THE death anniversary of Allah Buksh Soomro, who was prime minister of Sindh during the late 1930s and early 1940s, was observed throughout the province on Saturday.

Allah Buksh was assassinated by four assailants in Shikarpur on May 14, 1943, while travelling in a tonga with Wadero Nabibux Khan and Mr Ghulam Rasul Jhulan.

All government offices, schools and markets remained closed across the province and the Union Jack flew at half mast. Born in 1900, Allah Buksh Soomro became Prime Minister of Sindh in 1938 after the first election following Sindh’s separation from Bombay.

Sir Shah Nawaz Bhutto, Sir Abdullah Haroon and Khan Bahadur Allah Buksh had formed the Ittehad Party to fight the elections to the Sindh Assembly. The party won 24 of the 35 Muslim seats in a house of 60. But as both Bhutto and Haroon lost the election, the Governor invited an old British favourite, Sir Ghulam Hussain, to form government, though he had the support of only five members.

But early in 1938, the government fell and the Ittehad party leader, Allah Buksh Soomro became prime minister at a relatively young age of 38. Mr Soomro’s rule was popular because he introduced a number of reforms. Among them were withdrawal of magisterial powers from feudal lords and an end to  nomination for local bodies.

He lifted the externment orders on Obaidullah Sindhi, who was living in exile in Saudi Arabia. The Soomro ministry lasted less than two years, but the very next year Allah Buksh returned to office. Then followed the two golden years of his leadership.

Allah Buksh was given the title of Khan Bahadur by government. The Viceroy nominated him to the Defence Council and made him an OBE (Order of the British Empire).

Before becoming premier, he represented upper Sindh in Bombay Legislative Council from 1926 to 1936. During this period he helped initiate the huge Sukkur barrage project, which changed the face of  agriculture in Sindh.