Amir Habibullah Khan Saadi
Encyclopedia
Rai Amir Habibullah Khan Saadi (born 1909 - died 1989) was a Manj
Manj
Manj are a [Rajput/jat] sub-clan from the Punjab region of India and Pakistan. Basically they are agriculturalists.- The Indo-Aryan languages :...

 Rajput
Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...

 ruler of Talwan
Talwan
Talwan is a town in Jalandhar District in the Indian state of Punjab.Talwan lies on the Nurmahal-Talwan main road. The development block for Talwan is Nurmahal.The nearest railway station to Talwan is Nurmahal railway station at a distance of 8 km....

 in Jalandhar District
Jalandhar District
Jalandhar district , Jalandhar Zilā) is one of the 22 districts in the state of Punjab in North-West Republic of India. The capital is Jalandhar City...

, Punjab, British India and a military officer who became a freedom fighter in British India and a political leader in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

. He is known in the pre-1947 era for struggling against British rule in India and in favour of the Pakistan Movement
Pakistan Movement
The Pakistan Movement or Tehrik-e-Pakistan refers to the historical movement to have an independent Muslim state named Pakistan created from the separation of the north-western region of the Indian subcontinent, partitioned within or outside the British Indian Empire. It had its origins in the...

 and, in the post-1947 era for the restoration of democracy in Pakistan under various autocratic rulers.

Amir Habibullah Khan Saadi was a Member of the Provincial Assembly of West Pakistan (Fifth Assembly) (June 9, 1962 to June 8, 1965). He was one of the prominent leaders of the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy (MRD) in 1970s against the government of Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and stood as candidate of the Pakistan National Alliance
Pakistan National Alliance
The Pakistan National Alliance was a nine-party alliance in Pakistan, formed in 1977 in which the alliance agreed to run as a single bloc to overthrow the rule of Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the first elected leader of that country. It was a major and largest alliance formed against...

 (PNA) against Mian Salahuddin of the Pakistan Peoples Party
Pakistan Peoples Party
The Pakistan Peoples Party , is a democratic socialist political party in Pakistan affiliated with Socialist International. Pakistan People's Party is the largest political party of Pakistan...

 in the 1977 General Elections for a seat in the National Assembly of Pakistan
National Assembly of Pakistan
The National Assembly of Pakistan is the lower house of the bicameral Majlis-e-Shura, which also compromises the President of Pakistan and Senate . The National Assembly and the Senate both convene at Parliament House in Islamabad...

 from Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...

 but was defeated in what were widely alleged to be rigged elections.

Habibullah Khan Saadi was a member of the Khaksar Tehreek
Khaksars
The Khaksar movement was a  social movement based in Lahore, British India, established by Allama Mashriqi in 1931 to free India from the rule of the British Empire and establish a Hindu-Muslim government in India The word "Khaksar" is derived from the Persian language, Khak means dust, and Sar...

, an anti-colonial social uplift movement, and an associate of its leader, Allama Mashriqi.

Early life

Amir Habibullah Khan Saadi was born "Rai Amir Habibullah Khan" on 21 December 1909 in a Manj
Manj
Manj are a [Rajput/jat] sub-clan from the Punjab region of India and Pakistan. Basically they are agriculturalists.- The Indo-Aryan languages :...

 Rajput
Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...

 family in Haryana
Haryana
Haryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...

, Hoshiarpur District
Hoshiarpur District
Hoshiarpur District , is a district of Punjab state in northern India.In 2011, Hoshiarpur had population of 1,582,793 of which male and female were 806,921 and 775,872 respectively. There was change of 6.85 percent in the population compared to population as per 2001...

, Punjab
Punjab region
The Punjab , also spelled Panjab |water]]s"), is a geographical region straddling the border between Pakistan and India which includes Punjab province in Pakistan and the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and some northern parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi...

, British Indian Empire. He was named after Habibullah Khan, the then Amir of Afghanistan. His father, Rai Saadullah Khan, was a wealthy lawyer, landowner and ruler of Talwan, Jalandhar District, Punjab
Punjab region
The Punjab , also spelled Panjab |water]]s"), is a geographical region straddling the border between Pakistan and India which includes Punjab province in Pakistan and the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and some northern parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi...

, where the family had its ancestral fort known as "Qila Talwan" ("Fort Talwan"). Rai Saadullah Khan was also the first Muslim member of Punjab's Legislative Assembly, a feat he had achieved by inflicting an electoral defeat on another Muslim Rajput landlord, Chaudhry Abdur Rehman.

Habibullah Saadi received his early schooling in Jalandhar. He later joined Islamia College, Lahore, contrary to the wishes of his father who wanted him to join his alma mater
Alma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...

, Forman Christian College
Forman Christian College
Forman Christian College University, or FCCU, is a chartered university in Lahore, Pakistan, named after its American-born founder, Dr. Charles William Forman.- History :...

