Jamia Millia Malir, Karachi

Jamia....! the word sounds familiar, yes we often hear in news from India most recently. Although, very few of masses knows that there is another Jamia Milia in Karachi at Malir which has deep historical links and association way back in before partition British India with the Jamia Millia Dehli.

Jamia Millia Karachi

This should be told to the people that once there was a mega educational project named Jamia Millia in Karachi as well.

Background

Jamia Millia Islamia, an institution originally established at Aligarh in United Provinces, India in 1920. Jamia means 'University', and Millia means 'National'.

Its inception goes back to the British India times in the early 1900s.

Under the colonial British Raj, two different campaigns contributed towards the birth of Jamia Milia as an institute. One was the anti-colonial Islamic activism led by Khilafat movement (the one in support of declining sutanat e Usmania) and the other was the general independence movement which actually started way back in mid 1800s.

Responding to Mr. Gandhi's call to boycott educational institutions supported by British Raj, a group of nationalist teachers and students quit Aligarh Muslim University and decided to build a Jamia. The prominent members of this movement were Maulana Mehmud Hasan, Maulana Mohamed Ali, Hakim Ajmal Khan, Dr. Mukhtar Ahmad Ansari, and Abdul Majid Khwaja.

Origin of Jamia Milia Malir, Karachi:

Having said above, Jamia Milia In Karachi has historical link with the origin of “ Jamia Millia Islamia” in the British India  in 1920. Five years later,in 1925 “ Jamia Millia Islamia” shifted to Delhi wherein Dr. Zakir Hussain had intigral part. In 1948, after the partition, Dr. Mehmood Hussain Khan along with some sincere and devoted former students of the “jamia millia, established educational complex in Malir, Karachi under the name Jamia Milia Malir, Karachi.

Dr. Mehmud Hussain:

While talking of education in Pakistan, we can not ignore this name. Yes it is the name which most of student used to see in Karachi University at main Liberary which is dedicated in his name. The famous Dr. Mehmud Hussain Liberary.

Dr. Mahmud Husain was born in Qaimganj, British India to Mr. Fida Husain Khan, a lawyer, and Naznin Begum. He was the youngest of seven sons and the brother of Dr Zakir Hussain, the third President of India and founding member of Jamia Milia Dehli. His great grandfather Husain Khan had migrated from Kohat to Qaimganj in 1715.

After the partition Dr. Mehmud Hussain decided to move to Pakistan and build  similar and remarkable institution for the newly built nation and its people while his elder brother opted to stay in independent India at Dehli to serve there. Unfortunately, the younger brother could not get much recognition from the people for whom he donated his whole life and family just for the sake and love of Pakistan.

Now Jamia Milia Dehli has been converted into a large university, while Jamia Milia Karachi into  devastated group of old architecture which is under continuous threat of detoriation as well as land grabbing mafia.

History of Jamia Millia Malir, Karachi:

Inspired by Jamia Millia Delhi, some of its old students led by the late Prof Mahmud Husain, eminent academic, educationist and politician, established the MTMP in 1948. Later in 1952, a school with the name of Jamia Millia Primary School was set up in the suburbs of Karachi. Most part of the now Jamia Millia Malir spread over 27 acres was handed over by the Auqaf department (evacuee property board) while the rest was purchased by the association.

With the passage of time, the commitment and devotion of association members led to the fast development of the campus that turned into a complex of eight fully-fledged educational institutions in less than two decades. However, it is a bitter truth that the mega dream of the nobles from Majlise talime milli Pakistan could not foster due to several socio-political rasons and we have ended up with multiple devastated system and deteriorated buildings which we call the exiting Jamia Millia Malir Karachi, barely wall chalked advertised on the bare walls of nearby houses. 

Indeed, it was not the dream, Dr. Mehmood Husain and Master Abdul Haee saw years ago.

Sources:
https://jamiamillia.wordpress.com/
http://www.citizensarchive.org/
http://jamiamilliagce.edu.pk
https://www.dawn.com/news/1164251
https://www.jmi.ac.in
http://www.citizensarchive.org/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmud_Hussain
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zakir_Husain_(politician)