Muhammad Yusuf Saraf

Last updated

Justice Muhammad Yusuf Saraf (born 1923) was the Chief Justice of the Azad Kashmir High Court [1] and the author of the voluminous work, Kashmiris Fight for Freedom. He was born in Baramulla in the then princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, but migrated to Pakistan prior to the Partition of India. He started practising law in Mirpur in 1949, rising to the bench in 1969. He served as the Chief Justice of Azad Kashmir from 1975 to 1980.

Contents

Early life

Muhammad Yusuf Saraf was born in Baramulla in 1923. He graduated from St. Joseph's College around 1945. He was the Student Union president and the President of Kashmir Youth Congress, 1943–1945. He was also a secretary for the All-India Students Congress during this period, associated with Sheikh Abdullah's National Conference. [2]

Azad Kashmir movement

In August 1945, Saraf joined the Muslim Conference, which advocated the Jammu and Kashmir's accession to Pakistan. He was appointed as a secretary of the party in 1946. [2]

On 19 July 1947 a convention of the Muslim Conference workers was held at Srinagar, for deciding the party's position on the future of the State. On the previous day, the Working Committee of the party met and passed a resolution asking for the State to remain independent. This is said to have been as per the advice of Muhammad Ali Jinnah. However, Saraf wanted the party to decide in favour of accession to Pakistan. He hastily pencilled a counter-resolution and read it out at the convention, which received overwhelming support from all the younger members of the convention. Consequently, the convention passed a resolution urging the Maharaja to accede to Pakistan. [3] [4]

After the independence of Pakistan in August, Saraf went to Srinagar and met Chaudhary Hamidullah, the acting president of the Muslim Conference. Hamidullah was seeking "sympathetic people" from Punjab and Frontier to attack the state borders in order to draw the State Forces away from Srinagar. In his view, this would give an opportunity for the rebels from Poonch to attack Srinagar itself. Hamidullah asked Saraf to carry a letter to the Frontier chief minister Khan Abdul Qayyum Khan to facilitate such attacks. The Khan, on the other hand, dismissed the proposal as being "foolish". He thought such attacks would give an excuse to India to intervene. He wanted Hamidullah to come in person to discuss the development of a proper plan. Saraf relayed the message to Hamidullah in Srinagar, and then went to stay with a relative in Garhi Habibullah in the N.W.F.P. as he believed a warrant had been issued for his arrest. [5]

While in Garhi Habibullah, Saraf states that he acquired a sizeable quantity of dynamite for the movement. Khurshid Anwar was in the area at that time in connection with organising a tribal invasion of Kashmir. With Anwar's assurance that it would be used for 'the same purpose', Saraf handed over the dynamite to the Khan of Garhi, Muhammad Aslam Khan, which was then presumably used during the tribal invasion. [6]

In October 1947, Saraf went to Rawalpindi, where the Azad Kashmir movement was operating from the Paris Hotel. He was asked to set up a publicity office for the movement in Lahore, which he did, with the assistance of Mirza Basheer-ud-Din Mahmood Ahmad, the head of Ahmadiyya sect, Faiz Ahmed Faiz and other notables of Lahore. The Divisional Commissioner of Lahore, Inamur Rahim, also extended his help. [7] When the Provisional Government of Azad Kashmir was set up on 24 October 1947, Saraf supported it. [8]

Saraf received an L.L.B. degree from Aligarh in 1948. He started law practice in Mirpur in 1949. He continued to be involved with the Azad Kashmir affairs, serving on the Electoral Rolls and Polling Sub-Committee set up by the Government of Pakistan, the Azad Kashmir Radio Advisory Committee and the Azad Kashmir Administration Advisory Committee, etc. [2]

In 1969, Saraf was appointed as a judge of the Mirpur Court. He served on the Azad Kashmir Laws Adaptation and Scrutiny Committee and the Azad Kashmir Islamic Laws Committee and the Azad Kashmir Law Commission. [2]

In 1975, Saraf was appointed as the Chief Justice of the Azad Kashmir High Court, serving in this post till 1980. [9]

Works

Reception

The volumes received favourable reviews in the Pakistani press. The U. S. Ambassador to Pakistan, Arthur W. Hummel remarked that it appeared to be "a monumental work, representing much research and scholarship". [10] Being a voluminous piece of work covering a long period of history, the volumes are often cited by scholars, such as Victoria Schofield and Christopher Snedden, for historical information. [11] [12] However, Brian Cloughly in A History of the Pakistan Army, said that it is not an unbiased piece of work. Lord Mountbatten is said to have characterised it as 'an exercise in aspersion and innuendo'. [13] Azad Kashmiri journalist Khalid Hasan, who co-edited Memory Lane to Jammu, which included excerpts from Saraf's book, has stated that it is an unsatisfactory account with a "gung-ho, super-patriotic tone", lacking in objectivity. [14]

Death and legacy

Justice Saraf died sometime prior to 1996. [15]

The Sultana Foundation has established a Justice Yusaf Saraf Centre for Research, Rehabilitation & Mainstreaming of Street Children in his honour. [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Azad Kashmir</span> Region administered by Pakistan

