Unionist Party (Punjab)

Last updated

The National Unionist Party was a political party based in the Punjab Province during the period of British rule in India. The Unionist Party mainly represented the interests of the landed gentry and landlords of Punjab, which included Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs. The Unionists dominated the political scene in Punjab from World War I to the independence of India and Pakistan (and the partition of the province) in 1947. The party's leaders served as Prime Minister of the Punjab.

Contents

The creed of the Unionist Party emphasized: "Dominion Status and a United Democratic federal constitution for India as a whole". [1]

Organisation

The Unionist Party, a secular party, was formed to represent the interests of Punjab's large feudal classes and gentry. Sir Sikandar Hayat Khan, Sir Fazli Husain, Sir Shahab-ud-Din, Muhammad Hussain Shah and Sir Chhotu Ram were all members of the party. Although a majority of Unionists were Muslims, a large number of Hindus and Sikhs also supported and participated in the Unionist Party.

In contrast with the Indian National Congress and many other political parties of the time, the Unionist Party did not have a mass-based approach. Unlike the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League, the Unionists supported the British Raj and contested elections for the Punjab Legislative Council and the Central Legislative Council at a time when both Congress and the Muslim League had boycotting them. As a result, the Unionist Party dominated the provincial legislature for several years, allowing an elected provincial government to function when other provinces were governed by direct rule.

Punjab government

Sir Sikander Hayat Khan SikanderHayatKhan.jpg
Sir Sikander Hayat Khan

In the 1937 Indian provincial elections, the Unionist Party soundly defeated the Muslim League in Punjab. [2] Unionist Party won 98 seats (out of 175 total), including 78 of the 89 Muslim seats, while the Muslim League won only two. Muslim elements of the Unionists shared many common points with the Muslim League and followed a rather similar policy and agenda for national interests and issues. [3] However, the Unionist Party was virtually an independent political party in the 1920s and 1930s, when the Muslim League was unpopular and divided into feuding factions. The links improved after Muhammad Ali Jinnah became the League's president in the mid-1930s and by October 1937. He was able to convince Sir Sikandar Hayat Khan to come to terms with him via the famous Sikandar-Jinnah Pact. [4] The rule of Unionist leader Sir Sikandar remained undisputed in the Punjab and he remained the Punjab's Premier (Chief Minister) from 1937 to 1942, in alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal despite Jinnah's opposition to both parties. Sir Sikandar thus remained the most popular and influential politician in Punjab during his lifetime, preventing both Jinnah and Sir Muhammad Iqbal from gaining the support of a majority of Punjabi Muslims. In the 1946 elections, the Muslim League won 73 of the 89 Muslim seats in Punjab, while the Unionist Party under Khizar Hayat Tiwana won only 13. Overall, the Muslim League failed to win any non-Muslim seat and fell short of the halfway mark of 88 required to form the government, while the Unionist Party won 19 seats in total and formed a short-lived[ clarification needed ] coalition government [ clarification needed ]with Congress (which had won 51 seats) and the Shiromani Akali Dal (which had won 21).

Decline

After the death of Khan in 1942, the party gradually collapsed.[ citation needed ] Jinnah and his pro-separatist Muslim League demanded of the new leader, Khizar Hayat Khan Tiwana, that the word "Muslim" be incorporated into the party name. Tiwana refused to alienate his Hindu and Sikh supporters, [5] and hence opposed the partition of India. [6] [7] As a result, the pro-separatist Muslim League sought to intimidate Tiwana. [6]

The Muslim League's Direct Action Day campaign brought the downfall of Sir Khizar's ministry, which depended on Congress and Akali support; inter-community relations were effectively destroyed as communal violence against Hindus and Muslims across India claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people. With the partition of India in August 1947 into the two independent dominions of India and Pakistan, Punjab was also partitioned with the Muslim-majority West Punjab becoming part of Pakistan and the Hindu-Sikh majority East Punjab forming part of independent India. The Unionist Party's diverse pan-provincial organisation was destroyed, with some Muslim Unionists integrating themselves into the Muslim League; the party ceased to exist in independent India and Pakistan.

Legacy

In Sindh, a Sind United Party modeled on the lines of the Punjab Unionists and represented similar interests. It became the largest party in the province at the 1937 provincial election.

