iskander Mirza.

Leader of Muslim League

He subsequently took over the leadership of the Muslim League party and the League was expected to do well in West Pakistan in the planned 1959 elections but unfortunately he died before that. He served as president, Pakistan Muslim League from 1956 to 1958.

Commemorative postage stamp

Pakistan Post Office issued a commemorative postage stamp in his honor in its 'Pioneers of Freedom' series in 1990.

Death and legacy

Abdur Rab Nishtar died of a heart attack on 14 February 1958 in

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former ...

. He had been suffering from heart disease and high blood pressure since 1953. Nishtar Medical College, Nishtar Hospital in the city of

Multan Multan (; ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, on the bank of the Chenab River. Multan is Pakistan's seventh largest city as per the 2017 census, and the major cultural, religious and economic centre of southern Punjab. Multan is one of the olde ...

and

Nishtar Hall Nishtar Hall is a cultural centre and music venue in Peshawar, Pakistan. It was established to promote and represent the Pashtun culture and music. Hall was established in 1985. It is an only and large entertainment venue in Peshawar with a capac ...

Peshawar are named in his honor.

Nishtar Park The Nishtar Park ( ur, ) (''formerly'' Patel Park) is located at Parsi Colony, off M.A. Jinnah Road in the area of Soldier Bazaar, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Nishtar Park was originally called Patel Park, named after Congress leader Vallabhbha ...

and Nishtar Road in

are named after him. He was buried at Mazar-e-Quaid near the Tomb of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

to acknowledge his services in the cause of Pakistan. Abdul Rab Nishtar had a reputation of being a sincere political leader and a man of amicable nature. With his political activities, he contributed greatly to All-India Muslim League and the Muslims living in the Indian subcontinent, creating political consciousness and Islamic spirit among them. Abdul Rab Nishtar was a close friend of both Maulana

and Maulana Shaukat Ali. At one point during their association, Muhammad Ali Jauhar had told Nishtar that he opposed Jinnah for re-organization of the All-India Muslim League. After finding out all the details of Jinnah-Jauhar discussion, Nishtar decided to support Jinnah's proposal and even succeeded in convincing Jauhar to do the same. Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar's younger brother Sardar Abdul Ghayur was a senior diplomat who served as Pakistan's ambassador in numerous countries. Safwat Ghayur (Shaheed) the widely respected and venerated AIGP (police) officer who was martyred in the line of duty was a nephew of Nishtar. General Abdul Waheed Kakar former Chief of Army Staff (Pakistan) is another nephew of Nishtar. Senior political leader, chairman of

Qaumi Watan Party Qaumi Watan Party ( ps, قومي وطن ګوند or ; ur, قومی وطن پارٹی), abbreviated as QWP and formerly called Pakistan Peoples Party–Sherpao (PPP–S), is one of the prominent political parties in Pakistan, that split away from t ...

, former chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and former

interior minister An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergenc ...

Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao was son in law to Nishtar. His eldest son Jamil Nishtar was a renowned banker, another was Prominent physician Professor Dr Tariq Nishtar, and youngest one died at the age 29 and was an engineer. Abdur Rab Nishtar's grandson is married to Dr. Sania Nishtar, who is the special assistant on poverty alleviation and social safety to Prime Minister

Imran Khan Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi ( ur}; born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician and former Cricket captain who served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan from August 2018 to until April 2022, when he was ousted through a no-confidenc ...

References

Bibliography

Syed Mujawar Hussain Shah, Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar: A Political Biography (Lahore, Qadiria Books, 1985).

External links

Abdur Rab Nishtar, Pioneers of Freedom website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nishtar, Abdur Rab First Pakistani Cabinet All India Muslim League members Pashtun people Governors of Punjab, Pakistan University of the Punjab alumni Aligarh Muslim University alumni Leaders of the Pakistan Movement People from Peshawar Pakistani MNAs 1947–1954 Communications Ministers of Pakistan Pakistani sports executives and administrators Pakistan Movement activists from the North-West Frontier Province Members of the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan Edwardes College alumni 1899 births 1958 deaths Members of the Council of the Governor General of India