Agha Shaukat Ali

Agha Shaukat Ali (1920-2013) was a Kashmiri Civil Servant, Politician, later Pakistani Civil Servant, Writer and Diplomat.He was an independent thinker, a visionary in political thought, and had an acute-insight and enthusiasm for global affairs that was par excellence^{[1][2] [3][4][5]}

Early Life and History

Agha Shaukat Ali was born in 1920 in Srinagar Kashmir. His eldest brother was Agha Nasir Ali and his youngest Agha Ashraf Ali. Shaukat's mother Begum Zafar Ali, an educationist and legislator, was the first Woman Matriculate of Kashmir.^[1][6] Shaukat's maternal Grandfather Khan Bahadur Aga Syed Hussain, then Governor and later Home and Judicial Minister in Maharaja Rule was the first matriculate of Kashmir.

Education and Career

Agha Shaukat Ali’s personal life was intertwined with significant cornerstones of History. Brought up in a feudalistic setting, Shaukat Ali was educated at the Mission School,at Fateh Kadal, (later the Biscoe School) in Srinagar.He passed his matriculation in 1936. He graduated in Arts from Sri Pratap Singh College, famously known as SP College Srinagar. He attended the prestigious Aligarh University in 1930’s for LLB. He later married Mussarat Nizamuddin of the famous Nizamuddins of Pakistan after first viewing her likeness in a local newspaper. The newlyweds lived in Kashmir where Agha Shaukat Ali joined the Kashmir Civil Services. Shaukat's brother Agha Nasir Ali was the first Kashmiri to enter the civil services through competition and was already serving as Wazir-e-Wazarat.^[2][3]

During the end of British colonial rule in India, Agha Shaukat Ali joined the Kashmir Muslim Conference as its General Secretay ,after resigning from the Civil services as a Tehsildar in 1946 at the request of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the Founder of Pakistan. Agha Shaukat Ali played an important role in the changing Politics of Jammu and Kashmir from 1946-48.^[2][3] He became the General Secretary of Muslim Conference and was instrumental in promoting the policies of Jinnah in Kashmir. Most notably Agha Shaukat Ali held a public gathering in defiance of prevailing prohibitions at that time, and was imprisoned along with Choudhary Ghulam Abbas on the orders of the then Prime Minister Ram Chander Kak, for political reasons from 1947-1948. In Prison Agha Shaukat was treated very badly by the Ikhlaqis. When Pakistan was founded in 1947, Agha Shaukat’s release from prison was brokered by the United Nations.^[2][3] He was released as a part of an exchange of political prisoners between India and Pakistan. He was exchanged for Brigadier Ghansara Singh,( Governor of Gilgit ) who had been arrested by the Muslim forces of Pakistan in Gilgit. Leaving his Mother Begum Zafar Ali^[7] and brothers in Kashmir, Agha Shaukat moved to Pakistan with his Wife. After the death of Muhammad Ali Jinnah , Agha Shaukat Ali was expelled from Muslim Conference. Shaukat being Jinnah's favourite, it was only because of Jinnah that Agha Shaukat was welcomed. Later Agha Shaukat was given various assignments in the Central Services of Pakistan.^[8] In that capacity he also served as the Information Secretary to the President of Pakistan Ayub Khan. Agha Shaukat attended the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University as a Fulbright Scholar. He enjoyed his time in the United States in the 1950’s and returned to his alma mater on many occasions. Agha Shaukat was given various Diplomatic assignments in that capacity. He served in various missions including one in London.^[2][3] Always with passion and zeal for international affairs, Agha Shaukat’s observations were astute and insightful. He authored the book "The Modernization of Soviet central Asia" and was invited by the government of china to share his predictions regarding the implications of lifting the Red curtain in 1979. He founded the Iqbal-Shariati Foundation in Lahore which funded the translation and publication of the works of Sir Muhammad Iqbal and Ali Shariati, two poet-philosophers whom he greatly admired. He loved Kashmir his Homeland. It is said Agha Shaukat had been instrumental in providing suggestions with an out of box solution to Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf on Kashmir issue.^[1][2][3][5] Agha Shaukat Ali died on Tuesday, 19 March 2013, in Vienna, Virginia U.S.A.^[9]

Family

Agha Shaukat Ali married Mussarat Nizamuddin who died in 1990s. Agha Shaukat's son Agha Shehryar Ali predeceased him. Agha Shaukat is survived by 3 children. One Son- Agha Azhar Ali and two daughters- Tehmina Khan and Rabia Ali. All residing in U.S.A.^[1]

References