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Jhirk (Jerruck) | |
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Town | |
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| Coordinates: 25°3′15.48″N86°15′19.44″E / 25.0543000°N 86.2554000°E | |
| Country | Pakistan |
| Province | Sindh |
| District | Thatta |
| Time zone | UTC+5 (PKT) |
Jhirk, also spelled as Jerruck, [1] is a small town on the right bank of the Indus River in the Thatta district of the province of Sindh, Pakistan.
In the 19th century, Jhirk was the busiest river port and center of commercial activity in Sindh. It also served as the headquarters of the Indus Flotilla, which was the most advanced navigational system of its time. Karachi Port was connected to Jhirk. The headquarters of the Indus Flotilla was initially in Jhirk, near Kotri, before relocating to Mithankot in Rajanpur district and later to Makhad in Attock. This section of the Indus Flotilla was known by both the Punjab Flotilla and the Indus Flotilla names. The British Indus Flotilla of steamboats, which once navigated the Indus River, is described by Shaw (1998). Hassan Ali Effendi, the renowned educationist who played a key role in establishing Sindh Madrasatul Islam, worked with the Indus Flotilla in his early years while learning English. Quaid-i-Azam was one of his students at the Sindh Madrasatul Islam in Karachi. The Indus River was a crucial communication route between Karachi and Jhirk, which was a significant river port near Kotri. The Indus Flotilla used large quantities of firewood to fuel its steamboats, and Hassan Ali Effendi kept track of the wood and steamboat operations.
Due to its commercial significance, Aga Khan I constructed his palace in Jhirk. Jhirk also boasts one of the oldest British-era schools in Sindh, which is 15 years older than Karachi's Sindh Madrasatul Islam and is still operational.
British Captain April, a spy for the British crown in the 1800s, described Jhirk’s majesty and climate. Stationed there from 1832 to 1839, he noted that Jhirk was a prominent city with a bazaar of 200 shops, where goods were available at lower prices than in Karachi.
Aga Khan I migrated from Iran to Herat after the First Afghan War of 1839, when the British were in Herat. Following the British defeat by Dost Mohammed of Afghanistan, he settled in Jhirk in 1843 under British protection. Aga Khan I constructed his mahal or palace, which remains well-preserved. He and his followers, who numbered at least one thousand, along with some British personnel assigned to protect him, settled in Jhirk.
Sir Charles Napier initially established Jhirk as the headquarters for the British Army in Sindh when he arrived in the region, which was part of the Bombay Presidency at that time.
The grandfather of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the first leader of Pakistan, came to Jhirk for Aga Khan I’s Deedar. He settled in Jhirk for the remainder of his life and is buried there, with his grave still accessible. His eldest son, Jinnahbhai Poonja, who was Muhammad Ali Jinnah's father, married Sheeren Bai, the daughter of Moosa Jumo, in 1874. Sheeren Bai had also migrated with Aga Khan I.
There is a belief that Muhammad Ali Jinnah was born in Jhirk, though most historians and biographers adhere to the official account. [2] A maternity home built by the Agha Khan community was described by the Archaeology Department as the official birthplace of Quaid-e-Azam. A blue plaque with this information was displayed by the Department for over two decades after the partition.
Muhammad Ali Jinnah was admitted to the town's primary school, established in 1870. The school's General Register is missing. Until 1962, Jhirk was listed as Jinnah's birthplace in the curriculum taught in Pakistan. The designation was then changed to Wazir Mansion in Karachi, which became recognized as Quaid-i-Azam's birthplace, leading to renewed controversy over his true birthplace.
A Buddhist stupa on the opposite side of the Indus River reflects the historical significance of the area.
Jhirk's current situation is critical, with very few sources of income available. The population relies heavily on special aid and government grants. Due to the lack of water in the Kotri River, most residents live below the poverty line, leading to widespread abandonment of the area. Fishing and farming resources have been exhausted. Many graduates and young people from the Mallah fishing community either sell brambles or subsist on minimal rural incomes.