Azad Jammu and Kashmir, abbreviated as AJK and colloquially referred to as simply Azad Kashmir, is a region administered by Pakistan as a nominally self-governing entity and constituting the western portion of the larger Kashmir region, which has been the subject of a dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947. Azad Kashmir also shares borders with the Pakistani provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to the south and west, respectively. On its eastern side, Azad Kashmir is separated from the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir by the Line of Control (LoC), which serves as the de facto border between the Indian- and Pakistani-controlled parts of Kashmir. Geographically, it covers a total area of 13,297 km2 (5,134 sq mi) and has a total population of 4,045,366 as per the 2017 national census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mirpur, Azad Kashmir</span> City in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan

Mirpur, officially known as New Mirpur City, is the capital of Mirpur district located in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. It is the second largest city of Azad Kashmir and 74th largest city in Pakistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mian Iftikharuddin</span> Pakistani politician

Mian Iftikharuddin was a Pakistani politician, activist of the Indian National Congress, who later joined the All-India Muslim League and worked for the cause of Pakistan under the leadership of Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

The following is a timeline of the Kashmir conflict, a territorial conflict between India, Pakistan and, to a lesser degree, China. India and Pakistan have been involved in four wars and several border skirmishes over the issue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khurshid Hasan Khurshid</span> Secretary of Governor-General of Pakistan

Khurshid Hasan Khurshid (Urdu: خورشید حسن خورشید) pronounced [xu:r'ʃi:d ɦəsəɳ xu:r'ʃi:d], popularly known by his acronym, K. H. Khurshid, was the Private Secretary of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the first Governor-General of Pakistan. He served Jinnah from 1944 until his death in 1948. Khurshid was the first elected President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir from 1959 to 1964. He was also the instigator of the Constitution of Azad Kashmir.

The Khakha is a Muslim Rajput tribe native to the Muzaffarabad district of Azad Kashmir, Pakistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sardar Ibrahim Khan</span> Kashmiri revolutionary leader and politician

Sardar Muhammad Ibrahim Khan was a Kashmiri revolutionary leader and politician, who led the 1947 Poonch Rebellion against absolute rule of the Maharaja in the state of Jammu and Kashmir and played a key role in the 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bhimber</span> Place in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan

Bhimber is a town and the headquarters of an eponymous district in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. The town and district are between the Jammu region of Indian-administered Kashmir and Pakistan proper, about 47 km (29 mi) by road southeast of Mirpur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Joseph's Higher Secondary School, Baramulla</span> Missionary school in Baramulla, J&K, India

St. Joseph's Higher Secondary School Baramulla is a private school located in Baramulla, Jammu and Kashmir, India. The school has been upgraded to the status of a higher secondary school and has also started online education, the first in the Kashmir valley. St. Josephs School is located in the city of Baramulla. It has around 4,000 students and over 125 staff members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mohammed Zaman Kiani</span>

Major General Mohammed Zaman Kiani was an officer of the British Indian Army who later joined the Indian National Army (INA), led by Subhas Chandra Bose, and commanded its 1st Division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference</span> Political party in Pakistan

The All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference (Urdu: آل جموں و کشمیر مسلم کانفرنس) also shortly referred as Muslim Conference (MC) is a political party in Pakistan administered territory of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The party was founded by Chaudhry Ghulam Abbas in the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir as a splinter group of the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khan Muhammad Khan</span>

Colonel Khan Muhammad Khan was a prominent Sudhan soldier and politician in Poonch, serving in the Legislative Assembly of the princely state of Jammu & Kashmir until 1947. Later he served as the Chairman of the War Council during the 1947 Poonch Rebellion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amanullah Khan (JKLF)</span> Kashmiri separatist, founder of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front

Amanullah Khan was the founder of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), a Kashmiri militant activist group that advocates independence for the entire Kashmir region. Khan's JKLF initiated the ongoing armed insurgency in Indian-administered Kashmir with backing from Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence, which lasted until Pakistan dropped its support of secular Kashmiri separatists in favour of pro-Pakistan Islamist groups, such as the Hizbul Mujahideen. In 1994, the JKLF in the Kashmir Valley, under the leadership of Yasin Malik, renounced militancy in favour of a political struggle. Amanullah Khan disagreed with the strategy, causing a split in the JKLF.

Azad Pattan, previously Lachman Pattan, is a village near Palandri in the Sudhanoti District of Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. It is located on border of Punjab and Azad Kashmir on bank of Guoien stream.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1947 Jammu massacres</span> Genocidal massacres in Jammu

After the Partition of India, during October–November 1947 in the Jammu region of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, many Muslims were massacred and others driven away to West Punjab. The killings were carried out by extremist Hindus and Sikhs, aided and abetted by the forces of Maharaja Hari Singh. The activists of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) played a key role in planning and executing the riots. An estimated 20,000–100,000 Muslims were massacred. Subsequently, many non-Muslims were massacred by Pakistani tribesmen, in the Mirpur region of today's Pakistani administered Kashmir, and also in the Rajouri area of Jammu division.

