SIR SYED AHMED KHAN (a great reformer) SPEECH

There was hardly any political movement in which h Sir Syed Ahmed Khan had not participated. He always remained in the forefront of mainstream national politics of the sub-continent.

ہزاروں سال نرگس اپنی بے نوری پہ رہتی ہے

بڑی مشکل سے ہوتا ہے چمن میں دیدہ ور پیدا

Mr. President and worthy audience, SIR SYED AHMED KHAN, the great name in the history was a well-wisher of both the Hindus and the Muslims. He was of the view that the Hindus and the Muslims were just like two eyes of a human body. After the tragic failure in the "WAR OF LIBERATION" of 1857, the condition of the Muslims got from bad to worse. Sir Syed Ahmed Khan exercised his best efforts for Hindu-Muslim unity but he failed to do so due to biased attitude of the Hindus towards the Muslims. The Hindus deprived the Muslims of their genuine rights as a living nation at every level and pushed them into the dark wilderness of illiteracy and ignorance with a view to destroy them in every field of life in connivance with the British rulers. Their properties were seized, positions in the civil and military services were denied, opportunities of education, business and trade were banged shut for them. The Hindus wanted them to live as second rate citizens. the demanded British Government to remove Urdu and Persian form the courts and offices. They were insisting upon the introduction of Hindi Bhasha and adopt Devnagri Script in place of Urdu and Persian, singing of Bande-Matram and Puja before the Portrait of Gandhi proved very injurious to Muslim language, culture, literacy and scholastic asset. The bigoted Hindus meted out the worst treatment of injustice and humiliation to the Muslims. Eventually, the cruelty of the Hindus reached at its high peak. This increasing plight disturbed the Muslim leaders of the day very much.

Mr. President, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan realized that modern education was the need of the hour to bring the Muslims out of their morass. Hence, he established the M.A.O. High School Aligarh in 1873, which subsequently rose to a collage in 1877, and ultimately the college bloomed into a full-fledged University of Aligharh in 1921. The university in course of time started attracting the Muslim student form all over India in addition to safeguard their culture and civilization. the Muslim University of Aligarh thus proved a great asset in the advancement of Muslim struggle for freedom. Sir Syed Ahmed Khan was the first person to declare that the Hindus and the Muslims needed a separate homeland for their culture, identity.. language and the religion. This gave a rise to the famous "Tow-Nation Theory", which proved abery strong point for the Muslims in their demand for a separate homeland. Sine then the active Muslim leaders of India played pivotal role in the freedom struggle. Sir Syed Ahamed Khan was indeed the first exponent of the Two-Nation Theory. He believed that India was a continent and not a country, and that among the vast population of different races and different creeds, the Hindus and the Muslims were the major nations on the basis of nationality, religion, way-of-life, customs, traditions, culture and historical condition. Hence, he changed teh definition of nation and created a concept of nationalism among the Muslims. The Muslims achieved their goal to have an independent state for themselves in pursuance of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan's ideology.

Sir, undoubtedly, he was a great reformer of our nation. More than hundred years had passed sine he died. The Hindus the Muslims all were convinced of his moral courage, freedom of thought, love for justice, generosity and sincerity. He discharged his responsibility with full devotion and dedications and set aside everything to accomplish his mission. Farhad had not so deeper love for Shireen as he had for his nation. We pay glowing tribute to his national services. Sir Syed's tomb along with his brother's and Dr. Siauddin's graves are int eh mosque's premises of the university.

Worthy President, Sir Syed Ahamd Khan is yet very dignified. His magnetic personality and great learning have left a permanent impression on us for ever and ever We as Pakistani shall remember his achievements.