Chaudhry Rehmat Ali death anniversary on Feb 3

ISLAMABAD: Death anniversary of the author of famous pamphlet "Now or Never; Are We to Live or Perish Forever" will be observed on February 3.

Chaudhry Rehmat Ali was a Pakistani Muslim nationalist who was one of the earliest proponents of the creation of the state of Pakistan. He is credited with creating the name "Pakistan" for a separate Muslim homeland in South Asia and is generally known as the founder of the movement for its creation.

Chaudhry Rehmat Ali was born into a Muslim Gujjar family in the town of Balachaur in Hoshiarpur District of Punjab in India. After graduating from Islamia Madrassa Lahore in 1918, he taught at Aitchison College Lahore before joining Punjab University to study law.

In 1930 he moved to England to join Emmanuel College, Cambridge in 1931. In 1933, he published a pamphlet, Now or Never, coining the word Pakistan for the first time. In 1933, he founded Pakistan National Movement in England. Subsequently, he obtained a BA degree in 1933 and MA in 1940 from the University of Cambridge. In 1943, he was called to the Bar, Middle Temple Inn, London. Until 1947, he continued publishing various booklets about his vision for South Asia.

Chaudhry Rehmat Ali died in February 1951 and was buried at Newmarket Road Cemetery, Cambridge, UK.