Mian Kifait Ali


Major Mian Kifait Ali was a pioneer of the Pakistan movement, his masterpiece book "Confederacy of India" published in 1939, under the pen name "A Punjabi" was the first to deal with political, economic and administrative aspects of Pakistan.
He was amongst the first to respond to the call of Pakistan sounded by Muhammad Iqbal in 1930 has described this book as "the most comprehensive and far reaching scheme aimed at furthering and elaborating the idea of Pakistan. Waheed uz-Zaman wrote in his book, "Pakistan", Lahore, 1964, P. 168, "The book was taken into consideration by the Muslim league, while preparing the Lahore resolution and the fact the solution proposed in the confederacy of India" differed but little from the proposed by the Muslim League in March 1940. The venear of a Confederacy, which was the main theme of his scheme, could anytime be set aside and the remainder would have precisely... Pakistan. So scholarly and so cogent was his reasoning that men like Dr.Rajendra Prasad felt compelled to join issues with him in his books,. The book was reviewed in leading newspapers and journals. Comparatively more scholarly appraisal was in the Tarjaman-ul-Quran of Maulana Abul Ala Maududi. According to Mian Kifait Ali "The idea was suggested to me by the late Choudhary Rahmat Ali's writings and I developmed it to an extent to which no one had done earlier ". Ali also stated that originally it was proposed to publish the book under the title of "Pakistan" a typed manuscript which bore this page title was sent to the press. Soon after he received a telegraphic message from the Muhammad Ali Jinnah that book should not appear under the pen name of "Pakistan". It was to comply with the Quaid's directive he prepared a federal scheme and was incorporated in the introduction of the book. Thus the book was titled as "Confederacy of India".. Famous independence-era personalities such as Abul Ala Maududi, Chaudhry Muhammad Ali, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Vengalil Krishnan Krishna Menon, and Sardar V. Patel took issue with him. He responded in several pamphlets.

Life

Mian Kifait Ali was born the 1902 in a middle class Rajput family of Batala, district Gurdaspur, now in East Punjab. After taking his B.A, degree from the Islamia College, Lahore, he joined Law College in the same city, but soon compelled to give up his legal studies by the death of his father who was a tehsildar in the Punjab. He secured a subordinate appointment in the office of the Punjab Legislative Council, his meager earnings were distributed among publishing his manuscripts, books, gazettes, which were distributed free of cost throughout India and also the enormous burden of raising, educating his eight orphaned brothers and sisters left behind by his father. He had an inquisitive and creative mind, but was handicapped by his family responsibilities from entering the practical political field, and therefore decided to project his views through his pen. During these hard times he wrote The Confederacy of India and other work of same kind. He was influenced by the ideas of Iqbal, the debates of Punjab legislative council, his close association with his colleague Hari Chand Akhttar and Sir, Fazil-Hussain. In 1940 he joined the inter-services, Public Relation directorate at the military headquarters in New Dheli as a commissioned officer. Mian Sahib started his writing career by publishing a book "Hindustan Aur Deegar Afsanay" consisting of short social stories. From 1936 to 1942 he wrote seven books and pamphlets and contributed number of articles to the New Times of Malik Barkat Ali, and Lahore weekly. Monday Morning also featured some of Ali's work and was edited by Mr. Bedi and Mrs. Freda Bedi jointly regarding the Muslim problems in India and on separation. Ali's first political writing was "Hindustan aur Milliyyat", published from Lahore. This book is a detailed thesis on Nationalism and contains a discussion of the common nationhood of Hindus and Muslims, was published in 1936. His life can be divided into four main periods.
1) 1936 through 1947. During this period he relentlessly worked for the movement of Pakistan and several books and pamphlets. After the creation of Pakistan in 1947, he formed a political party named "Hari Sari Party".
  • 1936 – Hindustan Aur Milidat
  • 1939 – Confederacy of India
  • 1939 – Pakistan
  • 1941 – Pakistan: The Critics case examined
  • 1942 – Separation, Socialism and Islam
  • 1942 – Separation, a Reply to its critics
  • 1942 – Sir Sikandar’s Scheme under searchlight.
  • 1949 – Constitution of Hari Sari Party.
2) After many years Ali again put his pen at the disposal of the political controversy. In 1955, he wrote many pamphlets in English as well as Urdu in the favour of one unit. In other words, the decision to consolidate all areas of West Pakistan. His political struggle during this period was reconciliation between the Lahore Resolution of 1940 and the Delhi Resolution of 1946. He was constantly inquiring as to why these events left ambiguity in the separation process. He predicted the formation of Bangla Desh in 1953.
  • 1955 – A series of five pamphlets in English language, "West Pakistan", "One Unit Scheme", "Pakistan in Retrospect and Prospect", "Consolidation of West Pakistan", and Financial advantage of One Unit"
  • 1955 – A series of two pamphlets in Urdu language, "Mughrabi Pakistan" and "Wahditi Nizam-i-Hkumat".
  • 1956 – "A Review of the States Re-organization Commission 1955"
  • 1956 – "Pakistan's Defense Potential and Security Problems"
  • 1956 – "Political Background of Pakistan and its Provinces"
  • 1964 – "Transfer of an Evacuee Property"
3) 1965 through 1973. In this period he wrote two major pamphlets and several series newspaper articles published in "Nawai-e-Waqat", "Nida-i-Milat", "Pakistan Times", and Civil and Military Gazette".
  • 1967 – "Six Point Formulae X-Rayed".
  • 1971 – "Pakistan vs. Bangla Desh"
4) 1974 through 1985. Mian Sahib took the separation of East Pakistan to his heart and become aloof. During this period he wrote a manuscript for a book in English, which never got published. With the onset of Alzheimer's disease, he produced no further works. Mian Kifiat Ali is but it is a fact that he helped shape Pakistan's backbone. Mian Kifiat Ali is a hero that has been lost Pakistan's history. He died in Delaware, USA and his earthly remains are buried in Lahore, Pakistan.