Sardar Ibrahim Khan

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other people named Muhammad Ibrahim Khan, see Muhammad Ibrahim Khan (disambiguation).

Sardar Abdul Qayyum
Succeeded byKhurshid Hasan Khurshid
In office
24 October 1947 – 12 May 1950
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byAli Ahmed Shah
Personal details
Born(1915-04-10)10 April 1915
Kot Mattay Khan, Poonch district, Jammu and Kashmir, British India
Died31 July 2003(2003-07-31) (aged 88)[1]
Islamabad, Pakistan
Resting placeMausoleum of Sardar Ibrahim Khan, Kot Mattay Khan, Poonch District, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan
Political partyMuslim Conference
Jammu Kashmir Peoples Party
SpouseZaib-un-Nisa Khan
Relations
  • Sardar Jawaid Ibrahim Khan (Son)
  • Sardar Khalid Ibrahim Khan
    (Son) (MLA)
  • Uft-e-Huma (Daughter)
  • Sardar Farooq Ibrahim Khan (Son)
  • Noreen Farooq Khan (Daughter-In-Law) (MNA)
  • Masood Khan (grand nephew)
Alma materGovernment Islamia College
University of London
Lincoln's Inn
ProfessionLawyer • Politician

First Kashmir War, supporting Pakistan. He served as the President of Azad Kashmir for 13 years across four non-consecutive terms and still remains the longest-serving president of the state, since its establishment.[2]

He is revered as Ghazi-e-Millat (Warrior of the Nation) in Azad Kashmir.[3]

Early life and education

Sardar Muhammad Ibrahim Khan was born on 22 April 1915 in Kot Mattay Khan, a village in the

UK in 1939 and obtained his LLB degree from the University of London in 1941. Khan then obtained a law degree from Lincoln's Inn, and later started practicing law at Srinagar, Kashmir.[5]

1947 Poonch rebellion

Sardar Ibrahim Khan holding the Flag of Azad Kashmir
Further information:
Poonch rebellion, and with support from the Muslim League, planned and helped in the invasion and liberation of Jammu and Kashmir. He organised the rebellion through the use of former British Indian Army soldiers of the Muslim population who had kept their weapons after the war and were heavily armed. Muslim Kashmiri leaders saw it as a liberation of Muslim-majority Kashmir from the Hindu ruler.[6]

On 19 July 1947, Khan held a general assembly meeting at his residence where a resolution was unanimously passed for the State of Kashmir to join Pakistan. The Maharaja,

Poonch rebellion and founded the state of Azad Kashmir, which became a self-governing division of Pakistan.[6][5]

After fighting the Indian Army for 15 months, the Azad Kashmir militia accepted a United Nations-mediated

ceasefire. Khan and his army were able to capture substantial portions of the three western districts of Kashmir, which were renamed Azad Kashmir
(Free Kashmir).

Khan was appointed the first President of Azad Kashmir in 1948 by Pakistan. He represented Kashmir in different capacities at the United Nations from 1948 to 1971.[6]

Sardar Muhammad Ibrahim Khan also wrote a book named The Kashmir Saga on government and politics of Azad Kashmir and included the history and philosophy of freedom struggle in the book.[7]

1955 Poonch uprising

Sardar Ibrahim Khan with British officers in 1953
Further information:
1955 Poonch Uprising

Khan's dismissal is widely regarded as the trigger to the 1955 uprising in Poonch Division.[8]

Professional and political career

Under the Maharajah's rule in 1943, Khan was appointed as a public prosecutor in

Kashmir Freedom Movement and won the 1946 Jammu and Kashmir State Assembly elections. He went on to serve three more terms in office until August 2001. He retired at the age of 86. He also established the Azad Muslim Conference.[5]

President of Azad Kashmir

As the first self-proclaimed President of Azad Kashmir, he was invited by the United Nations to brief the

General Zia Ul-Haq, the Chairman of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Council, on 30 October 1978. Khan, however, was elected again as the President of Azad Kashmir in August 1996. He remained in office until August 2001 and was the Azad Kashmir president four times in his lifetime.[1][6][5]

Death and legacy

Sardar Muhammad Ibrahim Khan died at his Islamabad home on 31 July, 2003 after a long period of illness at the age of 88.[1] President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali paid tribute to him in their condolence messages.[1]

Due to his services to Kashmir freedom struggle, he is known among the people of Kashmir as:

  • Bani-e-Kashmir ("Founder of Azad Kashmir")[6][9]
  • Ghazi-e-Millat ("Hero of the Nation") [9][6][10]
Political offices
Preceded by
Post Created
 President of
Azad Jammu and Kashmir

1948–1950 		Succeeded by
Captain Syed Ali Ahmed Shah
Preceded by 2nd term
1957–1959 		Succeeded by
Khurshid Hassan Khurshid
Preceded by
Sardar Mohammad Abdul Qayyum Khan
 3rd term
1975–1978 		Succeeded by
Muhammad Hayat Khan
Preceded by
Sardar Sikandar Hayat Khan
 4th term
1996–2001 		Succeeded by
Sardar Muhammad Anwar Khan

References

  1. ^ a b c d Obituary and profile of Muhammad Ibrahim Khan Dawn (newspaper), Published 1 August 2003, Retrieved 25 January 2021
  2. ISBN 978-9350298978
    .
  3. ISSN 2221-6804
    .
  4. ISBN 9780857730787
    .
  5. ^ a b c d Sardar Muhammad Ibrahim Khan - profile on Story Of Pakistan website Published 4 January 2008, Retrieved 26 January 2021
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Profile of Muhammad Ibrahim Khan on sardarsofkashmir.webs.com website Archived 20 August 2019 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 25 January 2021
  7. ^ The Kashmir Saga, a book by Muhammad Ibrahim Khan on Google Books website Retrieved 28 January 2021
  8. ISBN 9789350298985
    .
  9. ^ a b "Foundation stone of memorial for first AJK president laid". Dawn (newspaper). 17 September 2014. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  10. ^ Mamir (12 October 2018). "AJK president pays tribute to Sardar Ibrahim Khan". The Express Tribune (newspaper). Retrieved 26 January 2021.

Further reading

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