In 2013, Guar farmers in Rajasthan formed the National Unionist Zamindara Party (or Zamindara Party) to represent their interests. While there is no connection to the historic Punjab Unionists, the new party honours the legacy of Unionist leaders like Sir Chhotu Ram. [8] The party was successful in winning 2 seats in the 2013 state election.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pakistan Movement</span> Movement to establish Pakistan, 1940–1947

The Pakistan Movement was a nationalist and political movement in the first half of the 20th century that aimed for the creation of Pakistan from the Muslim-majority areas of British India. It was connected to the perceived need for self-determination for Muslims under British rule at the time. Muhammad Ali Jinnah, a barrister and politician led this movement after the Lahore Resolution was passed by All-India Muslim League on the 23 March 1940 and Ashraf Ali Thanwi as a religious scholar supported it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khizar Hayat Tiwana</span> Indian politician

Sir Malik Khizar Hayat TiwanaKCSI, OBE was an Indian statesman, landowner, army officer, politician belonging to the Punjab Unionist Party. He served as the prime minister of the Punjab Province of British India between 1942 and 1947. He opposed the Partition of India and the ideology of Muslim League. He was eventually ousted from office by the Muslim League through a civil disobedience campaign, plunging Punjab into communal violence that led to the parition of the province between India and Pakistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikandar Hayat Khan</span> Indian politician and statesman (1892–1942)

Khan Bahadur Captain Sir Sikandar Hayat Khan,, also written Sikandar Hyat-Khan or Sikandar Hyat Khan, was an Indian politician and statesman from the Punjab who served as the Premier of the Punjab, among other positions.

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

Major Shaukat Hayat Khan was an influential politician, military officer, and Pakistan Movement activist who played a major role in the organising of the Muslim League in the British-controlled Punjab.

Raja Ghazanfar Ali Khan Khokhar was an Indian politician and monarch. He was born in Pind Dadan Khan, a town in Jhelum district, British India. He was a leading member of the All India Muslim League and a trusted lieutenant of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, serving in the Interim Government of India of 1946 as a member of the Central Legislative Assembly of India.

Khan Sahib, Qazi Zafar Hussain came from a qadi's family which had, since the 16th century, been prominent among the landed aristocracy of the Soon Valley. He belonged to Awans tribe of ancient repute. He was awarded the title of Khan Sahib by the British Crown. This was a formal title, a compound of khan (leader) and sahib (Lord), which was conferred in Mughal Empire and British India. Although his father, Qazi Mian Muhammad Amjad forbade his descendants to establish Dargah, he was considered Sajjada Nashin by the people of his area. "Sajjada nashins" David Gilmartin asserts, "claimed to be the descendants of the Sufi, 'saints', intermediaries between the Faithful and their God, and this cut against the grain of Islamic orthodoxy ... in kind, of their special religious status, these sajjada nashins had become men of local standing in their own right." However he never claimed to be a Sajjada Nashin. In the Punjab, the sajjada nashin or pir families were not so rich in terms of land as the great land lords of Punjab but these sajjada nashin or pir families exerted great political and religious influence over the people. The British could not administer the area without their help and no political party could win the election without their help.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Punjab Muslim League</span> Branch of the Muslim League in Punjab, Pakistan

When the All-India Muslim League was founded at Dacca, on 30 December 1906 at the occasion of the annual All India Muhammadan Educational Conference, It was participated by the Muslim leaders from Punjab, i.e., Sir Mian Muhammad Shafi, Mian Fazl-i-Hussain, Abdul Aziz, Khawaja Yusuf Shah and Sh. Ghulam Sadiq. Earlier Mian Muhammad Shafi organised a Muslim Association in early 1906, but when the All-India Muslim League was formed, he established its powerful branch in the Punjab of which he became the general secretary. Shah Din was elected as its first president. This branch, organised in November 1907, was known as the Punjab Provincial Muslim League.

Qazi Mazhar Qayyum 'Raees-Azam Naushera', is a Pakistani politician. He came from a qadi's family that had been prominent among the landed aristocracy of the Soon Valley since the 16th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1937 Indian provincial elections</span> Provincial elections held in British India in the winter of 1936-37

Provincial elections were held in British India in the winter of 1936-37 as mandated by the Government of India Act 1935. Elections were held in eleven provinces - Madras, Central Provinces, Bihar, Orissa, the United Provinces, the Bombay Presidency, Assam, the North-West Frontier Province, Bengal, Punjab and Sind.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1947 Rawalpindi massacres</span> 1947 massacres of Sikhs and Hindus in Rawalpindi

The 1947 Rawalpindi massacres refer to widespread violence, massacres, and rapes of Hindus and Sikhs by Muslim mobs in the Rawalpindi Division of the Punjab Province of British India in March 1947. The violence preceded the partition of India and was instigated and perpetrated by the Muslim League National Guards—the militant wing of the Muslim League—as well as local cadres and politicians of the League, demobilised Muslim soldiers, local officials and policemen. It followed the fall of a coalition government of the Punjab Unionists, Indian National Congress and Akali Dal, achieved through a six-week campaign by the Muslim League. The riots left between 2,000 and 7,000 Sikhs and Hindus dead, and set off their mass exodus from Rawalpindi Division. 80,000 Sikhs and Hindus were estimated to have left the Division by the end of April. The incidents were the first instance of partition-related violence in Punjab to show clear manifestations of ethnic cleansing, and marked the beginning of systematic violence against women that accompanied the partition, seeing rampant sexual violence, rape, and forced conversions, with many women committing mass suicides along with their children, and many killed by their male relatives, for fear of abduction and rape. The events are sometimes referred to as the Rape of Rawalpindi.

