Mian Kifait Ali - Life

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 thesildar 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 was gifted with an inquisitive and creative mind only handicapped by his family responsibilities to enter the practical political field, therefore he 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 (Urdu language book)
• 1939 - Confederacy of India (English language book)
• 1939 - Pakistan (Urdu language pamphlet)
• 1941 - Pakistan: The Critics case examined (English language pamphlet)
• 1942 - Separation, Socialism and Islam (English language pamphlet)
• 1942 - Separation, a Reply to its critics (English language pamphlet)
• 1942 - Sir Sikandar’s Scheme under searchlight (English language pamphlet).
• 1949 - Constitution of Hari Sari Party (Urdu and English language pamphlet).

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 favor of one unit. In other words the decision to consolidate all areas of West Pakistan. His political struggle during this period was reconciliation (or lack thereof) 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 (India) 1955” (English language pamphlet)
• 1956 – “Pakistan’s Defense Potential and Security Problems” (English language pamphlet)
• 1956 – “Political Background of Pakistan and its Provinces” (English language pamphlet)
• 1964 – “Transfer of an Evacuee Property” (English language pamphlet)

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”. (English language pamphlet, also published in Bengali)
• 1971 – “Pakistan vs. Bangla Desh” (English language pamphlet)

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.