NAWAB IFTIKHAR MAMDOT'S RESIDENCE

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NAWAB IFTIKHAR HUSSAIN KHAN MAMDOT
Nawab Iftikhar Hussain Mamdot was born at Lahore in 1906. His father, Sir Shah Nawaz Khan Mamdot was a great political and social figure of the Punjab. The Mamdot family enjoyed great respect amongst the masses because of its popularity, prosperity and national services. After completing his education from Government College, Lahore, Mamdot joined police service at Hyderabad Deccan. But the police services did not suit his temperament and soon he left the job.
At that time, the Unionist Party of Sir Fazal Hussain had the support of all the big landlords of the Punjab and it had also considerable influence in the Council. The Muslim League was not so popular in the province at that time. Nawab lftikhar Hussain Khan Mamdot had a great political foresight and preferred to join the Muslim League. He was of the opinion that it was the Muslim League only which really represented the aspirations of the Muslims of India. His father, Sir Shah Nawaz Khan was a prominent figure of the Punjab and was loyal to the Muslim League from the core of his heart.
In 1937, when Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Au Jinnah and Sir Sikandar Hayat Khan agreed through a pact to include the Muslim Leaguers in the Assembly, the leadership of the Punjab Muslim League was assigned to Iftikhar Hussain\'s father. Iftikhar Hussain Khan supported the cause of the Muslim League and actively participated in its affairs. He became the President of the Punjab Provincial Muslim League in 1942 after the * death of his father. He wished that the Muslim League should be strengthened so that it could compete with the Unionist Party. For this purpose, he worked day and night and organized the Muslim League on sound footings in accordance with the wishes of his leader Quaid-i-Azam. He was a firm believer of party discipline and never took any decision before taking into confidence the members of the party.
Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad AU Jinnah had a great confidence upon Mamdot and believed that he was very sincere and dedicated to the Muslim League. During a fund collection campaign for the Punjab Provincial Muslim League, Nawab Mamdot donated Rs. 5000/- for the purpose.
Nawab Mamdot, while presiding over a conference of the Muslim League ( at Karnal in May 1942, demanded that the Muslims of India should be given their legitimate rights and India be partitioned. He stressed upon ~ the Muslims for unity and demanded loyalty from them for the Muslim League. Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah was so pleased from his Karnal\'s address that he wrote a congratulatory letter to him in which he hoped that \"you will definitely follow your father\'s footprints\". Despite the fact that Malik Khizar Hayat Khan, Chief Minister of the Punjab was not sincere to the Muslim League, Nawab Iftikhar through his dynamic leadership succeeded in strengthening and expanding the Muslim League in the entire province.
Because of the flexibility in the constitution of the Muslim League, most of the prominent Muslims of the Punjab had also acquired the membership of the Unionist Party. Sir Chootoo Ram through his speeches and statements, was trying to attract the workers of the Muslim League towards the Unionist Party. Nawab Iftikhar Hussain Khan was fully aware of the Intrigues and conspiracies of the Unionist Party. He also knew that if a lenient attitude was adopted at this stage, the Unionist Party will succeed in weakening the Muslim League. He informed the Muslims about the pro-British activities of the Unionist Party and in this way did not allow Unionists to succeed in their vicious aims. It was his devotion and loyalty, which strengthened the Muslim League to such an extent that none had the courage to speak against this party in the province.
Nawab Sahib was a straightforward person and opposed those who followed dual policy. Because of the dual policy of some of the Muslim members of the Unionist Party, the image of the Muslim League was being shattered. Nawab Sahib firmly believed that Malik Khizar Hayat Khan was a British\'s stooge and he did not wish to see the Muslim League flourish in the Province.
This was because of his efforts that Malik Khizar Hayat Khan was ousted from the Muslim League in the beginning of 1944. Mamdot was the man who made the Unionist Party totally ineffective in the Punjab. He bitterly cirticised the policies of the Unionist Party and actively participated in the civil disobedience movement for the elimination of the Unionists from the Punjab.
During the provincial elections of February 1946, the hard work and efforts of Nawab Iftikhar Hussain Khan Mamdot brought fruit and the Muslim League was able to capture 79 seats in the province. It was a great victory fo the Muslim League and was a clear proof to the fact that the Muslims of the Punjab had all their sympathies and support for the Muslim League and idea of Pakistan. Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah congratulated Nawab Iftikhar Hussain Khan Mamdot through a telegram at this victorious occasion.
After independence, Nawab Iftikhar Hussain Khan Mamdot remained the Chief Minister of the Punjab upto 1948. He was also a member of the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan till 1 955. He also worked as Governor of Sindh during 1954-55. He died on October 16, 1969.
(Contributed by: Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad.)
To commemorate the Pioneers of Freedom (Series) Pakistan Post Office is issuing a set of three postage stamps of Re. 1/-denomination on August 14, 1992.