THIS refers to the article ‘Subcontinent’s 19th-century educational institutes: an overview’ (May 23) which highlighted the historical contributions of educational institutions in the subcontinent during the 19th century. There is no denying that institutions like Aliah University, Fort William College, Dehli College, Dar-ul-Uloom Deoband, Aligarh Muslim University and Nadwat-ul-Ulema played a significant role in the social uplift of the masses in undivided India.

However, I believe history is incomplete without the mention of Sindh Madressatul Islam (SMI) the alma mater of the Quaid-i-Azam in Karachi, as the creation of Pakistan would have remained a distant dream without this institution.

The SMI was founded in 1885 — just ten years after Aligarh Muslim University — by a group of enlightened Muslims of Sindh, led by Khan Bahadur Hassanally Effendi, as the first modern Muslim educational institution in the province. It started as a school, was upgraded to a college in 1943, and then elevated to the level of university in 2012.

During the course of its history, the institution produced towering historical personalities, like the Quaid-i-Azam, Sir Shahnawaz Bhutto, Sir Abdullah Haroon, Sir Ghulam Hussain Hidayatullah and Bahadur Mohammad Ayub Khuhro, among others. It was in this context that renowned educationist Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah described the SMI as the “child of Sindh and mother of Pakistan”.

Prof Mujeeb Sahrai
Karachi

Published in Dawn, June 11th, 2022