| Sadiq Mohammad Khan Abbasi V | |
|---|---|
| Nawab Amir | |
 Official Portrait of the Nawab | |
| 14thNawab of Bahawalpur | |
| Reign | 15 February 1907 – 14 October 1955 |
| Predecessor | Mohammad Bahawal Khan V |
| Successor | Abbas Abbasi |
| Born | (1904-09-29)29 September 1904 Derawar Fort,Bahawalpur,Punjab,British India (present-dayPunjab,Pakistan) |
| Died | 24 May 1966(1966-05-24) (aged 61) London,United Kingdom |
| Burial | |
| Spouse | Linda Sayce,Begum of Bahawalpur (last wife, mother of his 3 sons) |
| House | Daudputra dynasty[1] |
| Father | Bahawal Khan V |
| Religion | Islam |
GeneralNawab Sir Sadiq Mohammad Khan V AbbasiGCSI GCIE KCVO (Urdu:جنرل نواب صادق محمد خان عباسی; 29 September 1904 – 24 May 1966) was the 14th and finalNawab (ruler) of thestate of Bahawalpur from February 1907 to October 1955, and then as a titular figure until his death in 1966.[2]
He became the Nawab on the death of his father when he was only two years old.[3] ACouncil of Regency, with Sir Rahim Bakhsh as its president, ruled on his behalf until 1924.[2]
The Nawab served as an officer with theBritish Indian Army, fighting in theThird Afghan War (1919) and commanding forces in the Middle East during the Second World War. By 1947, its institutions consisted of departments run by trained civil servants; there was a MinisterialCabinet headed by aprime minister; the State Bank was theBank of Bahawalpur, with branches outside the State, includingKarachi,Lahore. There was a High Court and there were lower courts, as well as a trained police force and an army commanded by officers trained at theRoyal Indian Military Academy atDehra Doon. The Nawab had a keen interest ineducation, which was free tillA level and the state's government provided scholarships of merit for higher education. In 1951, the Nawab donated 500 acres inBahawalpur for the construction ofSadiq Public School.The Nawab was known for his relationship with the Quaid-i-Azam (Muhammad Ali Jinnah), Founder ofPakistan.[2]
In August 1947, on the withdrawal of British forces from the British India, the Nawab decided not to accede his State at once to the newDominion of Pakistan. However, on 3 October 1947, after some delay, he relented and became the first ruler of a princely state (Bahawalpur) to accede successfully.[4][5]
As tens of thousands of Muslim refugees flooded into the state from the new India, he set up the Ameer of Bahawalpur Refugee Relief and Rehabilitation Fund to provide for their relief. In 1953, the Ameer represented Pakistan at thecoronation of Queen Elizabeth II. In 1955, he signed an agreement with thegovernor-general of Pakistan,Malik Ghulam Muhammad, under which Bahawalpur became part of the province ofWest Pakistan, with effect from 14 October 1955, and the Amir received a yearlyprivy purse of 32 lakhs of rupees, keeping his titles.[6] The same year, he was promoted to the rank of general in thePakistan Army.[2]
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Abbasi was born atDerawar on 29 September 1904 as the only son and heir ofBahawal Khan V, theNawab ofBahawalpur.[7][8] He visitedMecca with his father in 1906–07.[9] He was educated atAitchison College,Lahore, and was placed under the guardianship of E. M. Atkinson.[7][9] At the age of 15, Sadiq fought in theThird Afghan War in 1919, wasknighted in 1922 when he reached his majority and was invested with the throne two years later by theViceroy of India,Rufus Isaacs, Lord Reading.[2]
In 1929, he visited Egypt and was a guest of KingFuad I. Very fond of cars, he bought a Rolls-Royce Phantom, 45WR, bodied byThrupp & Maberly, one of the two cars on display at the Cairo Show.[10]
His last wife was Linda Sayce, a British citizen. The couple had three sons.[11]
When his father died on 15 February 1907 nearAden, on his return journey toBahawalpur from a pilgrimage toMecca, he succeeded him as theNawab ofBahawalpur.[12][13] As he was a minor on the occasion, the administration of the State was placed under aCouncil of Regency.[9] It comprised Indian officials, with the following members: the President, Rahim Baksh; Khuda Baksh Khan (Revenue Member); Diwan Asa Nand (Financial Member); and Abdul Rahman Khan (Military Member).[9] In 1913, he sailed forEngland with Charles H. Atkins, formerly Political Agent in thePunjab, travelling viaEgypt,Italy, andFrance.[9] During his stay inLondon, he was received byGeorge V atBuckingham Palace.[9] He attended theDelhi Durbar of 1911.[14] He served asaide-de-camp to thePrince of Wales during his visit toIndia in 1921.[14]
