Today is the death anniversary of Shaheed Allah Buksh Soomro. He was born in 1900 in Shikarpur and went to school at Hopeful Academy Shikarpur. He matriculated in 1918. At the young age of 23 he was elected to Jacobabad Municipal Committee and Sukkur District Local Board. Later in 1931 he became Chairman of Sukkur District Local Board and in 1931 he organised a conference of District Local Board Presidents of Sindh, at Jacobabad, to seek more power and money for District Local Boards.
From 1926 to 1936 Allah Buksh represented upper Sindh in Bombay Legislative Council up to the separation of the province from Bombay and helped initiate the huge Sukkur barrage project which brought about an agricultural revolution in Sindh.
The Government of India Act 1935 introduced provincial autonomy and separated Sindh from Bombay. Sir Shah Nawaz Bhutto, Sir Abdullah Haroon and Khan Bahadur Allah Buksh formed the Ittehad (Unity) Party to contest the elections to the Sindh Assembly. The Party won 24 of the 35 Muslim seats in a House of 60. The Governor invited Sir Ghulam Hussain Hidayatulla, though he had the support of only five members to form the Government.
However, early in 1938, the Government fell and the Ittehad Party leader, Allah Buksh Soomro at the early age of 38 became Premier of Sindh. His cabinet ministers drew low salaries and he withdrew the magisterial powers from the Waderas. Nominations to Local Bodies were ended.
He lifted the externment orders on Obaidullah Sindhi (1872-1944), a leading revolutionary in exile in Saudi Arabia. His ministry lasted less than two years but the very next year Allah Buksh returned to office. Then followed the two golden years of Allah Buksh's leadership.
Allah Buksh became famous for his simplicity, honesty and efforts to improve the lives of the people of the province. He habitually wore khadi and never used official flag on his car. He saved the city of Shikarpur by diverting the flood waters to his cultivated agricultural lands. When the All India Azad Muslim Conference was called at Delhi in 1940, they chose him as its first President.
Allah Buksh was awarded the title of Khan Bahadur. As Prime Minister, the Viceroy nominated him to the Defence Council of 30 and made him an O.B.E. (Order of British Empire).
In September 1942, he resigned from the Defence Council and relinquished his titles to protest against the British policies.
His letter to Viceroy stated that his action was against the forcible entry of India into the World War II, the repression of Indian freedom movement, the policy of government in engineering communal clashes and British policy of "divide and rule". This led to his removal from office by British Governor declaring that he no longer had confidence in him - the assembly's confidence not withstanding on 10th October 1942.
Allah Buksh was assassinated by four assailants in Shikarpur at 9:00am on 14th May 1943, while travelling in a tonga with Wadero Nabibux Khan and Ghulam Rasul Jhulan.
As a mark of respect, the government offices, schools, markets were closed throughout Sindh and the Union Jack flew at half mast
A great statesman of principles, integrity, a proponent of non-communal politics and freedom fighter against imperialism and fascism was removed from this world.
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