, Lahore. After completing his bachelors degree, Habibullah Saadi joined India's premier agriculture education establishment, the Punjab Agricultural College and Research Institute, Lyallpur
Lyallpur
Lyallpur may refer to* the former name of Faisalabad city, Pakistan* Lyallpur Town, a municipal area of Faisalabad city, Pakistan...

 (now University of Agriculture, Faisalabad
University of Agriculture, Faisalabad
The University of Agriculture, Faisalabad جامعہ زرعيه فيصل آباد, originally the Punjab Agricultural College and Research Institute, Lyallpur, is a university in the city of Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan....

) from where he was awarded an external degree of Master of Science
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...

 in agriculture by the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...

, which had an arrangement with the Institute.

In his youth, he suffixed the name "Saadi" with his name (derived from his father's name, Saadullah), thus becoming "Amir Habibullah Khan Saadi".

After the dissolution of the Mughal Empire
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire ,‎ or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...

, the Manj Rais of Talwan and Talwandi and Raikot ruled over an extensive territory south of the River Sutlej, till they were dispossessed of it by the Ahluwalia Sikhs and Ranjit Singh
Ranjit Singh
Maharaja Ranjit Singh Ji was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire.-Early life:...

. The Manj Rais of Talwan and Talwandi continued to rule over the town and its environs till the partition of India in 1947, after which they migrated to the new Muslim state of Pakistan and settled mostly in Sahiwal District
Sahiwal District
Sahiwal District is a district in the Punjab province of Pakistan. As of 1998, it had a population of 1,843,194 people, 16.27% of which were located in urban areas. Since 2008, Sahiwal District along with Okara District and Pakpattan District has comprised the Sahiwal Division...

 and Toba Tek Singh District in the Punjab
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...

  Province of Pakistan.

Military career

As was the case with many scions of landed Rajput families, who considered the military as a noble and honourable calling, Habibullah Khan, opted for a military career.

Habibullah Khan received his military training at The Infantry School, Mhow, the oldest and largest military training centre of the British Indian Army, and was commissioned in 1938 as a Second Lieutenant in the 2nd Royal Horse ("Lancers"), an elite cavalry unit of the British Indian Army. He served in Hyderabad Deccan, Ahmednagar, Ambala
Ambala
Ambala is a city and a municipal corporation in Ambala district in the state of Haryana, India, located on the border of the states of Haryana and Punjab in India. Politically; Ambala has two sub-areas: Ambala Cantt and Ambala City, approximately 3 kilometers apart from each other...

 and Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi , locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad...

.

During the Second World War, he fought with his unit on the Allied
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...

 side against the Axis powers
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...

 in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...

, Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...

 and Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...

 (modern-day Iraq).

While serving in Cyprus during WWII, he beat and tied up a British Army Officer for abusing and mistreating Indian soldiers serving under British command. The British officer in question, a Captain, used to refer to Indian soldiers as "Bloody Indians". Since the British Indian Empire was at war and prosecuting Habibullah Khan would have resulted in possible mutiny by Indian soldiers, who respected him highly, no action was taken against him and, in fact, probably for keeping the Indian soldiers loyal, he was commended for doing what he did.

Later, in another instance, whilst serving in Mesopotamia, he chastised Indian soldiers for tolerating the substandard food that was being served to them, which was overheard by one Non-Commissioned Officer, a Subedar
Subedar
Subedar is a historical rank in the Indian Army, ranking below British commissioned officers and above non-commissioned officers. The rank was otherwise equivalent to a British lieutenant and was introduced in the East India Company's presidency armies, to make it easier for British officers to...

, who reported his comments to the British command. Seeking to avoid provoking the Indian soldiers, the British command did not take action against him.

At the end of the Second World War, after he returned to Rawalpindi, his critical attitude towards the British was taken notice of and he was asked to resign from the British Indian Army, which he refused to do and asked to be court-martialed if he was guilty of an offence. He was, therefore, court-martialled in 1946 on charges of "seditious behaviour", but not before giving a speech before the Field General Court Martial and telling them "if the Crown cannot respect the soldiers serving under its command, then the days of the British Empire are over."

Political career

Amir Habibullah Khan Saadi was a Member of the Provincial Assembly of West Pakistan (Fifth Assembly) (June 9, 1962 to June 8, 1965) elected from a constituency of Lyallpur
Lyallpur
Lyallpur may refer to* the former name of Faisalabad city, Pakistan* Lyallpur Town, a municipal area of Faisalabad city, Pakistan...

 (now Faisalabad
Faisalabad
Faisalabad , formerly known as Lyallpur, is the third largest metropolis in Pakistan, the second largest in the province of Punjab after Lahore, and a major industrial center in the heart of Pakistan. Before the foundation of the city in 1880, the area was very thinly populated. The population has...

). He was one of the prominent leaders of the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy (MRD) in the 1970s against the government of Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and stood as candidate of the Pakistan National Alliance
Pakistan National Alliance
The Pakistan National Alliance was a nine-party alliance in Pakistan, formed in 1977 in which the alliance agreed to run as a single bloc to overthrow the rule of Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the first elected leader of that country. It was a major and largest alliance formed against...

