Khwaja Salimullah
| Khwaja Salimullah Bahadur | |
|---|---|
Dhaka Nawab Family | |
| Father | Khwaja Ahsanullah |
| Mother | Nawab Begum Wahidunnesa |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
On 30 December 1906, the All-India Muslim League was officially founded at the educational conference held in Dhaka.[2]
The convention was held at
Sir Salimullah was a staunch supporter of the Partition of Bengal and was a member of East Bengal and Assam Legislative Council from 1906 to 1907.[2][3]
Politics
Salimullah began his career in government service in 1893 as Deputy Magistrate, a position he held until he departed in 1895 to start his business in Mymensingh. In 1901 he inherited the position as the head of the
In 1903–04, Nawab Salimullah began supporting the partition of Bengal in the face of opposition of the Indian National Congress. On 16 October 1905, the day the Bengal Province was parted, Salimullah presided over a meeting of Muslim leaders from all over East Bengal in Northbrook Hall where a political front called Mohammedan Provincial Union was formed. With others of the front, Salimullah organized meetings around East Bengal in favor of the partition, while the Congress built up a movement to oppose it. On 14 and 15 April 1906, Salimullah organized and was named president at the first convention of East Bengal and Assam Provincial Educational Conference at Shahbag, Dhaka.
Later that year, newspapers published a dispatch from Salimullah to various Muslim leaders around India urging them to form an all-India political party he called Muslim All India Confederacy,
Two years later, in December 1908, Salimullah would speak out for free speech in educational institutes and also rights for Muslims to separate elections.
Throughout these years, Salimullah held positions of authority in several leagues and conferences and continued to speak out on important political issues. In 1907, he became president of the All Bengal Muslim League, formed newly Kolkata.[2] In 1908, he became the secretary of the newly established East Bengal and Assam Provincial Muslim League, becoming president in 1909. He served as the chairman at the 22nd Convention of the All India Mohammedan Educational Conference at Amritsar in December 1908.[2] In 1909, he led people of wealth in the newly formed province to form the Imperial League of Eastern Bengal and Assam. In March 1911, at a meeting at the Ahsan Manzil, he presided over a decision to maintain the provincial Muslim League and provincial Educational Conference separate for political and educational activities. On 2 March 1912, Salimullah chaired a meeting at which the two Muslim Leagues of the Bengal were combined into the Presidency Muslim League and the two Muslim Associations were combined into the Bengal Presidency Muslim Association. Salimullah was made president of both the organisations.
In August 1911, Salimullah demanded a university for Dhaka at a function at a political function at
Along with his continued championing of education, Salimullah's last focuses before withdrawing from active politics in 1914 included situations involving Turkey. In 1912, he raised money from East Bengal to assist Turkish Muslims threatened by the
Honours
- Companion of the Order of the Star of India (CSI)-New Year Honours, 1906
- Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India (KCSI)-New Year Honours, 1909
- Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (GCIE)-23 December 1911
Commemorative postage stamp
Pakistan Post issued a commemorative postage stamp to honor him in its 'Pioneers of Freedom' series in 1990.[2]
Personal life
Khwaja Salimullah was the eldest son of the third Nawab of Dhaka, Sir Khwaja Ahsanullah and his first wife Nawab Begum Wahidunnesa.[8] He was the grandson of Nawab of Dhaka, Sir Khwaja Abdul Ghani.[4] Nawab Khwaja Salimullah was born at the Ahsan Manzil Palace on 7 June 1871.[5]
- Wives[9]
- Nawab Begum Asmatunnesa
- Nawab Begum Alima Bibi
- Nawab Begum Raushan Akhter
- Nawab Begum Naznijan
- Nawab Begum Ayesha
- Nawab Begum Azizunnesa
- Children
- [9]
- With Nawab Begum Asmatunnesa:
- Nawab Khwaja Habibullah
- Begum Ayesha II
- With Nawab Begum Alima Bibi:
- Khwaja Alimullah II
- Khwaja Waliullah
- With Nawab Begum Raushan Akhter:
- Khwaja Hafizullah I
- Khwaja Nasrullah
- Ahmedi Bano
- With Nawab Begum Naznijan:
- Khurshid Bano
- Aftab Bano
- With Nawab Begum Azizunnesa:
- Khwaja Ahsanullah
Death and legacy
Khwaja Salimullah was also a member of Bengal Legislative Assembly from 1913 till his death in Calcutta on 16 January 1915 at the age of 43.
Other family members also became prominent political figures.
Several places in Bangladesh have been dedicated in Sir Salimullah's name. They include most notably the following:
- Salimullah Muslim Hall, University of Dhaka
- Sir Salimullah Medical College, Dhaka
- Salimullah Muslim Orphanage
- Nawab Salimullah Road, Naryanganj
In 1990 the Pakistani government launched commemorative postage stamps honouring Sir Salimullah as one of the Pioneers of Freedom. In 1993 the Bangladeshi government launched a commemorative postage stamp in honour of Sir Salimullah.
References
- OL 30677644M. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Profile of Nawab Sir Khwaja Salimullah Nawab of Dhaka". Cybercity-online.net website. Archived from the original on 20 July 2013. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
- ^ a b c "Khwaja Salimullah". World History. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
- ^ ISBN 984-412-104-3.
- ^ a b c Ahmed, Sharifuddin. Dhaka Past, Present, Future (Revised edition). The Asiatic Society, Dhaka, 2009. ASIN B0062X4K64
- OL 30677644M. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
- ^ "Establishment of All India Muslim League (on 30 December 1906 in Dhaka)". Story of Pakistan website. Archived from the original on 19 October 2018. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
- ^ "Family Tree".
- ^ a b "Family Tree". gupshup1.tribalpages.com. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
Further reading
- Taifoor, S.M. Glimpses of Old Dacca. Dhaka, 1956.