PIR OF PAGARO IN OFFICIAL RECORDS(By. Dr.Dur Muhammad Pathan.)
We believe in hypothesis and compile history on the basis oforal and one-sided sources. We are not interested in hunting for more sourcesand applying research methodology. Pir Pagaro and his followers are in positionto afford collection of source material on an outstanding Freedom Fighter-Soreh Badshah. There is need of establishing ‘Pagara Historical ResearchInstitute’ on purely scientific and research methods and esure it to work underany Research Scholars and not to be run by their followers & mureeds. Inthe research methodology, first of all all the source material is to becollected and preserved. This source-material will later on pave way forextensive research on the subject.
While collecting source-material on Sindh History, I came acrossa correspodance between Sindh Governor (H.Dow) and the Viceroy of India (LordLinlithgow) on and about two Pirs of Sindh- Pir of Bharchundi and Pir ofPagaro. The letter has been written by the Sindh Governor on 19th April1941. I am reproducing here to share with my fb friends.
The Governor writes:
1. This letter concerns the Pir of Bharchundi, andwill dispose of item 4 of the outstanding matters mentioned in your letter of 1st April.
2. There is now general agreement on the part of myMinistry, the Chief Secretary and the district officers that the Pir of may besafely released, and I should like to give effect to this with as little delayas possible. The release would would be uncondional, but Pir would be given tounderstand that his influence with his followers is expected to be sufficientto restrain them from grave crimes, and that any recrudescence of the recentdisorders would result in his reincarceration.
3. This release should take place at once becauseof the possiblity that it may very soon become necessary to put the Pir Pagarounder restraint, and it is undesirable to give any pretext for themisrepresentation that a campaign against Pirs in general is being waged. I do not thinkGrahm has referred to the Pir Pagaro, in his fortnightly letters to you, since25th September, an earlier anf fuller reference being in paragraph15 of his letter of 13th July.
4. The murids of the Pir Pagaro are a fanaticalsect known as the HURS, who have a long and sinister history in Sindh. In theearly years of this century it took a regular military expedition to round upthe Hurs from their strongholds in jungles of the Thar Parkar district, andlarge numbers of them were either deported and imprisoned at Visapur in BombayPresidency or kept within stockaded settlements in Sindh; and there has been nolong period during which it has been possible to avoid keeping the Pir undersome measure of restraint either by restricting his movements on tour or byactually keeping him in confinement. This basic cause of the criminal habits ofthe Hurs is their devotion to the Pir; they are constantly beggaring themselvesby giving him their whole property, so that after a visit from the Pir theyhave no other means of livelihood than by theft and violence.
5. The present Pir Pagaro was released from jail on25th November 1936. Grahm (The then Governor,Sindh) was for a longtime unwilling to believe that the complaints associating him with seriouscrimes in Sindh were justified, but he has left me notes which indicate thathis belief in the Pir’s harmlessness was much shaken, and that action mightsoon have to be taken against him. The possition now reached is that theDistrict Magistrates of all neighbouring districts and also the Administraor ofKhairpur State consider that a situation of grave danger is arising; and Ridley(District Magistrate, Sukkur) is preparing a full statement of the case foraction against the Pir.
6. The position of my Ministers is a difficult onebecause of the Pir’s political associations. He is hostile to the Muslim Leaguewho are making use of rival pirs and mullas in their propeganda in thedistricts. The Pir Pagarohas also been recently reported to be bidding forCongress sympathy, even to the extent of taking to the ‘Charkha’ himself, andenjoying its use on his followers. The Home Minister, Sir Ghulam HussainHidayatullah, for whatever reasons- and some not very creditable once arealleged- is his staunch supporter in the cabinet, and the Premier is naturallynot anxious to take action against the enemy of his enemies.
7. For the present, I have contanted myself withindicating to the Home Minister that I expect Ridley’s report to be dealt withexpeditiosly when it is received, and that I should require very strong reasonto be adduced if it were proposed to reject the practically unanimous advice ofso many district officers. I hope the matter will be satisfactorilly solvedwithout my having recourse to my special responsibilities, which I sould not inso grave a matter have any hesitation in invoking should it appear to me to benecessary.
8. I should be gratful to receive your very earlypermission to release the Bharchundi Pir.
Your sicerely,
H.Dow