Ghulam Ali Allana known as G. Allana was a friend and biographer of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan. Mr. Allana entered politics at an early age and played an active part in the Pakistan movement. After Partition, he was instrumental in forming the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry. He was a member of the West Pakistan Legislative Assembly, besides being the mayor of Karachi. Internationally, Mr. Allana represented Pakistan at over 100 conferences, served on the governing body of the International Labour Organisation, and the president of the International Organisation of Employers, Brussels. At the United Nations he led a number of peace and diplomatic initiatives/working groups and went on to become chairman of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in 1975. For his contributions he was awarded the United Nations peace medal and was also a nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1977. He was also an English-language Pakistani poet and a counselor and friend to Fatima Jinnah, Muhammad Ali Jinnah's sister.
Wazir Mansion, officially known as Quaid-e-Azam Birthplace Museum is a former family home in the Kharadar district South at Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan which is considered the birthplace of the country's founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
Sindh Madressatul Islam University is a university in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Founded in 1885, it is one of the oldest educational institutions in South Asia.
Fatima Jinnah was a Pakistani politician, stateswoman, author, and activist. She was the younger sister of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder and first Governor-General of Pakistan. She served as the Leader of the Opposition of Pakistan from 1960 until her death in 1967.
Mazar-e-Quaid, also known as Jinnah Mausoleum or the National Mausoleum, is the final resting place of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan. Designed in a 1960s modernist style, it was completed in 1971, and is an iconic symbol of Karachi as well as one of the most popular tourist sites in the city. The mausoleum complex also contains the tomb of Jinnah's sister, Māder-e Millat Fatima Jinnah, as well as those of Liaquat Ali Khan and Nurul Amin, the first and eighth Prime Ministers of Pakistan respectively. The tomb of Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar, a stalwart of the Muslim League from Peshawar, is also located there.
Events from the year 1947 in Pakistan.
Pir Ilahi Bux or Pir Ilahi Buksh was a Pakistani politician and activist who was a prominent member of the Pakistan Movement and served as the Chief Minister of Sindh from 1948 to 1949.
Rail transport in Pakistan began in 1855 during the British Raj, when several railway companies began laying track and operating in present-day Pakistan. The country's rail system has been nationalised as Pakistan Railways. The system was originally a patchwork of local rail lines operated by small private companies, including the Scinde, Punjab and Delhi Railways and the Indus Steam Flotilla. In 1870, the four companies were amalgamated as the Scinde, Punjab & Delhi Railway. Several other rail lines were built shortly thereafter, including the Sind–Sagar and Trans–Baluchistan Railways and the Sind–Pishin, Indus Valley, Punjab Northern and Kandahar State Railways. These six companies and the Scinde, Punjab & Delhi Railway merged to form the North Western State Railway in 1880. Following the independence of Pakistan in 1947, the North Western Railway became Pakistan Western Railway and the rail system was reorganised in the dominion of Pakistan; some of the reorganisation was controversial. Rail use increased in early 1948, and the network became profitable. Declining passenger numbers and financial losses in the late 1980s and early 1990s prompted the closure of many branch lines and small stations. The 1990s saw corporate mismanagement and severe cuts in rail subsidies. Due to falling passenger numbers, government subsidies are necessary to keep the railways financially viable.
Muhammad Yusuf Abdullah Haroon was a Pakistani businessman and politician who served as the 5th Governor of West Pakistan and 3rd Chief Minister of Sindh.
The Quaid-e-Azam House, also known as Flagstaff House, is a house museum dedicated to the personal life of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan. Located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan, it was designed by British architect Moses Somake.
Hassan Ali Effendi was an educationist in South Asia who is credited as the founder of one of the first Muslim schools in British India: the Sindh Madrasatul Islam, located in Karachi in modern-day Pakistan.
The Jinnah family was a political family of Pakistan. It has played an important role in the Pakistan Movement for creation of Pakistan, a separate country for Muslims of India. The family held the leadership of All-India Muslim League, and its successor, Muslim League, until it was dissolved in 1958 by martial law.
Ghulam Muhammad Khan Bhurgri (Barrister),(1878-1924) was a Sindhi statesman.
Emibai Jinnah (1878–1893) was the first wife of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan, from 1892 until her death in 1893.
Sharif al Mujahid was a Pakistani journalist, historian, author, and professor.
