KARACHI: The book launching ceremony of Defying Colonial State Power: the Court Martial Execution of Pir Sibghatullah Shah (Soreh Badshah) by former bureaucrat Aftab Nabi at the Karachi Press Club on Saturday, had experts bring up the Hur resistance, a part of history from colonial times that has been buried deliberately.

Lutaf A. Mangrio, the compiler and editor of the slim 78-page collection of articles published in Dawn over the years, said that the Hur Movement is a rich part of untapped subcontinental history that deserves research.

For the purpose they have founded the Soreh Badshah Study Circle to provide a social platform for researchers regarding the Hur Movement. “We are collecting the missing parts of our history in the form of literature that is made available to encourage researchers,” he said.

“In a way, we are playing the role of a bridge between researchers and research,” he added while informing that the book is their first published research.

Politician Mehtab Akbar Rashdi commended the author and publishers of the book and said that the study circle should probe further into history and come forward with more such research.

“There are eyewitnesses, there is oral history and still we, the people of Sindh, don’t know the brutal aspects of Colonial times. The Hur Movement is to be owned by Sindh, by the people of Sindh,” she said.

“You should get to know more about this brave man Sibghatullah, who became Pir Pagara at age 12 and had the dignity not to accept British rule. This resentment he showed in his attitude. At first they arrested him after destroying the license for his weapons. But who was killing whom with weapons? He was portrayed as a troublemaker, a terrorist.

“Going to prison at a young age strengthened his resolve even further and he came out stronger. He would not be dictated. Then his existence became a threat for the British. He was just 32 when he looked into the eyes of death and was not afraid. Neither was he apologetic,” she said.

“Where he was buried was not identified, which is fine because he would not have wanted people to turn his grave into a shrine,” she said.

Noor Mohammad Jaji said that colonial powers were afraid of the Hur Movement. “The Hur Movement passed many phases and went through several strategic alliances. But you don’t find much mention of it because it has been buried on purpose by colonial powers who viewed it as a big threat. Still movements don’t die. They remain in some form or the other for years and years,” he said.

Naseer Ijaz said that there was a need now for decolonising our thought. “Pir Sahab was a revolutionary man and it is great of Aftab Nabi to use his pen to write about him and the movement which he started. We need such literature to open up our minds,” he said.

Javaid Qazi said that the book unravels the mindset of Pir Sibghatullah. “He was a leader, a guide. His movement was like a magnet, an example for Bugtis, Marris and others like them. The Hurs put big dents into colonial rule, which needs to be known, just like colonial brutality must also be known. Propaganda history has made the British look like civilised people, which they were not really,” he said.

The author Aftab Nabi then said that the articles are the result of his research at Cambridge and Oxford. “When I was studying there, I realised that the historic aspect of Sindh was ignored by colonial historians. While recording history, they didn’t talk about the suppression and the laws which were put in place by the British to discourage and kill freedom movements. Their narratives had twisted real history, where revolutionary people like Pir Sibghatullah were called ‘terrorists’. They have in fact penned documented novels,” he said.

“I am not a Sindhi but I admire the Hurs for fighting their fight despite knowing that they will die. I admire their unflinching loyalty to their leader. The movement was also kept alive by women who provided intelligence. The mainstream media at the time, the press, the news agencies also only gave government narrative and not the real facts because journalists had been briefed not to highlight the real issues, how the Hurs here used to fight back and stand up for rights.

“They were shown as terrorists though actually they were only reacting to what was being done to them. This is how history has been adulterated on the Hur Movement,” he said, adding that he hoped to come out with another volume of further detailed analysis on the Hurs.

Presenting his final remarks, general secretary of Pakistan Muslim League-Functional, Sindh, Sardar Rahim said that it is a shame that there is so little literature available on Pir Sibghatullah and his Hur Movement. “We need to reclaim our history. For this we will set up a Sureh Badshah Research Institute, the seed money for which will be Rs1 million,” he announced.

Published in Dawn, November 16th, 2020