MALIK Barkat Ali died on April 5, 1946 while addressing a special tribunal in Burma Fraud Case.
At a Special Session of the Muslim League held in 1946, the Quaid paid the following tribute: “I am deeply grieved to hear the very depressing and sad news of the sudden death of Malik Barkat Ali. He was from the very beginning a true and loyal member of Muslim League and on all occasions, he rendered the greatest service to Muslim India. His advice and staunch support on all occasions was of greatest value to the League and myself. Muslim India has lost in him a great man and I have lost in him, not only a colleague, a collaborator, but also a friend. My deepest sympathies go out to his family in their bereavement for this irreparable loss.”
Malik Barkat Ali was a close confidant of Allama Iqbal, who campaigned for his election in January 1937 when Punjab was ruled by Unionists in coalition with Hindus and Sikh Khalsa. Sardar Sikandar Hayat, whom the Raj had appointed as Premier Punjab, supported Shaikh Ghulam Hyder. MBA, contesting on Muslim League platform from eastern districts of Jullundur, Ferozepur, Hoshiarpur, Kasur etc., won his seat. For eight years, Malik Barkat Ali represented the Muslim League alone in Punjab Legislature, because Raja Ghazanfar defected after elections. He actively supported the Punjab Muslim Students Federation, presiding over its first meeting on September 29, 1937 and again in November 1937.
MBA was again elected unanimously in 1945-46 general elections. On 29 April 1936, Muhammad Ali Jinnah came to Lahore for organizing Punjab Provincial Muslim League. Mian Fazal-e-Hussain declined to support the Quaid. Jinnah met Allama Iqbal on 1 May, who assured full support for forthcoming elections. On 12 May 1936, Iqbal was elected President, Malik Barkat Ali and Khalifa Shujauddin Vice Presidents, Ghulam Rasool Secretary and Asdhiq Batalvi Joint Secretary. On 21 May 1936, Quaid announced a 56-member All India Muslim League Central Parliamentary Committee including 11 from Punjab, among them Allama Iqbal and Malik Barkat Ali.
MBA was associated with AIML soon after its foundation at Dacca on December 30, 1906. The Constitution was prepared by mid-1907 and approved at Karachi on 29-30 December under Adamji Peerbhai. AIML was formally formed at Aligarh on 18-19 March 1908 under Mian Shah Din. The first formal meeting was held at Amritsar on 30-31 December 1908 under Ali Imam. The Lucknow Pact was a landmark where a 71-member committee was formed and MBA along with Maulana Zafar Ali Khan, Ghulam Mohyuddin Qasuri and others was included. The first meeting was held at Lucknow on 21 August 1916 attended by the Quaid.
Malik Barkat Ali participated in Muslim League sessions at Bombay, Aligarh and Delhi in 1924, 1925 and 1926. Allama Iqbal in his Allahabad address (December 1930) declared that Muslims of NW India should form a separate state of Punjab, Sindh, Frontier and Balochistan. MBA was appointed among select members to draft the 1940 Lahore Resolution. On 22 March 1940, MAJ referred to Lala Rajpat Rai’s letter to C.R. Das stating Hindus and Muslims were two separate nations.
It is tragic that MAJ’s personal letters and documents, entrusted to Syed Shamsul Hassan for publication 20 years after his death, were destroyed when the Muslim League Office in Karachi was sealed in 1958. These papers were dumped without care and later retrieved in 1966. This record should have been preserved, as it reflected the freedom struggle. History of a freedom movement must never be distorted.
—The writer is contributing columnist, based in Lahore.
