Hurs - History of The Hur Movement

History of The Hur Movement

During the British rule, Pir Pagaro declared his community "Hur" (free from British slavery). The British tried to crush the uprising and that started an armed resistance by Hurs. Ultimately the British passed the infamous law "Hur Act" where the entire Hur community was declared criminals and were ordered to be shot to death on sight. The Hurs were not above committing occasional terrorist acts, such as causing the derailment of the Lahore Mail train in 1942, which resulted in the death of 22 people, none of whom was British.

The Hurs cannot be said to have been defeated as they continued their struggle even after the hanging of the Pir Sahib, right up to the time of the independence of Pakistan, Pakistan having acquired the status of an independent country. The British were forced by Hurs and a number of other movements to leave the 'Jewel in the British Crown'. Pir Pagaro Sayyed Sibghatullah Shah was hanged on March 20, 1943 and the British left Pakistan in four years' time on 14th of August 1947. Long after the end of British rule, Pir Pagaro's two sons, who were in British custody in England, were released and came back to lead their community. Sindh was a province in the newly independent Pakistan. The sons of Sibghatullah Shah Shaheed were brought to Pakistan in December 1951 after long negotiations. The elder son, Pir Sikandar Shah, Shah Mardan Shah, became the new Pir in February 1952. Shah Mardan Shah II died on 10th January 2012 in london due to Pnuemunia. On 12 January 2012, Pir Sibghatullah Shah Rashidi, commonly known as Raja Saein, was elected as the 8th Pir Pagara at a meeting of the Caliphs of Hur Community.