Khurshid Anwar was an activist of All-India Muslim League, heading its private militia, the Muslim League National Guard. Described as a "shadowy figure" and "complete adventurer", he is generally addressed as a "Major" in Pakistani sources. He was a key figure in the rise of the Muslim League during 1946–47, organising its campaigns in Punjab and North-West Frontier Province, prior to India's partition. After the independence of Pakistan, he was instrumental in organising the tribal invasion of Kashmir, leading to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1947 Poonch rebellion</span> Political rebellion in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948

In spring 1947, an uprising against the Maharaja Hari Singh of Jammu and Kashmir broke out in the Poonch jagir, an area bordering the Rawalpindi district of West Punjab and the Hazara district of the North-West Frontier Province in the future Pakistan. The leader of the rebellion, Sardar Muhammad Ibrahim Khan, escaped to Lahore by the end of August 1947 and persuaded the Pakistani authorities to back the rebellion. In addition to the backing, Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan authorised an invasion of the state, by the ex-Indian National Army personnel in the south and a force led by Major Khurshid Anwar in the north. These invasions eventually led to the First Kashmir War fought between India and Pakistan, and the formation of Pakistan administered Kashmir. The Poonch jagir has since been divided across Azad Kashmir, administered by Pakistan and the state of Jammu and Kashmir, administered by India.

The following is a timeline of the Kashmir conflict during the period 1846–1946.

Mirwaiz Muhammad Yusuf Shah was a religious leader and politician in the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir during the British Raj. He served as the Imam of the Jama Masjid in Srinagar, a position that is also known as the "Mirwaiz of Kashmir". He relegated the majority of his political career to opposing the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference of Sheikh Abdullah, including siding with Pakistan during the First Kashmir War. He moved to Azad Kashmir and eventually served as the president of Azad Kashmir.

The first election for a legislative assembly called Praja Sabha was held in 1934 in the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir in the British Indian Empire. The Praja Sabha was to have 75 members, of which 12 would be officials, 33 elected members and 30 nominated members. The election was held on 3 September 1934. The All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference under the leadership of Sheikh Abdullah was the largest elected party with 16 seats won. A 'Liberal Group' championed by the Dogra Sadar Sabha had the overall majority in the Assembly with 24 members.

References

  1. ↑ Schofield, Victoria (2003) [First published in 2000], Kashmir in Conflict, London and New York: I. B. Taurus & Co, p. 281, ISBN   1860648983
  2. 1 2 3 4 Saraf, Kashmiris Fight for Freedom, Volume 2 (2015), author's biography on the back cover.
  3. ↑ Copland, Ian (1991), "The Abdullah Factor: Kashmiri Muslims and the Crisis of 1947", in D. A. Low (ed.), Political Inheritance of Pakistan, Palgrave Macmillan UK, pp. 239–240, ISBN   978-1-349-11556-3
  4. ↑ Saraf, Kashmiris Fight for Freedom, Volume 2 (2015), pp. 9–12.
  5. ↑ Saraf, Kashmiris Fight for Freedom, Volume 2 (2015), p. 85.
  6. ↑ Saraf, Kashmiris Fight for Freedom, Volume 2 (2015), p. 174.
  7. ↑ Saraf, Kashmiris Fight for Freedom, Volume 2 (2015), p. 544.
  8. ↑ Saraf, Kashmiris Fight for Freedom, Volume 2 (2015), p. 547.
  9. ↑ Former Hona’ble Chief Justices of The High Court Archived 18 April 2017 at the Wayback Machine , Azad Kashmir High Court, retrieved 27 May 2017.
  10. ↑ Saraf, Kashmiris Fight for Freedom, Volume 2 (2015), front cover.
  11. ↑ Schofield, Victoria (2003) [First published in 2000], Kashmir in Conflict, London and New York: I. B. Taurus & Co, ISBN   1860648983
  12. ↑ Snedden, Christopher (2013) [first published as The Untold Story of the People of Azad Kashmir, 2012], Kashmir: The Unwritten History, HarperCollins India, ISBN   978-9350298985
  13. ↑ Cloughley, Brian (2016), A History of the Pakistan Army: Wars and Insurrections, Skyhorse Publishing Company, Incorporated, Chapter 1, footnote 13, ISBN   978-1-63144-039-7
  14. ↑ Hasan, Khalid (2013) [2007], "Mirpur 1947 – The Untold Story", in Gupta, Bal K. (ed.), Forgotten Atrocities: Memoirs of a Survivor of the 1947 Partition of India, Lulu.com, pp. 141–144, ISBN   978-1-257-91419-7
  15. ↑ Rad, Rehmatullah; Hasan, Khalid (2004), Memory Lane to Jammu, Sang-e-Meel Publications, p. 197, ISBN   978-969-35-1572-5
  16. ↑ Justice Yusaf Saraf Centre for Research, Rehabilitation & Mainstreaming of Street Children, Sultana Foundation, retrieved 27 May 2017.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.