TheBahawalpur State under his rule was considered to be an importantsovereign state inPunjab. The Bahawalpur State had a special privilege as it was larger than some states of the present time . Its rulers also enjoyed special protocol and titles conferred by the British since 1866 as they were accorded 17 guns salute and had special access to theViceroy ofBritish India. Bahawalpur state also had a separate mint to strike coins for its public and the facility remained intact until 1940. The British Government established a Regency Council under the supervision of Maulvi Sir Rahim Bakhsh until the minor Nawab grew up as a young man. This council was responsible for state administration. Special attention was paid to the education and upbringing of Nawab Sadiq Muhammad Khan. He started his education at a college in Lahore and completed it in England. He had an aptitude for military affairs and achieved several military titles, conferred on him by theBritish Empire. The Viceroy of India,Lord Reading awarded total authority of the state administration to Nawab Sadiq Muhammad Khan (V) on 8 March 1924.[2]
Sir Sadiq continued his military career in theBritish Indian Army, which he had begun as aLieutenant in 1921; by 1932 he was aMajor, by 1941 aLieutenant-Colonel, commanding troops in theMiddle East during theSecond World War. Since 1933, he had also been a Member of theChamber of Princes, and since 1940, a member of the Indian Defence Council. Promoted tomajor general in 1946, the following year, on 15 August 1947, Sir Sadeq was promoted to the title ofAmir of Bahawalpur. He acceded to theDominion of Pakistan a month later.[2]
From the 1930s, Sir Sadiq began regularly holidaying in England, purchasing Ardene and the surrounding woodland on the outskirts of Farnham, Surrey. During World War II, this was given over to the community and used as a children's nursery until the end of the war. He then resumed his annual holiday, moving to Selham House near Chichester in 1948.[15]
In 1956, following the concept of Aitchison college, he laid the foundation stone of the largest school of Asia in Bahawalpur namelySadiq Public School.[citation needed]
After thepartition of India Nawab proved to be very helpful and generous to the government of theDominion of Pakistan. He gave seventy million rupees to the government and the salaries of all the government departments for one month were also drawn from the treasury ofBahawalpur state. He gave his private property to theUniversity of the Punjab,King Edward Medical College and the Mosque ofAitchison College,Lahore.[2]
At the time of partition, all theprincely states of the subcontinent were given the choice of joining theDominion of Pakistan or theDominion of India or remaining independent. To try to convince the Nawab to join India,Pandit Nehru went to him while he was in London and offered various incentives in this regard, but he did not accept them. On 5 October 1947, he signed anInstrument of Accession with the government of Pakistan, for Bahawalpur State to accede to Pakistan. Thus the State of Bahawalpur was the first of thestates that joined Pakistan.
The main factor was the Islamic sentiments of the Muslims who were in the majority in Bahawalpur. Moreover, the Nawab andQuaid-i-Azam were close friends and they had great respect for each other, even before the creation of Pakistan. The Amir of Bahawalpur Refugee Relief and Rehabilitation Fund was instituted in 1947 for providing a central organization for the relief of refugees fleeing from the new India, and the Quaid-i-Azam acknowledged the valuable contribution of the Bahawalpur State for the rehabilitation of the refugees.[2]
In 1953, Sir Sadiq represented Pakistan at the installation ofFaisal II of Iraq and also at the coronation ofElizabeth II, who was also theQueen of Pakistan. In 1955, an accord was signed between Sadiq Mohammad and Governor-GeneralMalik Ghulam Muhammad, according to which the State of Bahawalpur would become part of the province ofWest Pakistan and the Nawab was to receive a yearly stipend, orprivy purse, of 32 lakhs of rupees and was to keep the title ofNawab and its precedence both inside and outsidePakistan.
In May 1966, Nawab Sadiq died inLondon, which ended his long 59 years as Nawab and Amir of Bahawalpur; his body was brought back to Bahawalpur and was buried in his family's ancestral graveyard atDerawar Fort. His eldest sonNawab Muhammad Abbas Khan Abbasi succeeded to his father's title of Nawab of Bahawalpur. Another son,Saeed-ur-Rashid Abbasi was a Federal Minister of the Government of Pakistan. Sir Sadiq's grandsonNawab Salahuddin Ahmed Abbasi currently holds the title of Nawab purely as a titular distinction.[2][16][17][18]
His descendants of the royal house include: his heir apparent,Nawab Brig. Muhammad Abbas Khan Abbasi (former Governor of Punjab); his grandchildrenNawab Salahuddin Ahmed Abbasi (Urdu: نواب صلاح الدین عباسی) who is aMember of Parliament inPakistan, Prince Falahuddin Abbasi (who died in London in April 2016, from cancer), Princess Aiysha Yasmien Abbasi and Princess Safia Nausheen Abbasi.[citation needed]
He died on 24 May 1966 inLondon.[19][20] He was survived by 23 heirs, and his eldest son,Abbas Abbasi, was recognised as his successor by theGovernment of Pakistan.[19]
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{{citation}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)Sadeq Mohammad Khan V | ||
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Nawab of Bahawalpur 1907–1955 | Succeeded by |
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