 (PNA) against Mian Salahuddin of the Pakistan Peoples Party
Pakistan Peoples Party
The Pakistan Peoples Party , is a democratic socialist political party in Pakistan affiliated with Socialist International. Pakistan People's Party is the largest political party of Pakistan...

 in the 1977 General Elections for a seat in the National Assembly of Pakistan
National Assembly of Pakistan
The National Assembly of Pakistan is the lower house of the bicameral Majlis-e-Shura, which also compromises the President of Pakistan and Senate . The National Assembly and the Senate both convene at Parliament House in Islamabad...

 from Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...

 but was defeated in what was widely alleged to be rigged elections. Habibullah Khan Saadi was a member of the Khaksar Tehreek
Khaksars
The Khaksar movement was a  social movement based in Lahore, British India, established by Allama Mashriqi in 1931 to free India from the rule of the British Empire and establish a Hindu-Muslim government in India The word "Khaksar" is derived from the Persian language, Khak means dust, and Sar...

, a social uplift movement.

Amir Habibullah Khan Saadi was arrested on 5 November 1963 for actively opposing the military government of President Ayub Khan. The following is an excerpt from the West Pakistan Assembly Debates regarding the incident:
On 2 December 1963, Mr Iftikhar Ahmad Khan raised a question of privilege arising from the arrest of Amir Habibullah Khan Saadi on the 5th of November 1963. He contended that the Hon’ble member was arrested as a consequence of the honest and fair discharge of his duties as a member of the House during the last session; and, that the circumstances conclusively revealed that his arrest and the attempt falsely to implicate him was part of the scheme to stop Members of the Opposition from participating in the deliberations of the House. The Minister for Law opposed the motion inter alia arguing that as the matter was sub judice, it could not be discussed in the House; and, as the action had been taken under the law of the land it did not involve any breach of privilege. After hearing the Members and the Law Minister, the Speaker, Ch Muhammad Anwar Bhinder, ruled as under —

“Amir Habibullah Khan Saadi, MPA, was arrested by the Lahore Police on 5th of November, 1963 on the allegations of committing offences under sections 307, 395, 332, 147, 148, 149, 427, 454, 124-A and 153-B of Pakistan Penal Code. As I have held previously, a Member of the Provincial Assembly is not immune from arrest or detention if he commits an offence punishable under the law. Amir Habibullah Khan Saadi was arrested in the ordinary administration of law and as such there is no breach of privilege. This privilege motion is, therefore, ruled out of order.”


Being one of the prominent leaders of the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy (MRD) in the 1970s against the government of Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, Amir Habibullah Khan Saadi was also arrested and detained by the government of Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.

Family

Amir Habibullah Khan was married to Begum Akhtar Sultan and had two sons and four daughters. His wife was his cousin and daughter of Khan Bahadur Rana Talia Muhammad Khan
Rana Talia Muhammad Khan
Khan Bahadur Rana Talia Muhammad Khan, O.B.E. was the first Muslim Inspector-General of Police in British India, serving as Inspector-General of Police of Patiala State and the Northwest Frontier Province and a former British Indian Army officer...

, a former British Indian Army officer and the first Muslim Inspector-General of Police in British India, who served as Inspector-General of Patiala State
Patiala State
Patiala State was a princely state in India.The history of Patiala state starts off with the ancestor of the Sikh Patiala Royal House, Mohan Singh being harassed by neighbouring Bhullars and Dhaliwals . They would not allow Mohan to settle there. He was a follower of Guru Hargobind and the Guru...

 and the Northwest Frontier Province in British India. Her brother, Lieutenant General Bakhtiar Rana
Bakhtiar Rana
Lieutenant General Bakhtiar Rana, M.C., was a senior officer in the Pakistan Army. He was Chief Martial Law Administrator . As a Lieutenant General, he commanded one of Pakistan Army's strike corps, I Corps, as its Corps Commander from 1958 to 1966...

, was Chief Martial Law Administrator (West Pakistan) and Commander, I Corps
I Corps (Pakistan)
The I Corps, also known as I Strike Corps, of the Pakistan Army headquartered in Mangla, Azad Kashimir Province of Pakistan. Known as I Strike Corps, it is one of two strike corps within its ten manouvre Army corps...

, Pakistan Army (1958–1966). His eldest daughter is married to the younger son of Chaudhry Niaz Ali Khan
Chaudhry Niaz Ali Khan
Chaudhry Niaz Ali Khan , founder of the Dar ul Islam Movement and the Dar ul Islam Trust in South Asia and the Dar ul Islam Trust Institutes in Pathankot, India and Jauharabad, Pakistan, was a civil engineer, civil servant, landowner, agriculturalist and philanthropist...

.

Death

Amir Habibullah Khan died on 6 March 1989 in Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...

, Pakistan, and is buried in his family's ancestral graveyard at his farms outside Kamalia
Kamalia
Kamalia is a city and tehsil of the Punjab Province of Pakistan. It is part of Toba Tek Singh District, which is part of the erstwhile Faisalabad Division.-History:...

, Pakistan.
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