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

Khan Bahadur Nawab Sir Liaqat Hyat Khan, was an Indian official who served for most of his career as a minister and later Prime Minister of Patiala State, in British India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1946 Indian provincial elections</span> Elections held in British India to elect members of legislative councils of provinces

Provincial elections were held in British India in January 1946 to elect members of the legislative councils of the Indian provinces. The consummation of British rule in India were the 1945/1946 elections. As minor political parties were eliminated, the political scene became restricted to the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League who were more antagonised than ever. The Congress, in a repeat of the 1937 elections, won 90 percent of the general non-Muslim seats while the Muslim League won the majority of Muslim seats (87%) in the provinces. Nevertheless, the All India Muslim League verified its claim to be the sole representative of Muslim India. The election laid the path to Pakistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shiromani Akali Dal</span> Political party in India

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) is a centre-right Sikh-centric state political party in Punjab, India. The party is the second-oldest in India, after Congress, being founded in 1920. Although there are many parties with the description Akali Dal, the party that is recognized as "Shiromani Akali Dal" by the Election Commission of India is the one led by Sukhbir Singh Badal. The party has a moderate Punjabi agenda. On 26 September 2020, they left the NDA over the farm bills.

Tiwana or Tawana is a widespread Punjabi tribe that claims both Rajput and Jat affiliation.

The Tiwana family of Shahpur is a Punjabi Muslim feudal family part of the Tiwana Jats clan They are one of the largest landowning families in the Punjab and have played an influential role in Punjabi politics since the 17th century. Shahpur District was once headed by Council Member Mehr Khan Tiwana in 1862, while his predecessors include Major Ishaq Tiwana, Mr. Razzaq Tiwana, Chief Engineer Mumtaz Tiwana, Aasim Tiwana, Malik Khuda Baksh Tiwana, Malik Ghulam Muhammad Tiwana, Malik Ehsan Ullah Tiwana (MNA) and Ms. Sidra Tiwana. Other notables of Tiwana clan of Shahpur include Khaliq Yar Tiwana, Asim Yar Tiwana, Shokat Tiwana and Shehzadi Omarzadi Tiwana who is also daughter of former Premier of Punjab Sir Khizar Hayat Tiwana, son of General Omar Hayat Tiwana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Opposition to the Partition of India</span> Political viewpoint in South Asian politics

Opposition to the Partition of India was widespread in British India in the 20th century and it continues to remain a talking point in South Asian politics. Those who opposed it often adhered to the doctrine of composite nationalism in the Indian subcontinent. The Hindu, Christian, Anglo-Indian, Parsi and Sikh communities were largely opposed to the Partition of India, as were many Muslims.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1946 Punjab Provincial Assembly election</span> Punjab Assembly Election of 1946

Elections to the Punjab Provincial Assembly were held in January 1946 as part of the 1946 Indian provincial elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1937 Punjab Provincial Assembly election</span> Punjab Assembly Election of 1937

First Provincial assembly election was held in Punjab in the winter of 1936-37 as mandated by the Government of India Act 1935.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Punjab Provincial Assembly (British India)</span> Unicameral legislature of British Punjab (1937-1947)

The British Punjab Provincial Assembly, or simple the Punjab Provincial Assembly was the unicameral elected legislature of British Punjab, a province of the British Raj. Established by the British authorities under Government of India Act 1935, the assembly had executive powers and members directly elected from 175 constituencies by first past the post system.

References

  1. Malhotra, S. L. (1983). Gandhi, Punjab, and the Partition. Publication Bureau, Panjab University. p. 73b.
  2. Chakravarty, Debadutta (2003). Muslim Separatism and the Partition of India. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. ISBN   9788126902385. In Bengal, the Krishak Proja Party of Fazlul Huq and in Punjab, the Unionist Party of Sir Sikander Hyat Khan defeated most of the League candidates.
  3. Prof. Stanley Wolpert, "Jinnah of Pakistan", Karachi:Oxford UP, 1999 reprint, pp. 150-151
  4. Wolpert, p.151
  5. Hardy (1972). The Muslims of British India. CUP Archive. p. 234. ISBN   978-0-521-09783-3.
  6. 1 2 Ahmed, Ishtiaq (27 May 2016). "The dissenters". The Friday Times. Here, not only anti-colonial Muslims were opposed to the Partition – and there were many all over Punjab – but also those who considered the continuation of British rule good for the country – Sir Fazl-e-Hussain, Sir Sikander Hyat and Sir Khizr Hayat Tiwana for instance – were opposed to the Partition. The campaign against Sir Khizr during the Muslim League agitation was most intimidating and the worst type of abuse was hurled at him.
  7. Talbot, Ian (1996). Khizr Tiwana, The Punjab Unionist Party and the Partition of India. Curzon Press. p. 303. Khizr was opposed to the division of India on a religious basis, and especially to suggestions about partitioning Punjab on such a basis. He sincerely believed that Punjabi Muslims had more in common with Punjabi Hindus and Sikhs.
  8. Guar farmers plan own party in Rajasthan

Further reading