Khurshid Hasan Khurshid | |
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خورشید حسن خورشید | |
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| President of Azad Kashmir | |
| In office 1 May 1959 – 7 August 1964 | |
| Preceded by | Sardar Ibrahim Khan |
| Succeeded by | Abdul Hamid Khan |
| Private Secretary ofMuhammad Ali Jinnah | |
| In office May 1944 – 11 September 1948 | |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 3 January 1924 Srinagar,Jammu and Kashmir,British India |
| Died | 11 March 1988 (aged 64) Lahore,Punjab, Pakistan[1][2] |
| Resting place | Khurshid Hasan Khurshid Mausoleum,Muzaffarabad,Azad Kashmir, Pakistan |
| Nationality | British Indian (1924–1947) Pakistani (1947–1988) |
| Political party | Jammu and Kashmir Liberation League |
| Spouse | Begum Surayya Khurshid |
| Relatives | Khalid Hasan, Fawad Hasan Fawad (Brothers-in-Law) |
| Alma mater | Amar Singh College |
| Occupation | Journalist, Private secretary, Politician |
Khurshid Hasan Khurshid(Urdu:خورشید حسن خورشید) pronounced[xu:r'ʃi:d ɦəsəɳ xu:r'ʃi:d], popularly known by his acronym,K. H. Khurshid, (3 January 1924 - 11 March 1988) was thePrivate Secretary ofMuhammad Ali Jinnah, the firstGovernor-General of Pakistan. He served Jinnah from 1944 until his death in 1948.[2] Khurshid was the first electedPresident of Azad Jammu and Kashmir from 1959 to 1964.[3] He was also the instigator of theConstitution of Azad Kashmir.[4]
Khurshid was sent by Jinnah toJammu and Kashmir in October 1947 shortly before thetribal invasion.[5] He was arrested by Indian forces and jailed inSrinagar and finally repatriated to Pakistan in a prisoner exchange in 1949.[6] Khurshid often wrote his name as simply "Khurshid", which was both his first name and last name. Indian sources often mistakenly write it as "Khurshid Ahmed".[7]
Khurshid was born inSrinagar on 3 January 1924. His father was Maulvi Mohammad Hasan, a headmaster of a boys' school inGilgit. Consequently, the early years of Khurshid's life were spent in Gilgit.[8] He completed a bachelor's degree from theAmar Singh College inSrinagar. During his college years, he establishedKashmir Muslim Students Federation and metMohammad Ali Jinnah inJalandhar for the first time in 1942.[2] Khurshid also wrote for the weeklyJaved started by theMuslim Conference leader Allah Rakha Sagar.[9][10]
Later he started working for the news agencyOrient Press of India in Srinagar. When Jinnah went to Srinagar for a holiday in May 1944, Khurshid interacted with him as an agent of the Orient Press. Jinnah was impressed with him and hired him on his staff.[2][11] Khurshid subsequently rose to be Jinnah's private secretary and watched the troubled political waters leading to thePartition of India from close quarters.
Khurshid was married to Begum Sorayya, a confidante ofFatimah Jinnah and the author ofMemories of Fatimah Jinnah. She was the sister of journalistKhalid Hasan.[12]
Jinnah sent Khurshid on a mission to Kashmir in the summer of 1947. Jinnah wanted to holiday in Kashmir at this time but, given the pressure on him to accede to one of the incoming dominions, the MaharajahHari Singh was no mood to entertain the request. Khurshid reportedly told the Maharajah that he was an independent sovereign and need not consult anybody regarding the accession of the state. If he acceded to Pakistan, he would not have to delegate any of his powers toSheikh Abdullah. "Pakistan would not touch a hair of his head or take an iota of his powers."[13][14] Scholar Das Gupta also states that Khurshid stayed there for several months and created an atmosphere of communal frenzy against India.[9]
At the beginning of October 1947, Jinnah sent him to Kashmir again. The Maharajah had appointed JusticeMehr Chand Mahajan, with known connections to theIndian National Congress, as his prime minister, replacing the pro-PakistanRam Chandra Kak. Jinnah wanted to find out Maharajah's intentions. Khurshid reported back on 12 October stating that the Maharajah was "dead set against accession to Pakistan". He also reported that the pro-IndiaNational Conference was the only party in the state. The pro-Pakistan Muslim Conference was "essentially defunct". He concluded:[11]
"In the light of the above, I am personally of the opinion, Sir, that Pakistan must think in terms of fighting . . . as far as Kashmir is concerned.... All that Pakistan has to be ready for in such an eventuality is to supply arms and foodstuffs to the tribes within and without the State who are already sharpening their weapons.... I may say, Sir, that Major Khurshid Anwar (of Muslim [League] National Guards) is already in Rawalpindi and he can very well be trusted with the work of liaison."[15]
In fact, MajorKhurshid Anwar had already mobilised the Pashtun tribes from theFrontier for a raid on Kashmir and was poised to launch his attack on 15 October.[16] When thetribal invasion was launched on 22 October 1947, Khurshid was still in theValley. He was arrested on 2 November 1947 by the State Police, who recovered maps and documents from him. Indian sources say that Khurshid had gone underground and was attempting to organise an agitation against the state government from the Jama Masjid, the hub of activity for the Muslim Conference. Khurshid remained in custody until a prisoner exchange in 1949, after theKarachi Agreement was signed by India and Pakistan.[17][18][19]
K. H. Khurshid was appointed as President ofAzad Kashmir on 1 May 1959 byAyub Khan. He was, at first, reluctant to accept this office, but eventually did so at the insistence ofFatima Jinnah who is said to have treated him as her son and had also financially supported him earn the bar-at-law degree from Lincoln's Inn.[1] As President, K. H. Khurshid conducted the first ever 'Basic Democracy' elections in Azad Kashmir and also won in this election as the President of Azad Kashmir.[1] According toDawn, "following some differences with the powerful Pakistani establishment, Mr Khurshid resigned from the office of AJK president on August 5, 1964."[1]
"K. H. Khurshid died in a road accident on 11 March 1988, while travelling in a public transport vehicle as an ordinary passenger."[1] He was buried inMuzaffarabad,Azad Kashmir. Kashmiri masses regarded him as an icon of honesty, integrity and democracy. Mr. Jinnah was once believed to have said that "Pakistan was made by him, his private secretary and his typewriter."[1]
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